Hollywood Hills

Welcome to Hollywood Hills

The People and Lifestyle

For the sake of simplicity, let’s say there are two kinds of lifestyle mindsets in Los Angeles: there are beach people and hill people. If you love a good view, being surrounded by nature and tranquility, living in the Hollywood Hills means you’re most likely a hill person.

​​​​​​​During the day, the Hollywood Hills offer an escape from the rat race under the bright, sunny skies of Southern California. By night, the glow from the stars above and city lights below eases the mind into endless space. This is the place to feel solitude, even within the borders of a big, bustling metropolis.

Moneyed lawyers, studio executives, and celebrities make the hills their home. But there are also artists, writers and musicians holed-up in the canyons, making the Hollywood Hills a retreat of sorts – a feeling of being far enough away from the grind of urban living but still connected to Los Angeles’ creative energy.

Because of the diversity of its denizens, the hills are dotted with trophy mansions and funky bungalows alike. No matter the size, shape or style of the architecture, every home is surrounded by a lush environment – trees, flowers, grasses, and shrubs. What’s more, homeowners get great canyon or city views – from downtown, across the basin, all the way out to the coastline on the clearest days.

The Hollywood Hills are divided into two major areas, Hollywood Hills East and Hollywood Hills West, split by Cahuenga Pass (101 Freeway). Each side of the pass contains a bundle of canyons, parks, and distinct neighborhoods.

• Laurel Canyon (a hippie conclave from the 60’s which is now a mix of those same hippies and the younger power brokers of Hollywood – agents, managers, writers, actors, etc). Every once in a while a stock trader will make it into Laurel Canyon, but that’s usually by proxy of a Hollywood type. Laurel Canyon is, figuratively, the most central canyon in town; thus part of it’s appeal (and curse) it its proximity to the center of town. You can drop down from the canyon and be in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood or the Sunset Strip all in 5 minutes. That being said, it’s one of the most highly traveled thoroughfares in the city – and so getting in and out of there, can be a pain in the a#$. It’s a route that most saavy locals work to avoid during large parts of the day (or at least from 8-10am and 3-7pm). The homes in Laurel Canyon are a smattering of styles quality. a $2,000,000 home can sit next to a dilapidated tear down for $500,000.
  
  
• Mulholland Drive (immortalized in countless films) is the scenic route that divides the city of LA from it’s nemesis, the Valley. It’s a gorgeous and windy route that connects the many canyons across the city. It’s sprinkled with scenic pit-stops and awe-inspiring city scapes; and while it’s views are incomparable – it’s efficacy as a through road is limited by the tour buses crawling through the pass as visitors snap pictures of the city. Sunset Plaza, the luxury arm of the Sunset Strip. You can find high end eateries, an amalgamation of designers, and probably spot a few celebrities lunching outside.
  
  
• The Bird Streets, the avian enclave recently made famous by its increasingly famous residents (and increasingly opulent homes and prices). The bird streets host some of the city’s newest and most extravagant homes. In this neighborhood, fixers typically start around $5,000,000 and finished homes – well sited are selling for over $10,000,000.
  
  
• Outpost Estates, established in 1853 as one of the first neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Bits of the original, Hollywood-sign-esque Outpost sign can be found strewn alongside the Runyon Canyon hiking trail. All new developments had to be approved by a council and some of LA’s greatest designs can be found in the tree covered neighborhood.
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• Nichols Canyon, home to countless natural and man-made waterfalls and a year round creek that attracts all walks of wildlife. Nichols canyon is well known to locals as one of LA’s best areas to cycle and hike and has a long history of fine art that you can only find in Los Angeles.

Things to Do

​​​​​​​Hollywood Hills offers the easiest access to several trailheads to the networks of trails in local parks and open spaces.

In fact, hiking is a very popular activity here. It gives folks the chance to exercise outside, away from bustling traffic of the surface streets below, which can often be less relaxing for runners. Hiking is also a social activity, giving friends (and often their pets) the chance to socialize. Plus, hikers are always rewarded with a great view.

