I lived at Victory & Tampa and went to Vanalden Elementary too. Graduated 1960. The Medical building was built about 1961 across from my house. The apartments where you lived was a vacant lot and all the kids in the neighborhood used to play softball there during the summer. We also hung out at Tampa Park, the shopping center to the west now called Loehmann's Plaza. I remember when Topanga Plaza was built, replacing the farm worker homes. Everything south of Victory between DeSoto and Topanga was a corn field. The Penneys at Fallbrook Mall was my first job after high school. Thanks for the memories.
Moved to Van Nuys in 1953. Went to a little grade school then Robert Fulton JR Hi then Van Nuys High. Graduated 1962. Feel so lucky to have grown up in the Valley as a kid. Play sports all day, (hard time taking a deep breath with the smog in those days). Also terrific times at Van Nuys and Toluca Lake Bobs, street racing. San Fernando Drags. And cruising Van Nuys Blvd. Good times!
Hey! Moved to Van Nuys in 1959 & went to Valerio grade school, Fulton Jr & Van Nuys High! Graduated in 71, but my 2 older brothers graduated out of Van Nuys! Would be something if you knew one of them! Ken Gross? Graduated VNH 1962 Great memories of SFV
In '70s and '80s, we had red alert days. We'd have to spend recess and lunch indoors because the smog was so bad. I remember as a kid, my chest hurting if I played outside for too long, usually on summer days. I lived in the hills and could hardly ever see 2 miles into the SF Valley, let alone the mountains on the other side near the 118.
This is so beautiful reminiscing what my parents lived through as a 80s baby from the valley... sucks how the valley doesn’t have that fun aura as I feel it did back then ):
I just recently started watching your videos of the Valley...I grew up in Tennessee and I bought this amazing book all about California and I fell in love with it and swore when I was old enough I would move out there...Now this was early 1980 and I was only 16 years old and i would always dream of those palm trees and ocean views and the music scene got going really big out there and people I knew were telling me to get out there as soon as I could and that the record companies were signing everybody and being a guitar player that was the big dream for everybody...However my life took a different direction and I ended up being a professional dart player and due to the lack of tournaments in California "For a state the big it was amazing they didn't have more" I ended up moving to fort Lauderdale and have been here ever since...I've never been out there and hope to do it before i am too old so i can explore it some...Lots of history there I would like to check out...Thanks for listening to my babble and thanks again for the really cool videos about your childhood in that area, It really had to be fun to grow up there in those days.
I just came across your videos this afternoon. I'm 67 and grew up in Burbank. I've lived in N. Hollywood, Van Nuys, Lake Balboa, Canoga Park and Chatsworth. I've lived in Palm Springs for the last three years and as silly as it sounds I've been home sick for the good ol' SFV. I've wanted to drive back up there but with Covid I decided to wait awhile. With your videos I can now revisit the old haunts. Thanks so much for these vids. It makes my delayed visit that much more bearable. Thanks again.
Circus Vargas, Circus Vargas, See Circus Vargas! Grew up in South Central L.A. and I remember those commercials from my childhood. Born in 1978, so I grew up in that awesome 80's/90's timeline!!!
Yep, Sherman Oaks Galleria was the one of the spots! But my main hang out was Laurel Plaza with the ice rink, Orange Julius and various shops. And of course the most ingrained memory was that huge candy/nut stand as you walk through the north doors of Laurel Plaza. You could get freshly roasted peanuts, almonds, cashews, whatever roasted to order. The best! Especially during the holidays. And the holiday decorations were unbeatable back then. God I miss those days...
So grateful . I dint grow up in the valley. I grew up in Moreno Valley lol the IE . I’m in La now and I go reseda/north ridge and explore so cool and old vibes .
OMG! The Magic Emporium? That was the first magic shop I found by accident while riding the RTD down Ventura Blvd, that Inspired me to become a magician. Shame all the greatest magic shops have all vanished since then. "Have you ever been to the Magic Castel in Hollywood?" Please get back to me and I'll put you and a guest on the list sometime.
Awesome it was such a great shop. I really miss it. I haven't been. Someone said they would put my wife and son and I on the list years ago. But we never got a chance to go and now we lost touch with them. I would love to go one day.
