What do you suppose a tourist, or potential mover, looks at when scouting the various neighborhoods across Los Angeles? The idea is probably something practical, affordable, and in close proximity to the center of the city: downtown Los Angeles.
The Valley is the answer. Sitting to the north of L.A. proper, the area that encompasses the San Fernando Valley and its charter cities has long been culturally irrelevant, regardless of its practicality. And despite the Arcade being a publication based out of North Hollywood High School, rarely do I ever see people try to engage with the area around it beyond what is required.
While the Valley will never be as bohemian as Los Feliz, or as youthful as West Hollywood, or as maintained as Verdugo Hills, what it lacks in a cohesive identity is more than made up for by the fact that the Valley is simply what YOU* make it, as it is admired for the progress it has undergone from its desolate past. Plus: It’s affordable.
So whether you’re native to the area or not, these are the spots I deemed worthy of being published as “go-to.”
Starting in North Hollywood, you’ll notice an architectural phenomenon that isn’t limited to the Valley but I feel complements its urban sprawl. This would be the dingbat, a cornerstone of mid-century design
Dingbats are apartment buildings, specifically the blocky ones made of stucco. The layouts are often monolithic, with parking beneath, housing above, and ambiguous entrances. They’ve become an interesting case across the Valley, as most of them are grandfathered in, meaning they’re essentially illegal to construct anew. It is because of this that many are being retrofitted to modern code or demolished entirely. Bear in mind, these apartments have a history that dates back to the post-WWII economic boom. Now they’re essentially on the path to becoming endangered, so next time, take a moment to stop and admire their history.
If you take Chandler Blvd. westward, you’ll reach the first spot on my itinerary. Nestled along the Chandler Bikepath and about a 5-minute walk from East Valley High School, you’ll reach The Iliad Bookshop.
Touted as one of the oldest bookstores in Southern California, Iliad has a charming atmosphere and one I can only describe as considerate. Walking in, you’re greeted mostly by silence, but the serene kind, and an environment that is PACKED to the brim with books. Iliad’s specialty is used books, but I’d even add that the store’s vast cataloging from judaica to herbs/healing is what made it memorable.
Iliad also has two mascots: library cats Apollo and Zeus. Apollo, a blonde cat, was very keen on speaking when I requested a comment. Cats with manners are a rarity now.
Exiting Iliad places you directly in the path of the Chandler Bikepath. This bikeway is the quintessential example of “rail-to-trail,” having been converted from a rail line around the 90s. The aforementioned walk would’ve also brought you along the Chandler Outdoor Art Gallery, which features art, It is also the most modern addition to the path, having been added in 2023.
The path is shared jointly as a neighborhood crossing that connects an urban North Hollywood to a more insular neighbor, Burbank. Interestingly, despite the geography both cities share, Noho and Burbank are not sister/twin cities. Burbank has its sister cities elsewhere, notably Solna, Sweden, and Icheon, South Korea.
Continuing down the path will only take you further into the modest and sort of liminal streets of Burbank. And by this point, you’d probably be a little hungry.
Reaching N Hollywood Way and taking a left takes you to Dino’s Pizza Burbank, a local staple that serves remarkably simple slices of pizza in an ambience that makes me nostalgic for an Italian-American culture I’m utterly alien to. Dino’s is the perfect example of hard work paying off, as the walls are decorated with awards. Even the Burbank-based production team behind the animated kids’ show “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!” has left a memento there, in the form of a signed photograph featuring the cast of the show.
If the cast, spearheaded by Wubbzy himself, isn’t enough to convince you. Then I wouldn’t know what to tell you. How could you not listen to a Wubbzy as charming as him?
Beyond Dino’s and a few other spots in Burbank, the place is pretty boring. This is what wholeheartedly makes me recommend to you the strip of Ventura Blvd. as an alternative to what the Burbank Town Center offers. Ventura is arguably the best* place in the Valley to go do some casual consumerism and walking. You can start off around Ventura Canyon on Ventura Blvd. and pay Freakbeat Records a visit while hitting some of the local vintage shops (if that’s your thing). Eventually though, you’ll reach re_grocery, an organic and no-packaging refill model “grocery” store, which I cannot recommend enough. The place is incredible, and it reminds me of that one spoof Portlandia did.
And that’s the general position I hold about the Valley – it is rich in its ecletic-ness. While I might be incredibly biased considering I’m entirely native to the place, I think the rich history of community revitalization is what makes this place rock. The blossoming from entirely devoid to now being a structurally integrated part of Los Angeles is what I hope many will come to see the north of L.A. as. From the Old L.A. Zoo to the community market run on Sundays by LAVC, the unique projects around here surely reflect what this place is all about, despite the occasional1 hurdles.
