Wilshire Center, Los Angeles, CA

Wilshire Center is the dense, busy core of central Los Angeles around Vermont Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, where Korean restaurants, Central American bakeries and Filipino markets share the same blocks. It grew from Henry Gaylord Wilshire's subdivision in the 1890s and later became a corridor of grand Art Deco buildings. Housing in Wilshire Center is overwhelmingly apartments, from older walk-ups and courtyard buildings to towers along Wilshire and newer mid-rise complexes near the Metro stations. Single-family homes are rare, and new construction keeps adding units close to the subway. Lafayette Park is the area's chief green space, with open lawns and a skate plaza. Shatto Recreation Center on 4th Street adds courts and fields, and the Felipe de Neve Branch Library sits on 6th Street beside the park. For longer hikes, drive north to Griffith Park. The food packed into a few blocks is the draw. Eighth Street Soondae on 8th Street is a family-run spot specializing in blood sausage, and Jinsol Gukbap on 3rd Street serves pork bone soup. Biriyani Kabob House on 3rd Street is the go-to for Hyderabadi lamb biryani. Daily life can run almost entirely on foot and transit. The Metro B and D lines stop at Wilshire and Vermont, and buses run constantly on Vermont, Wilshire and 3rd Street. Seafood City on Vermont covers Filipino groceries, Jons and Ralphs on 3rd Street handle everyday shopping, and Target on Virgil Avenue fills in the rest. The tradeoff is space. Parking is scarce, most buildings lack private yards, and traffic on Vermont and Wilshire is heavy much of the day. In exchange, dinner at a dozen different kitchens is only a few minutes' walk from home.