Ok my friend, The good news Is that the Magic Castel Is Open! The Bad news Is need to re-new my Magician Membership. Performing at the Magic Castel Is now very high on my bucket list. I am going to email my Magic Mentor Jeff McBride who can make it happen for me. He has a lot of pull there. When and If I get the Booking I would be there for a week. Sunday through Saturday and hopefully it will be this year. No matter what, just know that I got you and will give you plenty of notice. But If I happen to get my membership renewed first, You will be my first guests for an evening of Magic. I will send you a friends request via Facebook. Stay safe and keep those great Video Vlogs coming.
Up until the late 80s, Fashion Square was an outdoor mall, anchored on either end by big department stores, Bullocks and Nordstrom (I think Broadway earlier). Glendale Galleria was the main mecca for East Valley, as well as its Sherman Oaks counterpart.
Kurt, so far, this part is the best. I have so much to comment on. 1. In the '80s, that Sherman Oaks Tower Records (on Cedros/Ventura, not when it moved to the Galleria) was my favorite store in the entire Valley. In the late '90s, they had old cassette/video/CDs shelves in the back alley next to the dumpsters. My friend and I put two of them in his pickup and I had professional-looking CD storage in my apartment. Thanks Tower Records! Second Spin was a couple doors down from there. My second favorite store in the Valley. 2. A typical early-80s Saturday for me was Saturday morning cartoons, collecting my allowance, grabbing my best friend, walking to Ventura and picking up the RTD to go to the Galleria and blow my entire allowance on video games at Sega Center (later called Time Out). The best view of it is in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" when Jeff Spicoli is wandering around the arcade, but the filmmakers brought the games to the commons area where the food court was. The actual arcade was on the far end of that "cul-de-sac" of small restaurants. My best recollection is there was a potatoes place, Orange Julius and a Swensen's ice cream place. Around the corner is the Perry's Pizza that you see in the movie and where Stacy and Linda work. Across from the food court was the Pacific 4 Theaters where Rat worked. I so loved that mall. I once got kicked out of the Licorice Pizza that's shown when Rat and Mike are discussing dating tips. I was being a turd and ripping the sale price tags off all the cassette tapes. 3. I lived further up Hayvenhurst and people would ALWAYS be hanging across the street from the Jacksons' house, just waiting. Even when he/they were on tour. There's no sidewalk on the Jackson's side of the street, so they'd always be loitering on the east side of the street. 4. My favorite non-music store in the Valley was Valley Baseball Cards. I once ditched school, took the RTD to Tower Records (Sherman Oaks), then past my junior high school to Valley Baseball Cards, then back to school (Portola Jr. High) to show up for my last two classes. That was one of the best days of my childhood. Once I got home, I organized my list of cassettes I wanted to buy (from having spent 3 hours at Tower Records) and opened my newly purchased box of 1983 Topps Baseball. 5. If it wasn't the Galleria, it was Topanga. I'd seen a handful of movies at the Topanga Theatre. I rarely went to the Northridge Mall but I do remember the carpeted floor and they had a really cool escalator that was completely enclosed and mirrored with lights in it as well. It was like being in a sci-fi movie. 6. I previously mentioned Chuck Burger on the Square. In your video, I believe it was located on the first floor opposite the May Co. Moving on to Part 4. So much fun!
i can see this series blowing up. very interesting. lets hope people in power stop messing things up, so others can continue to have positive life experiences like we have from the 80s and 90s...
I struck gold coming across your channel...just as good as Adam the woo and Jordan the lion but with a throw back vibe ... I'm in Philly so I'm loving the 80's tour of LA
use to go up the hill past the jacksons place to a look out were you could see the valley we called it top of havenhurst. Use to drink beer smoke pot a listen to van halen.Good Times
A lot of memories for me as well with this video. I did hang out at the Galleria myself. I love Perry’s Pizza. I also bought my prom dress there back in 1981. Good times.
Born in Tarzana Medical Center. 1966 Grew up at the top of Victory , above Valley Circle. Woodland Hills Hale Junior High / El Camino High. Rode dirt bikes all over the West San Fernando Valley hills @ top of Calvert Street. Surfed Zuma - Malibu Point - Oxnard Shores - Hueneme - Worked at Jim's Fallbrook Market 1981 hung out at Kolbe Honda / Val Surf / Glen Kennedy Surfboards - Woodland Hills. Platt Villiage and Fallbrook mall was childhood hang out. Im still here in this armpit - two blocks north of Fallbrook Mall. Kryptonics Green !!! Bones and Tunnel Rocks were awful - like rocks. Hung with boys of Bad Religion.