Cyclists also enjoy the challenge of pedaling up the canyon streets like Outpost Drive to Mulholland Drive. Once at the top, bikers can follow Mulholland for several miles and then speedily ride back down either side of the Santa Monica Mountains. On weekends, pelotons (packs of cyclists) and sports cars take on the winding, steep roads and narrow side streets for a white-knuckle ride.

Hollywood Hills Homes and Architecture

​​​​​​​The Hollywood Hills are known for stunning homes with city or canyon views. Sitting on the south-facing slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, daylong sunlight is easy to come by. A fair number of homes are suspended on the hillsides, jutting out over the steep slopes. The homes with stilt foundations and cross-bracing systems will leave you asking how they’ll hold up in an earthquake. This gives double meaning to “living on the edge.”

Architectural in the hills is diverse, from 60s-era hippie roosts to pricey mansions. With few exceptions, all are expensive. Here are few popular styles:
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• Mid-Century Modern
• Spanish Colonial Revival
• Mediterranean
• California Modern
• Bungalow
• French Normandy
• Tudor Revival
• Case Study Houses

​​​​​​​Landscaping here tends to be lush and hedged-in, providing homeowners with additional privacy. Most trees were planted decades ago as Los Angeles transformed from a desert to irrigated city, courtesy of aqueducts that transport snowmelt and runoff from the Sierra Mountains. Some yards have been updated with eco-conscious, drought-resistant plants and grasses. Conservation is an ongoing and growing matter here; more frequent drought periods keep environmental issues top of mind.

Restaurants

​​​​​​​Restaurants in Hollywood are covered ad-nauseam and doors sometimes shutter before they’re open. It’s a rare part of the world where a hamburger on the same block can run from $2 to $20. We won’t assume the role of Zagat, so here’s a modest list of our favorite restaurants in the area.

Pace is nestled in Laurel Canyon and has an open but intimate dining room and a well known salmon entree served (and cooked) on a cedar plank. The Griddle Cafe is one of LA’s quintessential diners where there’s constantly heavy traffic in the form of a wait line and an occasional celebrity sighting. Fig & Olive is a POTUS favorite, hosting the Obamas in their upscaled Mediterranean eatery on two separate trips to Los Angeles. We’d also recommend the newly reimagined Murakami on Fairfax, a modern Japanese restaurant serving affordable sashimi and chirashi bowls.

Keep in mind, the Hollywood Hills, are intrinsically, residential – so all of the eateries and retail are outliers. You (rarely) walk from your house in Laurel Canyon to dinner – which means, by and large, the hills are high on the walkable score – in terms of accessing things – but they are close to everything LA has. So you can descend from the Bird Streets to Restaurant row on Sunset Plaza – and find almost anything you’d want in the world to eat.

​​​​​​​Similarly, if you want to be a bit more incognito – or economical – you can always funnel out of the hills into the Valley – and find yourself amidst a cornucopia of other dining and diversions.

Entertainment & Nightlife

​​​​​​​There are few options unavailable to Hollywood residents in terms of entertainment and nightlife. The world-renowned Hollywood Bowl is in your back yard. The Henry Fonda theater draws the same caliber of acts to a more intimate venue. The Hollywood Palladium down the road has been housing headliners for decades on end.

​​​​​​​Bars, clubs, and restaurants are too many to name. Our favorites include the ever-rocking Piano Bar on Selma, the hidden hangout behind the craftsman- turned-speakeasy No Vacancy, and The Roger Room for their old-Hollywood decor and the city’s best cocktails.

Education

​​​​​​​Immaculate Heart is an all-girls middle and high school just at the foothill on Franklin Avenue (this is considered Los Feliz – but it sits at the bottom of the Los Feliz foothills). They bill themselves as a Catholic college preparatory school, and have a self-reported near perfect track record with college admissions.

The Oaks School is a small, private elementary school also located in the flats on Franklin Ave. The school was founded in 1985 by Hollywood parents unsatisfied with their children’s neighborhood options

Valley View Elementary will save you the drive down the hill. Located on Woodrow Wilson Drive, this LAUSD outfit is the highest rated in the neighborhood.

Wonderland Elementary is one of the most sought after public schools in Los Angeles and serves the Laurel Canyon community. Known and beloved for highly involved staff and students, Wonderland is a cornerstone in the Hollywood Hills.