If you’re looking for a hip and trendy place in Los Angeles, Silver Lake is definitely the place to go to. This area is one of the coolest places to visit with funky blocks lined with boutique coffee shops, vegan eats, many farm to table restaurants, trendy bars and indie music venues.
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If you’re coming to this area the first thing that I’d do is go and visit the Silverlake Reservoir. After all this area of Los Angeles would not be called Silverlake if it wasn’t for the reservoir. The reservoir is actually owned by the Los Angeles department of Water and Power and was put in place in order to bring drinkable water to over 600,000 homes in the Los Angeles area. Back in 2008 they did have to drain the reservoir because it was found to have been contaminated by cancer causing agents, but was quickly filled back up after fixing the whole situation by adding 400,000 black hollow plastic shad balls that actually reduce the likelihood of the sunlight-fueled bromate. Since then there has actually been quiet a movement in order to not just improve the reservoir itself but the area surrounding it. And one of the best things to do once at the reservoir is to walk the 2.2 mile traffic looped trail that goes around the whole reservoir.
Along the reservoir there’s a bunch of really cool houses that have as equally interesting architecture. If you know where to look there are actually houses that somewhat resemble houses that you’d expect to see in early Disney animated Cartoons. This is not a coincidence because the original Disney studio was located in Los Feliz, adjacent to Silver lake on Hyperion Avenue from 1926 to 1940. Now it’s become a Gelson’s and there’s not much to remember the old studio by except for the fact that many of the old Disney houses are actually still standing, and they really are a sight to see when you discover them. Some of these houses are located right on Silverlake blvd around the lake, and notably even more next to the Gelson’s on Hyperion.
Another great place to visit in Silver lake is the Sunset junction which is located on the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd. The interesting thing about this strip of Sunset Blvd is that it is actually one of the most pleasant areas to walk in if you’re looking for a city like stroll. This is basically the headquarters for the definition of hipster. The street is filled with many coffee shops and there are numerous health food stores including a bunch of Vegan shops all over the Sunset Strip, and the continuation of store and cafes continues on for a good 1.5 miles, so finding something to your pleasing is very likely. One thing I love about this specific area is that many of the walls have really creative murals, which once again shows how artistic and beautiful this area is.
I did want to highlight that even though there are many beautiful murals, unfortunately many taggers have been destroying them too, which is such a pity.
Another thing that Silver lake is known for is it’s hidden staircases. One of the most popular ones, if not the most popular is the Heart Stairs which I like to call the love Stairs, even though the official name is Heart Stairs. This is a really long staircase that goes up into the Silverlake Hills which was decorated with very colorful hearts. Once you get to the midway point going up the stairs, if you make a right in that street and keep going you will actually see a bunch Spanish-Style houses which are really a sight to see. Looking at them I feel like they belong in a Zorro style movie and bring me back into another era. It actually kind of made me envious of the people living in such gorgeous houses and apartment complex. They just look so quaint and the location is amazing, being in Silverlake and also a little bit secluded from the city. It’s really the best of both worlds. You get the nature but you also get the city at the tip of your fingers.
Close to the Sunset Junction a very important landmark to go visit is the Vista Theatre. Okay, technically it’s not Silverlake anymore since it’s in Los Feliz but I still wanted to highlight it since it’s so close by and Movie theatres having such a hard time this year, I felt that acknowledging it and giving it a shout-out is important. This theatre opened in 1923 as a single screen theatre and has been active ever since. In the past this theatre not only showed movies but was known for it’s Vaudeville acts on Stage. This theatre really is a local landmark and often screens indie films, foreign films and often has midnight screenings of movies such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.
#silverlake #silverlakereservoir #heartstairs