Awesome video! I'm not originally from the valley, I lived in Oxnard but I used to work at The Disney Store in Northridge in 1989/90 then later The Warner Bros Studio Store in 1995/96 at Topanga Plaza before the Northridge earthquake. So I remember those malls very well before the new remodels. I moved to The Valley in 1999 and lived here ever since. I currently live near your old apartment on Victory near Tampa but but behind Lohmann's Shopping Center. Keep up the great videos!!
You are so right about the mall culture in the 80s. The Sherman Oaks Galleria was the best! I remember being interviewed by the Daily News about the Beastie Boys when they first came out at the food court there. Thanks for your videos. They've been medicine for my soul.
@@80sLife thanks too u for the memories I left the valley when I turned 16 been living in vegas since 1996 but still go to the valley have alot of family out there
Great video, kurt. I was just searching for videos on the Sherman oaks Galleria and i noticed you had one up. It was awesome to see some of the other malls you hung out at as a kid.🙌
Haha, I went to Vanalden in the late 80's, but I think you're older than me. I also had Mr. Upshaw, I loved his basketball game lol. I remember all my teachers there, I miss them all. My favorite was my second grade teacher Ms. Green.
The Sherman Oaks galleria was condemned after the 1994 Northridge earthquake then was demolished to make way for the new mall if one can even call it a mall. The Northridge mall was damaged as well by the same quake but was quickly patched up and reopened.
Thank you so much for these videos. Really, really cool to see some of my old stomping grounds! I remember the car salesman, Cal Worthington and his dog 'spot' commercials and the ads for Federated Stores featuring Shadow Stevens. I lived in various areas throughout SFV with my family during 80s and 90s. Attended Birmingham High School. God bless!
Dude, I love your videos! I grew up in Canoga Park in the 70's-80's, I grew up across the street from the Fallbrook Mall off of Vanowen. My first job was at Farr's Hallmark Store at Topanga Mall!!! Used to walk to the food court for lunch from CPH! Also, I would walk down to Licorice Pizza to buy records during lunch!! I love the videos!
Born and raised here in the Valley. Graduated from Grant High School in "98 (Go Lancers!!). l still live in the Valley and its fun watching this video from your perspective. Who knows we might have crossed paths. The Valley is so rich in history, I hope you keep making these videos.
02:53 I worked at that Bob's in 1979. I left LA in the mid 80's and when I came back about 10 years later they were all gone. I couldn't believe such a popular chain went out of business.
I used to live at 4920 Van Nuys Blvd across the street from Sherman Oaks Hospital. I remember Ventura Blvd ... this was my first time being out on my own working my first full time job.. .
Hudson Diner and the movie theater next to it, some of my best memories as a teen. My buddy and I ditched school to go watch “Ferris Buelers Day off” there.
'94 quake took out the Northridge Mall and they needed to rebuild it from the ground up. Basically looks like all the other malls these days. Mtv had a traveling exhibit in the 80s and I remember going to the Northridge Mall to check it out.
@@80sLife i think my mom has a few pics of me at the event. They had a guy demo this awesome Casio music station and he played the theme to Back to the Future. It was crazy orchestral level stuff. Never forget that.
wow, you hit a lot of places that im rather familiar with. for some reason i always noticed that apartment building where you used to live. i think because when you drive by, it looks like theres a moat or something below the walkway between the apartments entrance and the street. i had NO idea that those buildings on tampa/parthenia was a shopping center. although it does make sense cuz further down towards corbin its still a shopping plaza. thanks for all the insights big guy. this series is awesome.
The Northridge Mall aka Northridge Fashion Center was my mall of choice when was a teen in the late 80s. I worked at the GCC movie theaters inside the mall.
Wow. Westfield is everywhere. I even saw those in Australia. I did not hang at Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, but Northridge? Yes. Also Topanga Plaza. My nana lived at the infamous Northridge Meadows before it fell down.
I moved to Reseda 2 months ago from Europe (Italy) and i'm still in a phase of discovering,some of the places you show on video i've recognized ,the only things that i'm still hard to understand are the roads,all are similar and it's hard to remember the places ,i hope to get use to soon ,thanks for show us San Fernando Valley i appreciate so much
@@dougsmuaythai i know , for example in Italy every town or city has is center or square but here not ,so is hard,probably i need more months for understand ,also for the city LA ,is incredible enormous ..
