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Northridge from North Hollywood.

Like Lassen it's a mainly, almost completely suburban street-- but it features, trees and a lovely view- and more importantly wide roads, well paved and its clean. So should you want to avoid higher traffic (East/West) roads like Roscoe and Nordoff this street is for you! Unfortunately because of CSUN it is cut off btw a truly epic east/west journey which is why should you want to meander you can go up to Lassen or Devonshire... Use this recommend if you're avoiding the freeway and just want to feel like you're moving through a place not at all like LA. I recommend it for a healthy and much needed change of pace.

You're in the middle of the valley... I myself try to avoid this area because I really don't get it. There's lots of mom and pop shops... lots of traffic... a theatre, a strip mall, car dealership... not to mention a DMV nearby and a courthouse, but it's just ultimately flavorless urban- sub-urbaness. And usually the only reason you'd find yourself here is if you're passing through to some other place... like Ventura Blvd or making your way to a freeway. But I suppose right around Victory Blvd you might pullover one of these days and have a look around... or not.

Ah Wilshire. I would love you more if I could get to you in under an hour. But because of your length and size you do have a little something for everyone.

It is impossible if you don't live in the surrounding areas. So go here with extreme caution should for instance you live in the Valley- any area actually not near Wilshire, and avoid peaktimes like the plague. That's not to say that taking Vine/Rossmore or Highland won't shorten your commute. It will. Or that taking the smaller streets like 3rd/6th will save you because they will. The natural history museum, LACMA are right here along with the huge PANPacific Park. And those are fun to visit, like, once a year. Unfortunately it doesn't lend itself to much exploring. It's a very crowded wide boulevard especially to the east- however at night it's practically deserted and awesome to power along should you be crossing through or up into Hollywood. It has some shops, clubs and a couple inconvenient redline stops... uh for instance, NOT near the museums... but not to say it can't be done. There are some lovely homes, and great jewish delis nearby... and should you cross over to the west more typical less urban fare will meet you- like Beverly Hills and the "Westside"... and it's worth it to travel and less a few times in your life, should you want to.

Franklin Ave @ Bronson...
I use this street for a lot of shortcuts. It gets me to La Brea to the west quicker and if I'm coming from Hollywood proper it's a fast way to get over to Los Feliz Blvd to the east. It can get jammed however on typical peak times. There are at least 3 notable stops should you ever find yourself on this street- a newly opened Crepe shop @ Cahuenga, further east at Bronson there is a row of shops set up like a viewing station for the Sci-Ti Celebrity center... should your eyes not be drawn too frequently to the dark windows and spires you will find an awesome coffee shop, bookstore, small theatre and a few excellent restaurants. Just adjacent to there you have Victor's Deli- great steak fries and a winestore, and a bit overpriced but lovely Mayfair Market. Should you find yourself in need of a quick picnic if you're planning on heading up Canyon Dr/Bronson (home of the original 60's bat cave!) or further up to view the LA skyline... this little corner has a lot of charm, but can be a bit crowded-- with hipsters and neighborhood locals but come on down and make yourself feel a part. It's one of my favorites. (Even further east- bonus round- is Franklin at Vermont... home to "House of Pies".)

This, not unlike Larchmont is where the hip and upwardly mobile go to live. Ah, Los Feliz! Hillhurst Blvd, specifically from Los Feliz Blvd down to where Sunset and Hollywood Blvd feed into each other. You will feel moderately to mostly safe and all the shops cater to people who can afford to pay outrageous prices for things. Parking is absolutely SPARCE, however. So you must become expert at trolling for spaces, finding valet or walking a bit. It can be done. But once there you will find some very tasty places to eat like The Alcove, Mustard Seed and La Poubelle... it's a perfect destination that has a high and quaint aesthetic appeal with houses tucked all around it.

You should've seen this place back in the 90's! What an improvement. With one exception: Mann's Chinese Theatre. They took a black and red exotic theatre and fussed it up and made it look like everything else. Boo! However!, It's about time LA decided to actually treat the tourists with respect. If Hollywood is the grand mecca of all things entertainment then finally it's starting to show itself to be with a giant shopping center and now Kodak Theatre. The upside is old bastions like the Roosevelt Hotel and El Capitan Theatre (on Hollywood Blvd) now have company- the downside is the usual run of the mill stores that are found EVERYWHERE- like the Gap! Boring! And with mass consumerism comes of course, the CROWDS! Luckily the parking center on Highland has decent validation discounts and there's a Lucky Strike Bowling alley tucked right in amongst the madness. Because of this intersection it's usually favorable to avoid it at all costs unless you happen to be traveling to the Hollywood Bowl- (but even then walking or using the "Park n' Ride" are better options) or are in fact headed into the Hollywood/Highland "Babylon Courts"- so named for a famous silent movie/set I think... ?? Besides that Highland is pretty un-notable. It is a useful artery to take all the way down to West LA and to Wilshire- you can look at the pretty mansions and think, wow, it must suck to live on such a high traffic street. Instead take Vine to Wilshire which turns into Rossmore... and 3rd/6th street to avoid the high traffic madness. Good times.

