Valley Glen, Los Angeles, CA

Valley Glen is home to muralist Judy Baca's Great Wall of Los Angeles, painted for half a mile along the concrete Tujunga Wash that retells California history from the viewpoint of women and people of color. Homes are mostly postwar single-family houses, 1940s and 1950s ranches and small Spanish-style bungalows on regular grid lots, many with front lawns and detached garages. Apartment buildings line Victory, Vanowen and Oxnard,, while the interior blocks stay single-family. Remodels and small-lot builds keep appearing. The Tujunga Wash greenway is the local walking path, with native plants and a trail that runs past the mural. Valley Glen Community Park, once called Erwin Park, has a baseball diamond, fitness stations and a walking loop. Los Angeles Valley College anchors the neighborhood, and its campus includes a planetarium. The food along Victory Boulevard leans Armenian and Middle Eastern, with kabob houses, bakeries and markets every few blocks. Zahle serves Lebanese plates on Victory, and Yerevan Marketplace on Vanowen stocks Armenian groceries. Ireland's 32 is the Irish pub on Burbank Boulevard. For coffee and pastry, Papillon International Bakery sits on Victory near the 170. Errands are handled at Vallarta Supermarkets on Victory, Harvest Market on Burbank and smaller ethnic markets. The G Line, Metro's busway, crosses the neighborhood with a stop at Valley College, heading east to the North Hollywood subway and west across the Valley. The 170 runs along the east edge. The busiest corridors, Victory and Burbank, carry heavy traffic, and blocks next to the 170 get freeway noise. Valley Glen's side streets are quieter, and for many residents the mural is simply part of the evening walk along the wash.