Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA

Los Feliz runs straight up into Griffith Park, and that shared edge shapes daily life on this side of Los Angeles more than anything else. The Griffith Observatory, the Fern Dell nature trail and the old zoo grounds all sit inside the neighborhood's northern half. Homes in Los Feliz lean on Period Revival houses built between the 1920s and the late 1940s, mostly Spanish Colonial and Tudor Revival with some Mediterranean villas, stepping up the hills above Los Feliz Boulevard. Laughlin Park, a small gated enclave off Cummings Drive, holds some of the largest estates. Griffith Park is the outdoor life. Hikers start at Fern Dell and climb toward the Observatory and Mount Hollywood, and trails like Charlie Turner's and the Bronson Canyon route to the caves stay busy on weekends. Farther in there is Travel Town's train collection, the carousel off Zoo Drive, the Ferraro soccer fields and the dog park. The two short commercial streets, Vermont and Hillhurst, work as the neighborhood's village. Fred 62 is the diner on Vermont with sidewalk tables, and Figaro Bistrot, a block down, is a French cafe pouring European wines. Maru Coffee on Hillhurst is the local coffee stop, and Messhall Kitchen on Los Feliz Boulevard leans into a summer camp theme. Groceries come from the Albertsons on Hillhurst, and the branch library is a few doors down the same street. The flats around the two village streets are easy to walk, while the hillside blocks are steep, winding and much more car dependent. The Metro B Line runs under Vermont Avenue just south of the neighborhood. The honest downside is weekend traffic. Visitors headed for the Observatory and the trailheads fill Vermont Canyon and the nearby hillside streets, and parking near the park gets tight. On a weekday morning, though, people who live in the hills can leave the house on foot and be on a Griffith Park trail within minutes.