L.A. City Guide: East L.A.

Over the past two weeks we’ve run installments of the thoughtfully detailed Los Angeles city guide that our sister-in-law, Kelley, created. Today marks her final neighborhood wrap-up. If you missed either of the others, you can check out the guide to L.A.’s Westside here and Downtown here.

EAST LA including LOS FELIZ, SILVERLAKE, HOLLYWOOD and ECHO PARK

This is the area of LA I call home and, in my opinion, the best place to live. East LA offers a culture of people that are hip, artsy and inviting. There’s always something going on in one of these neighborhoods and celebrity sightings are frequent! While I’ll offer some of the best tourist attractions in my list below, the true vibe of this neighborhood can best be felt by walking around and exploring the numerous shops, restaurants and farmers markets.

Breakfast: Forage. What can I say about Forage other than its fresh, seasonal fare makes it by far my favorite spot for breakfast/brunch in the city. Each Sunday, Teddy always asks me where I want to go and my answer is always the same, Forage. Their menu changes constantly, but one of my favorite staples is the fig and chevre tartine. Creamy and rich, it’s the perfect balance between breakfast and lunch. And for dessert, they have CRONUTS.

Lunch: The Oaks. Located in Franklin Village, the Oaks has awesome sandwiches, salads, cheese and wines. I recommend the couscous salad, a staple of my diet that I pick up at least once a week for lunch. Be sure to look across the street as you exit at the Scientology Celebrity Center, a towering mansion that hosts some of the biggest Scientology celebrities.

Dinner: Hyperion Public. This little restaurant has by far one of the best burgers in the city. With a relaxed atmosphere, you can get some of the best food in LA without all of the pretention that comes with other restaurants in the area.

What to See:

Griffith Park & Observatory: Located directly behind our apartment, Griffith Park is a huge block of land with plenty of hiking trails that lead straight up to the observatory. You can choose to hike or drive up, but this is a must-see in our neck of the woods.

Sunset Junction: Farrell lives right near this hip little city center. With plenty of shops and restaurants, this area will keep you busy for an hour or two in the afternoon and provide you with a great place to find some unique LA souvenirs.

The Silverlake reservoir: Not something you expect to see in the middle of a neighborhood, the Silverlake reservoir offers a nice waterside retreat in east LA. You can jog or walk around the 2 mile path and enjoy views of the cool architecture and parks nearby.

Hollywood Homes Tour: This is a must-do on at least one of your visits to LA. Though it’s extremely touristy, the Hollywood Homes Tour (and the TMZ tour) takes you to homes of the rich and famous. When we went, we saw Orlando Bloom and Tom Cruise’s homes, just to name a few.

Barnsdall Art Park: Also right down the street from my apartment, Barnsdall Art Park offers a plethora of activities and hikes available to visitors of all ages. On Friday nights in the summer, they also offer a wine tasting from local vendor, Silverlake Wines. Afterward, Vermont and Hillhurst Streets are close by, offering more opportunities to shop.

*

Thank you, Kelley!  xo