The best way to guarantee a successful holiday is to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to plan adventures that they will love. Before flying to California, T and I sat down and wrote three Bucket Lists: all the things I would love to see; all the things T would love to see and all the things that we thought the kids would love to see based on their discussions with us.
T’s Bucket List was not as long as mine but it was incredibly detailed. It listed the places he hoped to visit, the exact address and opening times. Almost every item on the list other than Universal Studios, the Mob Museum and Alcatraz was the location of a favoured reality TV car show. This included West Coast Customs, Da Rod Shop, Barris Kustom Industries, Foose Design, El Rey’s Garage and Count Kustoms to name just a few.
I need to be honest and put it out there that I was mortified by the idea of visiting all of these places. Tinkering in the garage and watching these TV shows is T’s thing. I’ve never really shown any interest after his beloved Torana decided it didn’t like me driving her and required a gearbox change. However, once we started working through his list between trips to all the other attractions and sights in California and Las Vegas I discovered I really enjoyed the visits.
The first place we visited from T’s Bucket List was West Coast Customs in Burbank. Visiting between Christmas and New Years day was a bit of a risk as we had initially visited Foose Design and found it closed until the second week of January. We were disappointed to find the doors locked after parking. As we sat in the car pondering our next stop we noticed a tapping on the showroom window and movement from inside. Phew! Someone was there.
For years I have watched Pimp My Ride so being right there and entering the showroom was surreal. Both kids were excited too. How could they not be with both a Mario cart AND a Smurf car on display. T was like a little boy in a candy store. His grin so wide I was a little scared to be honest. He walked us around the room, showing us each car and giving us a little run down of its history (how he knew all of it escaped me!).
The great thing about West Coast Customs is that they also have some great merchandise on offer. We decided that a tshirt would be a great way to remember our visit and bought one for the kids and T. All three have already worn there’s numerous times.
Want to visit too? The West Coast Customs Showroom is open 8.00 am – 7.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am – 3.00 pm on Saturday. Head to:
2101 W Empire Ave
Burbank, CA 91504
If you get lost you can call the team on (818) 237-1287. I found them very helpful and delighted to show us around.
what kind of car is bluish car under the orange one
They’re all custom