Alessandro, do yourself a favor and go to Athenian Grill on Reseda and order a #1 combo. I haven't been there in years but I'm hoping the quality is still the same.
You said the Urban Oufitters was Tower Records.. Partially true... That's only because the Urban Outfitters is actually a clothing store called The Factory that I used to work at and Tower Records combined.. The Factory closed in the late 80s but for a few years it was the coolest place for young people to buy clothes. It had a Live Dj booth that looked down on the sales floor and also a humongous video wall behind the sales counter.. It was a blast working there.. I also worked part time in the Galleria at one point and that was a lot of fun too. I miss that mall. It was very cool and would still look good these days since so many kids are really into the 80s now. Thanks for the vid!!
I remember the Factory. As a young teen in the 80s I badgered and begged my dad to take me there. I bought a trench coat for $90 or so. It was cool to wear trench coats in the 80s. I remember seeing U2 With it Without you on that big wall of TVs. Wasn’t there an Aaah’s next to it?
@@garagemetalshop7975 Hey, fellow Factory rememberer!! The Aaahs was actually more down near the corner of Ventura Blvd and Van Nuys just down the street on the same side as The Factory. There was a bunch of other smaller stores, including a Fat Burger in between. I'm guessing that Trench Coat is long gone by now, but if you still have it that would be a very cool Collectible! I am making a 3d Model of The Factory both inside and out, including that part of Ventura Blvd, from back in those days and it has been Super Hard to find pictures and advertisements from that era. In fact, I have only found one good picture that includes The Factory and Tower next to it Online, so I'm asking anyone with any leads on photos for help if they find any.. Hope all is well for you after all these years, friend! Happy Holidays!!
@@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary That is so awesome. I was thrown about the Aahs! location because at some point it might have moved down a few doors close to the corner of Cedros. The Factory was the coolest, most unique and modern looking place imaginable, and no, the trench coat is unfortunately long gone, but $90 was a lot of money at the time for teen/young adult clothing and my dad did not like spending it. It sure was cool though, padded shoulders and everything. I will ask my fellow valley-ite friends about the Factory to see what they remember. On the next block over, there was an old Rialto theater that was turned into a GAP. I doubt it's still there. I cannot remember if during the 80s it was a functioning theater or not. All of this was on the south side of Ventura, for some reason I never really ventured north except for the brief life of Tower Books, which was really cool. The Newsstand on the southwest corner of Van Nuys and Ventura lasted for a long time, too. All is well here, I hope all is well with you and I wish you Happy Holidays too!
That brought back some memories. While I grew up in Pasadena/South Pasadena, once I was able to drive, I would go to the Northridge Mall and Sherman Oaks Galleria to see movies but, more importantly, check out girls even though I was too scared to actually talk to them.
I remember standing in a long line at the Northridge mall waiting to see Empire Strikes Back with my cousin only to have him suddenly get sick and throw up. Needless to say we had to leave and I was so bummed out 😞🤣
Wallichs Music City at Topanga Plaza was one of the great music stores. They sold records, tapes, sheet music, stereo equipment and a few musical instruments. Even sold concert tickets. It was the place to go if you were into music. I remember me and my older sister spending a lot of time there, mostly buying records. Sadly, Wallichs closed in 1978.
My mall to go to back then was northridge mall when they had the arcade at the front entrance to the Mall I went to Lawrence jr high n chatsworth hi then oh n the Munch box was family owned by my friend. Good old memories
My brother went to Chatsworth high for a short time.. I think the same time as you. Thats cool.. I can't remember the name of the munch box owner, but my dad was real friendly with him and would chat with him everytime we went. Do you know if it's still in the family?
I only went to the Fallbrook mall once. My mom dragged me there when I was a teenager. My favorite mall was the Topanga Plaza. I haven’t been there since 2008. I can’t remember if I never went to the Pavilion in Woodland Hills. I went to the Northridge Mall only once in my late teens when I was a freelance makeup artist.
I was born in 2002 living not very far from the Sherman Oaks mall and I continued to go there regularly as my home mall when I moved to Encino and Studio City
Ditto... knew every inch of the Northridge Mall. We would get picked off by the NARC's and taken back to Monroe High. Partied in the train tunnel above Chatsworth Park, the Rainforest, Tampa Land, end of Desoto, etc... Saugus Speedway on Saturday night and hit the Shoestring at 1am on Van Nuys Blvd. and then home to Arleta.
