Walkability In Los Angeles
There is a popular song from the 1980s called “Walking in LA” by the band Missing Persons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_UpLtGEWoY
Catchy tune but it can be very true as Los Angeles is a culture of cars. Over the years however we have created pockets of walkable areas and neighborhoods.
Many of my clients come from other metropolitan areas such as Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris and London. They want a Village or City feel where you don’t need to drive and where they can walk to do business. Walkability means you can walk to a central location within 10 minutes and get groceries, shop, go to school, the theatre and restaurants. Here are our top picks for walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Studio City/Sherman Oaks/Encino: If you live just north of the Los Angeles River or South of the Boulevard close to Ventura Blvd, or close to Tujunga and Moorpark just about everything you need is within a 10 minute walk.
Larchmont Village/Hancock Park: Walkability is exceptional. For a great village feel you want to be south of Melrose, North of 3rd St, East of Wilton and West of Rossmore.
Santa Monica: Close to Montana, Wilshire Blvd or the 3rd Street Promenade is considered highly walkable.
Venice Beach: Anywhere near Abbot Kinney means you are close to everything that Venice has to offer.
Marina del Rey: Being close to Lincoln, or in the Golden Triangle, is considered highly walkable.
Westwood: Anywhere near Westwood Village (north of Santa Monica Blvd along Westwood Blvd or North of Wilshire along Westwood Blvd) has an abundance of places to go.
Beverlywood: Anywhere close to Pico between Beverly Drive and La Cienega but the further east you go it is no longer Beverlywood but Beverlywood Adjacent.
Beverly Hills: Very walkable. South of Santa Monica, North of Olympic between Roxbury and Beverly Drive. This area is referred to the “Flats” of Beverly Hills. The further north you go, the home prices increase but it is not as walkable due to the lack of commercial enterprises.
Silverlake: Anywhere near Sunset Junction (Where Santa Monica Blvd meets Sunset Blvd), Hyperion and Rowena, or Rowena and Glendale Blvd are all very walkable.
Mid-City: Pico between Fairfax and La Brea. This is a great area with cafes, markets, theater and all one would need. Also the Mid-City development between La Brea and West and between Venice and Pico
Miracle Mile: La Brea to the East, Fairfax to the West, Melrose to the North and Wilshire to the South offers many dining and retail options, with the bonus of many important museums including LACMA, the Petersen Auto Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits.
Hollywood and West Hollywood: Anywhere near Santa Monica Blvd, Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd. If you are near these major streets, there are many things to do that are within walking distance.
Hollywood Hills: Walkability is more limited. The most walkable spots are near Laurel Canyon and Kirkwood (market and restaurant), any location close to Sunset Plaza on Sunset Blvd, and also the strip of Franklin between Gower and Bronson which has a small mix of cafés, theatres and markets.
Los Feliz: The village nearby and along Hillhurst and Vermont is extremely walkable.
Franklin Hills: Hyperion and Rowena, with everything you could need all in a village like atmosphere.
Brentwood: Brentwood Village at the corner of Barrington and Sunset is walkable, as is the Brentwood Country Mart at 26th and San Vicente.
Downtown: The best place to be in Downtown for walkability is South of 6th, Grand to the East, the 110 to the West and 10 to the South. This area has seen the most development and caters to the walking culture that is prevalent in Downtown now.
Eagle Rock: There are a great amount of cafes popping up on Colorado.
Pasadena: Anywhere near Pasadena’s Old Town is desirable as a walking destination.
Toluca Lake: This was where I grew up and we walked everywhere. Riverside has everything you would need and Toluca Lake Village is amazing!
If anyone reading this post has any other tips or suggestions, please let me know. Comments are greatly encouraged!
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