Los Feliz - the good, bad & ugly??? (Glendale, Santa Clarita: apartment, homes)

[1_2many]

Hello,

I am planning to move to L.A. in September-October time. My family has chosen to live in the Los Feliz area as it seems to be a bit more suburban in feel with green lawns, people walking their dogs etc. I am wondering if anyone can give me advice on the good areas and bad areas and different things to do in the area?

[BRinSM]

anywhere you go in LA there are going to be lawns and people with dogs, its a given. even the apartment buildings here have lawns. as for a suburban vibe in Los Feliz, I never feel that way when I'm there. south of Los Feliz blvd is actually pretty dense with many, many apartment buildings. there is also the village along Hillhurst with shops, bars, restaurants, and a grocery story. i can't think of anything bad except for the traffic on Los Feliz Blvd around the entrance to the 5 freeway, especially on nights where there is a concert at the Greek Theater. however, there is also a nearby subway station that will get you downtown or to Hollywood/The Valley in a matter of minutes. homes there are also very expensive if you are looking to buy, especially north of Los Feliz Blvd. LF is overall a very desirable neighborhood, and in fact many celebrities live in the hills at the base of Griffith Park.

[harhar]

It's kinda suburban. Atwater and Glendale across the 5 are WAY more suburban.

Los Feliz seems like Brentwood or BH, but with a bit of an edge.

Traffic does suck on Los Feliz Blvd.

The area in general feels pretty safe, pretty quiet LOTs of stuff to do. Easy access to the 5 and "suburban" amenities. You can get those things in Hollywood (fast food, Target, Home Depot) but I'd rather just head into Atwater.

Some complain about parking and you will (like in most of LA) see a homeless person or two, or three. (just letting you know, in case you never had to deal with them.)

[KnoxTown]

Not much ugly or bad in Los Feliz

[happ]

There are some great homes & beautiful landscaped yards in Los Feliz & driving up into the hills is great. It certainly isn't suburban but close to Glendale if you want shopping centers\Americana is nice. Vermont & Hillhurst are city streets with lots of restaurants. Los Feliz is a very nice section of LA.

[matt345]

Los Feliz is a very nice neighborhood, but I wouldn't call it suburban. It is a very densely populated area and parking is extremely tight. With the sidewalk cafes/restaurants, bookstores, and the subway station, Los Feliz feels more urban than suburban to me. It's definitely "in the city". When I think of suburban LA, I think of places like Burbank, Woodland Hills, Porter Ranch, and the San Gabriel Valley. Not to mention the outer far-flung newer suburbs like Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley.

[CESpeed]

The only bad thing I can say about Los Feliz is that in Los Feliz Blvd traffic sucks. Apparently parking is an issue as well. I would have said being next to East Hollywood but the City has almost cleaned up that area.

[Sorcerer68]

The only bad thing is if you live in southern Los Feliz and don't have off street parking. Above Franklin and especially above Los Feliz Boulevard you'll find everything from gorgeous homes to gorgeous mansions. Los Feliz Village is a fun, hip place to hang out and it walking distance unless you live up on the hill. It's got bars, clubs, restaurants, cafes, boutiques and very interesting specialty shops. There's a strip joint and a couple Psychic storefronts. LOTS of celebs live in the area and you'll mostly spot them at Palermo and Different Light Bookstore. It's heart, along Vermont Ave. is also a major bus artery. Griffith Park is 5000 acres with the Observatory which provides one of the best views of L.A., the reason I mention it. Franklin Village is slightly west of Los Feliz on Franklin and is another cool spot to hang out. It's at the entrance to Beachwood Canyon which is another celeb enclave. Eat at the sidewalk cafes or drink at the adjacent bars and you'll see them pass by. The last one I saw there was Ryan Gosling. Some come from the Scientology Celebrity Centre across the street. You're adjacent Hollywood so Hollywood and Vine/Hollywood and Highland and all the clubs and action are close. The Red Line runs through the southern edge of Los Feliz and will get you Downtown in 13 minutes, to Universal Citywalk in 11 minutes and either of the previously mentioned Hollywood intersections in 2 and 4 minutes respectively. I walk to both places regularly when I'm walking my dogs. RE dogs: EVERYWHERE you go in L.A., people have tons of dogs, even in Downtown. You'd be amazed where we stick dog parks including the tops of high rises.

Yes, there are TONS of dogs in Los Feliz. It's "neighborhood" but I don't feel suburban. I think suburbs are vile and would never live in one. I have everything I need within 5 or 10 minutes of here and I'm a restless entertainment/art/music /cafe culture/bookstore junkie. I'm an urban creature and wouldn't live in a sleepy, suburban place. A great thing about Los Feliz is that it's close to plenty of action. I'm never bored.



The only fault of this vid is the video quality is bad. Los Feliz is better looking in person.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK1EbiiNqos

[timelesschild]

Very cool video, Sorcerer. Thanks for posting that!

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

YouTube - Los Feliz

Cool video! Nice description of Los Feliz too!