Further east (around VINE ST) than the Sunset Strip is where I frequently find myself to be- for a few reasons: The Arclight (Cinerama Dome), 24 Fitness, and Amoeba! (a great new/used all things music/movies). There are a couple more lofts coming into the area which might increase the crowd... You're close to the Hollywood/Vine redline also and if you want to try and escape most traffic snarls try dodging onto streets like DeLongepre/Franklin- though I confess, during rush hour it's just plain annoying. But once you find your sidestreets and where exactly to cut over it'll be much easier. For instance coming over the hill I take Barham/Cahuenga Pass, turn Left over the bridge and right onto Cahuenga. Do NOT take Highland and then I zag over to Vine. Much faster. Anyway, I have fun on this street. There's also a Baja Fresh and a few hip eateries. I usually can find street parking, but again, read the signs! And don't be afraid to walk a few blocks or take the redline into town. Why not?! The vibe of the street is typical urban with a dash of "hipster". Pretty much it has everything. It just needs a few art galleries and high priced shops-- but it's the quieter side of the touristy Sunset/Hollywood Blvd mecca west of it, and presses more on the fringes of the more authentic and urban Hollywood to the east.

I'm writing mainly to help all you new to downtown JuryDuty people who have their lunch break and want to go further than the cafeteria, which only takes cash. Who has cash!? I ask you. Clearly there is NOTHING in this area but a less than charming park across the street, occassional protesters, alleged "felons", and public servants- though for the most part it is cleanly maintained and is a close step to the redline and a little bit of a hefty walk UP the hill to Grand... where you can find a California Pizza Kitchen and some corporate lunch eateries. But I say take the slope down to Broadway and 3rd. You'll find the Grand Central Market, El Pollo Loco AND the Bradbury Building, which is truly a beautiful thing to behold. Go to it and get out there!

Come on Down!
This is a pretty good place to start for anybody new, and a little hesitant to explore downtown Los Angeles. Obvious visits are the Disney Symphony Hall, or the tri-theatres: Dorothy Chandler, Ahmadson and Mark Taper. A couple blocks west you have MOCA, (Museum of Contemporary Art) which has concerts and nighttime summer fair which is another great excuse to come on down and check out the granite corporate wonderness of fountains and sparce cleanliness. Across from there is California Pizza Kitchen and adjacent is a pretty decent handful of eateries, which mainly cater to the lunch crowd. You can find parking but you have to be vigilant and willing to walk a few blocks but if you're feeling free with cash there are TONS of lots including underground parking at Disney and the Forum. However, if an underground lot says they "validate" make sure you ask "how much?!" I parked at one closest to CPK and "validated" still meant I had to pay $7!! Outrageous.

Now that you have your bearings from Temple Blvd to 5th street you're ready to venture out. Feeling brave: take the DASH system to the MOCA extension warehouse in Little Tokyo and there's plenty more to explore from there.

I used to work @ the Academy Bldg @ Lankershim/Magnolia, which has an awesome golden Emmy statute, and is worth a look at all its golden glossyness, in addition to some statues in the courtyard. Now to whats really good: FirePit Grill across the street (great chicken,steak sandwiches, and hello- the pizza! Kitty-corner from there is Eclectic Cafe (pretty good basic Californian Cuisine). The area has tons of lofts going up all around if and has the end of the redline not two blocks from it- Once the Starbucks came in the 90's it took a while for this area to ramp up but recent additions including the How's supermarket came your basic small stripmall with Daphne's Greekfood, Panda Express, Coldstones and the like. On the west side of the street you have some more mom/pop eateries in addition to a smattering of theatres and small funky shops. Parking is fairly sparce which is all the more reason to take the red or orange line if you can, but it makes for a mellow but eclectic stop off that's not too packed and has plenty of flavor- and it's young, so it can only get better from here. We Hope!