In our 2023 History Issue, Tracy Bouvier shared recollections of her eccentric late father, Burbank resident Ernie Steingold, and his fabulously ornate California Fantasy Van. A little more than a year later, she published the full tale in her memoir Drop Me Around the Corner, which details the story behind this local celebrity and what it was like to grow up with a front-row seat to the spectacle.
Bouvier’s book launch event at the Burbank Historical Society on November 16 made it clear that Steingold’s offbeat legacy is still alive and well in the community. When she asked audience members if they remembered her dad, dozens raised their hands, some offering their own anecdotes about encounters with the extraordinary man and his iconic van. Presenting a brief reading and photo slideshow followed by a Q&A and book signing, Bouvier expressed how proud she was to be able to return to her hometown to celebrate the publication of a story that’s a love letter not only to her father, but to a very specific time and place. “Life was pure chaos,” she quoted from the book’s introduction. “That’s just how Ernie Steingold rolled.”