Elysian Valley, Los Angeles, CA

Elysian Valley, the Los Angeles neighborhood almost everyone calls Frogtown, is a narrow strip of homes pressed between the Los Angeles River and the 5 freeway. The nickname goes back to the frogs that used to come up off the riverbank, and the river is still what defines the place. Homes here are mostly early twentieth century bungalows, Craftsman cottages and plain wood-frame houses on compact lots, with Spanish Revival houses and duplexes mixed in. Small workshops and light industrial buildings still sit between some of the residential blocks. The LA River bike path runs the full length of the neighborhood along the Glendale Narrows, a stretch where the river keeps a soft bottom with trees and birds instead of concrete. The Elysian Valley Recreation Center on Ripple Street handles the ball fields and classes. Eating in Frogtown mostly happens on Blake Avenue and the side streets near the river. Loreto on Blake Avenue is the seafood restaurant people drive across town for, and Wax Paper on Knox Avenue makes its own takes on famous sandwiches. La Colombe roasts and pours coffee in an industrial space on Newell Street, and Just What I Kneaded bakes on Blake Avenue. There is no supermarket or continuous shopping street inside the neighborhood, so the real grocery run means driving to the Ralphs and Whole Foods on Glendale Boulevard in Silverlake. Most mornings the busiest spot in Elysian Valley is the path itself, with cyclists, runners and dog walkers passing a few feet from people's back fences.