Encino, Los Angeles, CA

Encino takes its name from the oaks that once covered this stretch of the San Fernando Valley, and this Los Angeles neighborhood still has a monument at Ventura Boulevard and Louise Avenue for the ancient Encino Oak that fell in a 1998 storm. Housing follows the terrain. South of Ventura, streets climb into the hills with ranch homes, mid-century houses and large newer estates on hillside lots, some reaching toward Mulholland. North of the boulevard, flat blocks of single-story ranch houses and wider lots stretch toward the basin, with apartments and condos clustered near Ventura itself. The Sepulveda Basin gives the neighborhood more open space than most Valley neighborhoods. Lake Balboa is ringed by about 2,000 cherry trees that bloom pink each spring, and the Balboa Sports Complex, golf courses and an off-leash dog park fill out the basin. Sadaf serves Persian food at big banquet tables made for group dinners, Shin Sushi is known for a standout omakase, and Claudine Kitchen and Bakeshop does an all-day menu and weekend brunch. For coffee, Laidrey Coffee Roasters pulls single-origin pour-overs, and Parable Coffee Lab sits up on Mulholland for anyone coming down from the hills. Errands are simple by car. Gelson's, Ralphs and Target all sit on Ventura, and Trader Joe's is on Burbank Boulevard north of the freeway. The 101 and 405 both run along the neighborhood's edges, which helps commutes and also means plenty of freeway noise near the interchange. The tradeoff is Valley heat and a boulevard that jams at rush hour. Being ten minutes from Lake Balboa makes up for a lot of it, and in cherry blossom season a weekday morning walk there is one of the better perks of living on the Encino flats.