Uncle Bill’s Pancake House 1305 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; 310-545-5177, unclebills.net
7 NoHo Arts District
Entrance to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
BOUNDARIES: Chandler Blvd., Vineland Ave., Tujunga Ave., Otsego St.
DISTANCE: About 0.5 mile
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: Metered parking is available on Lankershim Blvd.
Nearest Metro Station: Lankershim Blvd. and Chandler Blvd. (Red Line)
North Hollywood’s Lankershim Boulevard was once hardly seen as a walking destination, but the birth of the NoHo Arts District makes it a neighborhood worth exploring. It’s also a neighborhood still very much expanding: a stroll up and down the boulevard reveals it as a theatergoer’s paradise, with 25 or so companies making their home here. And with numerous places catering to your food and drink needs, in addition to an eclectic array of public art splashed about, this is a great spot for a night out on the town.
Walk Description
Begin at the northeast corner of Lankershim Boulevard and Weddington Street. To the north you’ll see NoHo Commons, a housing development and shopping center that was built in 2007 to take advantage of the Metro Red Line station at Chandler Boulevard. Head south on Lankershim.
At 5230 Lankershim you’ll come upon a historic depot diner from the 1920s. It’s currently home to Sweetie Pie’s NoHo, part of the popular soul-food chain hailing from St. Louis and popularized by Oprah Winfrey. If you haven’t already been tempted to stop for some ribs, hang a left at the driveway at 5220, home of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences complex. Enter the main plaza, passing the colorful whirligigs that adorn the lawn next to the driveway entrance. The plaza is surrounded by bronze busts of famous personalities such as Red Skelton and Walt Disney, along with the unfamiliar faces of numerous company executives. The centerpiece is a massive burnished statue of the Emmy award, which sits atop a circular tiered fountain.
Exit the plaza via Blakeslee Avenue, which heads south to Magnolia Boulevard. Carefully cross Magnolia, a fairly busy street. The south side of Magnolia is home to several small theaters. The NoHo Arts Center, at 11136, is devoted to multicultural performance art and theater. This block is also heavy on dining choices, including two places that have become instant classics: Republic of Pie, serving artisanal pies, coffee, and tea, and Eat, a diner where breakfast rules and zucchini shreds are a popular accompaniment to omelets and such.
Continue west to Lankershim and make your way catty-corner, where Pitfire Pizza Company occupies an industrial-looking concrete building with an airy interior of exposed brick and corrugated metal. A sign proclaims the pizza joint’s mission of “Feeding a Hungry Nation.” This is an excellent place to stop for a bite of mouthwatering wood-fired pizzas with innovative toppings, or a delectable soup or sandwich. You can dine inside to enjoy the aroma of fresh-baked pizza crust or outside to relax on the pleasant patio. Next door to Pitfire is another public art display: a colorful mural depicting an idyllic park scene by artist Tim Fields.
Just north of Pitfire, the collection of shops, galleries, and restaurants features colorful neon and metal signs that compete for the attention of passersby, as well as a former alleyway–turned–pedestrian plaza. This is one of LA’s so-called People Streets, a reclaiming of public roads to make neighborhoods more pedestrian-friendly. This is a good spot to grab a chair and table and enjoy some coffee and read a book (say, study up for your next Walking LA adventure).
The delightfully garish entrance to Tokyo Delve’s Sushi Bar, at 5239, features squiggly neon letters and metal cutouts of classic Cadillacs. The kooky exterior design is an indicator of the crazy experience that awaits within, where diners are encouraged to dance on their chairs as everyone joins in on ’80s sing-alongs. This might be the only sushi bar in LA where a club-style line builds outside to get in.
El Portal Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim. Originally built in 1926 as a vaudeville theater, the venue features a beautiful neon sign and gilded box office, and it is now home to three live performance theaters. The Federal Bar, a restaurant and bar housed in a 1920s brick bank building, sits on the northwest corner of Lankershim and Weddington.
Cross Lankershim at Weddington to return to your starting point on the east side of the street.
NoHo Arts District
Points of Interest
Sweetie Pie’s NoHo 5230 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601; 818-761-1325, sweetiepiesnoho.com
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 5220 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601; 818-754-2800, emmys.com/academy
