Tarzana, Los Angeles, CA

Tarzana owes its name to Edgar Rice Burroughs, who bought a ranch here in 1919 and named it after his jungle hero before subdividing it into lots. Today this Los Angeles neighborhood runs from the San Fernando Valley flats north of Ventura Boulevard up into canyons that end at Topanga State Park. The two halves feel different. South of Ventura, streets wind up into the hills with ranch houses and larger newer builds on sloping lots, many with Valley views. North of the boulevard, the grid flattens out into blocks of single-story homes and a scattering of bigger lots that once held small farms. The trails are the reason many people pick the hillside side. Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park sits at the top of Reseda Boulevard, where the pavement gives way to dirt fire roads into Topanga State Park. Caballero Canyon's roughly three-and-a-half mile loop starts nearby and climbs to wide Valley views. Ventura Boulevard is where Tarzana eats. Laidrey Coffee Roasters, run by a Valley native, is the coffee stop for single-origin pour-over. Hummus Bar & Grill fills its tables with grilled meats and unlimited mezze, Apey Kade serves Sri Lankan food that is rare in the Valley, and the family-run Tarzana Armenian Deli makes excellent pita wraps. Errands mostly happen by car along Ventura. Vons and a Whole Foods sit on the boulevard, the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library is at the eastern end, and the Metro G Line busway stops at Reseda Boulevard for trips east toward North Hollywood. The tradeoff is summer heat and boulevard traffic. Valley afternoons get hot, and Ventura backs up at rush hour near the freeway ramps. On a clear evening, though, the view from the top of Reseda Boulevard shows the whole Valley grid lighting up below the ridge.