South Sherbourne Dr, West Los Angeles

Pico-Robertson is a bit of a mixed bag as a neighborhood. On the one hand, it has a very cozy close-knit sort of a feel, as far as neighborhoods go. On the other hand, it is a bit run down along certain parts and has a substantial homeless problem. This does not mean that it is a dangerous neighborhood. In fact, you mostly get minor property crime in the area, though the residents do complain that the local police is slow to respond.

The residential area of the neighborhood has a mostly quiet feel to it. Being an ethnically Jewish neighborhood for the most part and middle-class, you will see the residents walking to their local synagogues on Friday night, a sight that can give you a reassuring feeling of community these days, even if you are not particularly religious or even Jewish.

One thing that the neighborhood definitely does pride itself on is its wide selection of restaurants—especially if you like spicy Latin American food. You can find a great Versailles Cuban Food, a Don Antonio’s, and a Bosa Novo Brazilian food (with big portions). They also have lots of kosher places and some good coffee shops as well.

There are some older boxy, seventies style apartment buildings in the neighborhood that go along with the older style homes and small yards. Some newer apartment buildings have popped up more recently and it is unclear whether the neighborhood is undergoing some kind of make-over or if these are just minor changes around the edges.

The ecumenical feel of the neighborhood is represented by the presence of both St. Mary’s Girl School and the Pool Dancing School that are just within a few blocks of each other (not that I mean to in anyway suggest that the two schools may share the same students). My point with this, is that Pico-Robertson has always been open to slightly quirky and artistic types that didn’t quite seem to match the neighborhood’s overall personality—and it may be poised once again to become one of those cool areas where artistic types find a place to hang out for slightly more affordable prices.