Anywhere Else
The nostalgia of "16 Right" (the movie) departed VNY years ago, heck, decades. I soloed off 34R in 1969 when it was the busiest GA airport in the nation. Still had derelict WWII aircraft here and there among hundreds of Cessnas, Pipers ... obvious from every vantage point.
Driving around the perimeter now not an airplane in sight (only a slight exaggeration) for the immense shoulder-to-shoulder corporate hangars, all that's visible from the outside. Check AirNav and notice the FBO brands. Heavens! Bring all your credit cards.
Other than Whiteman nearby or Torrance further south, the piston GA action has moved east and northwest. Consider Camarillo, Santa Paula, Upland, Chino, Corona, just about anything but Van Nuys.
John Siebold