Westlake, Los Angeles, CA

Westlake is the dense Los Angeles neighborhood built around MacArthur Park, just west of downtown, and its streets are lined with Guatemalan and Salvadoran bakeries, markets and restaurants. Sixth Street, Alvarado Street and Wilshire Boulevard carry most of its daily life. Homes in Westlake are almost entirely apartments. Many are older buildings that once served as grand hotels or luxury apartments in the early twentieth century, now divided into smaller units. A handful of Victorian houses survive on streets like Bonnie Brae, where the Grier-Musser Museum occupies one. MacArthur Park is the neighborhood's centerpiece, with its lake, lawns and palm trees. The park has been the focus of a long city effort to rework it, including plans to close the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard that cuts through it and restore its earlier layout. Lafayette Park and Echo Park Lake are a short trip away. Langer's Deli on Alvarado Street, across from the park, has been running for nearly 80 years and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. La Fonda de Los Camperos on Wilshire Boulevard is known for its mariachi performances, and the Guatemalan Night Market on 6th Street brings food stalls to the sidewalk. Errands are mostly handled along 6th Street and Alvarado Street. Food 4 Less and Grocery Outlet on 6th Street handle big grocery runs, and small markets fill almost every block. The Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro station connects to the B and D lines, making downtown and Hollywood a short train ride away. The downside is density and noise. Street parking is scarce, traffic on Alvarado and Wilshire is heavy, and the pace rarely slows. In return, living here puts a Metro station, the park and a sandwich at Langer's all within an easy walk.