Visiting Non-Hollywood/East LA? (San Francisco, Santa Ana: house, high school, university)

[2020's YouTube Vlog]

I have visited LA a few times and even though I enjoyed the west side, I find that the other area that don't get as much attention from tourists seem interesting to me. Like the non-Hollywood side of LA. I put East LA, since it seems like that area has a lot of lifelong Angelenos and are a part of the non-transplant LA culture. Are there any particular areas or places that you'd recommend someone check out there?

[vincenze]

Pomona Swap Meet for car enthusiasts https://www.pomonaswapmeet.com/
There are other classic car meets and shows too.

Huntington gardens and museums: https://huntington.org/
The Japanese and Chinese gardens are especially beautiful.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by 2020's YouTube Vlog

Visiting Non-Hollywood/East LA?

Are there any particular areas or places that you'd recommend someone check out there?

In East LA proper? No, not really. Only thing that may be of interest to you if you are doing this for your vlog is to check out the cruising on Whittier blvd in East LA/South Gate. Or, go slightly SW from there and check out the Watts Towers or Magic Johnson Park.

Some other Non-Hollywood things to check out that you might like:

Gilligan's Island Lagoon / M.A.S.H. tv set - Malibu Canyon
Angeles National Forest hiking paths and streams
Original Tommy's on Rampart
Pink's Hotdogs
Andres Italian cafeteria across the street from Farmers Market/Grove
Downtown LA
The old Victorian homes in the area around USC
The old LA Zoo at Griffith Park


You can get some good ideas (if its for your vlog) from this guy's vids. He just rides his bike around places in LA and has like 1.2 million subscribers to his account. He goes to some very very interesting places that are off the beaten path.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPHl4tfeItI

[Winter Coven]

Southwest Museum of the American Indian on the Eastside - not strictly East L.A.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southw...merican_Indian

And not East L.A. (it is west of the river) but also non-Hollywood, you might enjoy a couple hours in the Arts District.

https://uncoverla.com/2022/04/28/dow...taurant-guide/

[2020's YouTube Vlog]

Good stuff so far. Thanks for these tips!

[TheTimidBlueBars]

I visited LA in 2021 and I'm like you, I prefer seeing the less touristy parts of cities, seeing the side that locals do. A few interesting things I visited:

- Chinatown
- Koreatown
- Little Armenia in Glendale (there's an Armenian history museum)
- San Pedro (an old Little Italy along 6th and 7th Sts)
- Watts Towers Arts Center
- Downtown LA is just cool to walk around, more of a San Francisco-like vibe than the rest of the city. Stop by Mochinut (mochi donut shop)

[Hochita]

Second the Watts towers...just be aware when in the area.

The south bay beach towns are a nice change of pace from the typical Santa Monica/Venice.

If you're into bookstores, I find LA to be pretty underrated...Book Soup, The Last Bookstore, Skylight, etc.

Amoeba is also an essential stop for music lovers, even though they've moved to a less grand space.

[ccm123]

I always like Downtown, Little Tokyo (Japantown), Olvera Street, Koreatown, Chinatown, East LA, the western end of the San Gabriel Valley (e.g., Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park, etc.)

Lots of great shopping, restaurants (especially Hispanic and Asian), etc

[pathrunner]

Be prepared for long lines at Pink's Hot Dogs. For good reason! It's technically in or near Hollywood, but no matter. It's a great place to eat. Too many choices!

If you visit in the spring, The California Botanical Garden (formerly Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden) in Claremont is wonderful when things are in bloom all over. Claremont is also a fabulous "Ivy League of the West" university town with myriads shops and restaurants.

I don't know about Olvera Street.... last time I was there years ago it was pathetic and even seemed dangerous compared to what it was many years ago. It was always a really great place. Maybe it's been improved since then?

[Winter Coven]

Uptown Whittier is interesting to walk about between Greenleaf, Hadley, Penn, and Painter.

There are some neat homes north of Hadley and South of Beverly between College and Pickering, including the Jonathan Bailey House on Camilla just east of Painter.

You can wander around Whittier College or listen to the Whittier Symphony at the Lopez Auditorium on the Whittier High School campus.

Some scenes in Back to the Future were filmed at Whittier High School. Seems the movie crews go to Whittier when they want a "Midwest small town vibe".

Rose Hills just north of Whittier is the world's largest (by area, not internments. - that goes to some burial plot in the ME which has had more time to put people in the ground) memorial park on the planet.

Whittier also supposedly has the biggest 99 Cents Only store.

Grab a burger at Rick's on Greenleaf and Penn or at Norm's at Whittier Boulevard and Ocean View.

Lots of neat hiking trails in the hills above Whittier and on the Whittier Greenway Trail.

And it was home to Richard Nixon!