Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

Hollywood gave the film industry its name, and living in this part of Los Angeles means sharing Hollywood Boulevard with tourists while the side streets run on a quieter, apartment-heavy rhythm. The flats south of Franklin mix 1920s courtyard buildings, bungalow courts and new mid-rise towers near Vine. Most housing is rental. Spanish-style courtyard apartments and Art Deco buildings from the 1920s and 1930s fill the blocks between Sunset and Franklin, with small bungalows and duplexes on streets like Cherokee and Wilcox. Newer mixed-use buildings around Sunset and Vine added hundreds of units and ground-floor shops. Dining here covers a lot of ground. Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard is the old-school steakhouse and martini bar that everyone takes visitors to, Gwen on Sunset is a high-end butcher and steakhouse, and Luv2Eat Thai Bistro on Sunset serves Phuket-style dishes. Green space in the flats is small. De Longpre Park on Cherokee Avenue is a small neighborhood square, and the Hollywood Recreation Center sits on Cole Avenue. Runyon Canyon, just north in the Hollywood Hills, is where most people hike, and the trails climb quickly for views of the basin. The Hollywood Farmers Market on Ivar Avenue sets up every Sunday and doubles as the weekly produce run for many nearby. Ralphs on Sunset and Trader Joe's on Sunset handle the rest. The B Line subway stops at Highland, Vine and Western along the boulevard, so downtown and the Valley are a train ride away. The tradeoff is noise and crowds. Premieres and weekend nightlife fill the boulevard, and parking is tight on most residential streets. Step two blocks off Hollywood Boulevard, though, and you find courtyard buildings with fountains and fruit trees that have been there since the silent film era.