Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, CA

The Hollywood Sign looks down on the Hollywood Hills, the band of canyons and ridges that separates the Los Angeles basin from the Valley. Homes climb the slopes on narrow, curving streets. The 1920s enclaves hold Spanish Revival and Mediterranean houses with tile roofs and garden stairs, while later decades added midcentury modern houses cantilevered over the hillside and boxy new builds with glass walls and roof decks. Lots are small and steep, so many houses stack their living space vertically above a street-level garage. Trails start from residential streets. The path around the Hollywood Reservoir is a flat, paved walk with the sign in view, and Lake Hollywood Park is where people stop for photos. A corner of Griffith Park reaches into the area, and the Hollywood Bowl sits in its own canyon off Highland. Beachwood Market next door covers basic groceries. Along Franklin Avenue, Bourgeois Pig is the coffeehouse and Birds is the neighborhood bar and grill. Yamashiro, the Japanese-style hilltop restaurant above Highland, has views across Hollywood. Daily life depends on the car. Groceries mean a trip down to Gelson's on Franklin or across the pass, and Metro's Hollywood/Highland and Universal City stations sit at the bottom of the hills. The 101 cuts through the Cahuenga Pass and connects both sides. Traffic is the tradeoff in the Hollywood Hills. Tourist cars crowd the streets below the sign, parking is scarce, and roads built for a few cars carry many more. Up on the ridges, though, a short walk from the front door can end at a view of the whole basin.