Highland park los angeles4/19/2023 ![]() ![]() Susan Carpenter is a freelance journalist and former Times staff writer. Truthfully, I don’t want to live anywhere else except maybe the neighborhood I once knew. The sweet spot in that transitional middle is too short lived. El Sereno? I don’t want to live through another neighborhood as it transitions from a place of potential with a strong sense of community to another hipster haven. by blaring music from the bar one street over or its drunken patrons, I find myself cruising Redfin, considering nearby alternatives. On days when my friends can’t find parking, or when I’ve been woken up yet again at 1:30 a.m. And yet, I feel like I need to escape to somewhere that has yet to be discovered. Sure, I’m fortunate to own a house here when so many other people are priced out of today’s market. The value of my little, three-bedroom bungalow has increased to the point where I could never dream of buying it now. It was a laughable comparison then, but not so now. Gone are the days when I’d tell people where I lived and they had no idea what I was talking about. And the gastropub that takes its name from York Boulevard? It was once a Chinese restaurant called the Dragon, where you could reliably find a seat in a red pleather banquette.Įverything seemed a little more eccentric and a lot less expensive back then. T’s, a rundown punk enclave with $2 drink specials, and the Gutter cafe, which served breakfast steps away from where the bartender poured booze. Long before Highland Park Bowl, with its $60-per-hour bowling lanes, there was Mr. My son and I are now regulars at these places, too. These days, the pet shop and shoe repair are gone, replaced by a fancy barbershop and celebrity chef Nancy Silverton’s Triple Beam Pizza. My favorite restaurants quickly became a pupuseria and a pizza joint, complete with fluorescent lighting. Granted, they were a bit run down, but I could walk to do errands, a thrill in Los Angeles. The main drag along Figueroa had the same familiar Main Street amenities I grew up with in the Midwestern suburbs: a movie theater, a pet shop, shoe repair, grocery store. That edginess sometimes came with unease, but I appreciated Highland Park for the diamond in the rough that it was. Highland Park was a rough place then, but it appealed to my sense of adventure. Once, as I pushed my toddler son in a swing, the dad next to me did the exact same thing - while throwing gang signs to a buddy. I realized it was gang territory after discovering switchblades in the grass at the local park. They speculated that I was a drug dealer, because I had unwittingly made my home in Northeast L.A.’s Mexican American gang territory. What I’m experiencing now is a version of what my Latino neighbors must have felt when I first bought my house: What is she doing here?Īt the time, I was relatively young and didn’t own a car. The benefits of new businesses and less crime and increasing wealth are not shared equally and are offset by the displacement of cultures and residents. I know gentrification comes in waves, that it’s a double-edged sword. They’re just not the old-timers I’m used to. They walk their dogs, drive nice cars and are friendly, for the most part. In Highland Park, find a home as unique as you.Neighbors who’ve moved in more recently are what you’d expect, young professionals. Join a creative community in a neighborhood that blends historic style and of-the-moment innovation for an authentic Los Angeles cool. 224 S Avenue 58, Los Angeles, CA 90042 Highland Park Home for Sale: This beautifully designed 2 level contemporary home with an attached garage on the ground level, has a unique and stunning curb appeal, located in a quiet cul-de-sac neighborhood of Highland Park. The Figueroa-based El Faro is a staple spot for oysters, ceviches, tostadas, and more. find craft coffee bars, innovative eateries, and indie bookshops all within walking distance. York Boulevard, a street stocked with trendy gastropubs and art galleries and more recently, Figueroa Street has found itself as another source of increasing pedestrian activity, thanks to its Metro Gold Line stop and a burst of nightlife development. Retro meets on-trend for a neighborhood that’s totally one of a kind. Highland Park is full of historic landmarks but always ahead of the curve. In Los Angeles County, Mid-City, Elizabeth Lake and Gardena have the nearest percentage of residents 25 and older with a four-year degree. ![]() ![]() Bowl at the city’s oldest operating bowling alley, Highland Park Bowl established in 1927 and restored in all of its Spanish Revival style glory, or catch a show at 1922 Masonic temple converted into an indie music venue. Located a few miles up the 110 from Downtown Highland Park is hip meets historic L.A.Home to artists and writers since the early 1900s, Highland Park remains the place for creatives with an eye for vintage Los Angeles style. ![]()
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