Im surprised I never knew the Jacksons lived at that property right off ventura blvd. Used to run by that place a lot with my team mates for hill sprints.
I used to eat at the Taco Bell in the mall on the corner of Sepulveda and Ventura on my lunch break. I worked across the street at a bank. My Job before that was working at the In N Out near Winnetka and Ventura.
The Northridge Mall is my all-time favorite mall. In addition to that old movie theater, they also had a video arcade called the Space Station. I miss the mall's old look before it was damaged and extensively remodeled after the Northridge Earthquake. The Bullocks (now Macy's) store collapsed, the gray decorative rock facade on Sears fell off, and the Broadway (now the north end stores and restaurants) had tall white brick columns and chandeliers that were all taken out in the remodel. Fortunately, we still have another store that looks just like the old Broadway. The Macy's at the Los Cerritos Center was built around the same time (early 1970s), probably by the same builder, and it looks just like the pre-earthquake Broadway at the Northridge Mall.
I saw in a previous comment you posted that you were born in West Hills...me too! And still here in Canoga Park 30 years later. What I miss the most is the old Fallbrook mall. Hoping you can share any pictures in your videos if you have any!
Yes, I bring it up again in part 4 while visiting West hills hospital... go check it out if you have time. Share pictures of the mall or just old pictures in general? I'll always try to include what I have.. I also post a lot of pictures from my childhood on my Instagram.. @80slife4ever . Thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it
I REMEMBER BODY AND SOUL OMG!!! I just took a trip down memory lane. I got my first ear piercing there in 2008. My dad let me skip school (Holmes Middle School) and took me there. Mom wasn’t happy haha.
HAHA your comment about malls being cool or not cool is still accurate today😂 Growing up, the cool kids only hung out at Northridge Mall or Topanga Mall. In more recent years Ive only gone to Fallbrook “Mall” to go to their AMC theatre (all the theaters have reclining seats)
I got my first tattoo at body and soul back in 1998 if I remember correctly...man so many memories in this video, my grandma used to take me to Topanga Theater this is crazy to see cause I've been living overseas over 20 years.
Just saw this vid....Some info, since you said you were a punk. I worked at Orange Julius at Topanga Plaza around 1981 with Jay Bentley (Bad Religion), Danny Dorman (Circle One), and Kerry Doran (RIP - Undercity Kings). The guys from Bad Religion went to El Camino High School. I used to hang at Jay's house after we got off work. On the corner of Corbin and Ventura, directly across Ventura, where that 7/11 is, was a club called, "The Valley West". Bands like The Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, Adolescents and other early hardcore punk bands would play there. On Ventura, across from Topanga was two popular record shops. Licorice Pizza, where bands like Blondie would do record signings, and Moby Disc, which had a great punk selection.
My first job was at Farr's Hallmark at the Topanga Mall in 1982! Just above the Orange Julius Stand!!! Used to get one on my breaks, also a good Chuck Burger!!
I went to Valerio Street school on Blyth Street then Grenada elementary, then Langdon elementary. My middle school was Sepulveda middle school then James Monroe High in North Hills.
the movie theatre was called parthenia walk in theater i think... we raised hell in that area all the time....snuck thru back door w a butter knife we kept in allway........drunk friend streaked thru there during showing of BTTF.......i seen richard pryor at those walkins in a wheelchair right after he caught himself on fire......was a mcdonald's there as well as johnny rockets....the 50s diner theme took off big when back to the future came out....btw i lived in that house w white gate on tampa right next to your townhomes...there used to be dirt field there in early 70s every now and then some business or fishermen would drop off huge pile of big fish heads likely tuna....lol we used to jump them on our schwinn stingrays w my older brother......but i believe im about same age as you...reseda native seen them film karate kid at south seas apt we had moved to sylvia and cohasset at the time.
@@80sLife ask lance mountain if he remembers some punk that tried to run away w his skateboard in reseda while he rippin on a halfpipe...i believe it was down shirley ave....wasnt me tho ...lol..was my buddy jon van duinwyk who is now captain lifeguard at venice beach.
I moved to the valley in the summer of 99’ and went to a few movies there with the last being “Any Given Sunday.” Around that time for Halloween they built a haunted house in the lot south of the theater. We were walking back there through a maze and I tripped on a step. I looked down and noticed that we were walking on the holes of an old mini golf course. I wish I could’ve seen it when it was open.
