Studio City, Los Angeles, CA

Studio City got its name from the film lot Mack Sennett opened here in 1927, and that lot, now Radford Studio Center, still sits beside the Los Angeles River in the middle of this Los Angeles neighborhood. The studio gives Ventura Boulevard a working edge, with crews at lunch counters and sound stages a block from houses. Homes change with the terrain. The flats north of Ventura hold 1930s through 1950s bungalows, Spanish-style houses and ranches on regular blocks, with apartment buildings closer to the boulevards and the 101. South of Ventura the roads wind uphill toward Mulholland, where hillside modern and traditional houses sit on steep, winding roads. Wilacre Park holds the lower trailhead of the Betty B. Dearing Trail, a steady climb up to Fryman Canyon and the ridge. Coldwater Canyon Park, home to TreePeople, sits along Mulholland, and the paved LA River greenway gives the flats a place to walk along the water. Beeman Park handles ball games and courts. Art's Delicatessen has been the classic deli stop for decades, Asanebo is known for inventive seafood and traditional nigiri, and Daichan serves Japanese home cooking in a room packed with collectibles. Daily errands are easy in the flats, with Trader Joe's and Ralphs on Ventura and several markets along Moorpark Street. Many blocks are walkable to coffee and dinner. The 101 and the Cahuenga Pass get you over the hill to Hollywood, and Metro's Universal City station is a short drive away. Hillside streets are narrow, with limited parking. Up in the Studio City hills, the trail from Wilacre starts at the end of a residential street, so a morning hike can begin with a walk from your front door.