Noho Arts District

Los Angeles, California Travel Guide

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NoHo Arts District

Overview: The large city of North Hollywood has a seen serious revitalization, primarily due to Universal City and the NoHo Arts District in recent years. The Noho Arts District is located at the southern tip of North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. Lankershim Blvd is the street NoHo centers on and Camarillo St and Burbank St are the southern and northern boundaries, respectively.

If you are a serious artist, dancer, musician or actor, or a connoisseur of the arts, it would definitely behoove you to link into to the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood. The NoHo Arts District reportedly has the greatest concentration of live theaters and recording studios in the west. The NoHo Arts District is a one square mile area in North Hollywood where the arts are taken seriously and in return, where the visitor can experience their art. Don’t miss the annual NoHo Theatre and Arts Festival either.

NOHO THEATRES
To distinguish which live stage theater to visit or attend, check out www.nohoartsdisctrict.com to see which shows are playing. The theaters are small; thus creating an intimate atmosphere. Standout and well-respected theaters are the landmark El Portal Theatre, which opened in 1926 and is recognized for its outstanding art deco. The El Portal Theatre has 3 stages – Forum Theatre, Studio Theatre and Main Stage – and an art gallery inside. Other notable theaters are The Secret Rose on Camarillo St and the much heralded Deaf West Theatre, the premiere sign language theater which has garnered much critical acclaim and has appeared on Broadway. See List of North Hollywood Theatres.

DANCE STUDIOS AND MUSIC RECORDING
You may be familiar with the television show Dancing with the Stars and most likely, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson. You also may have heard the soulful and talented Macy Gray on the radio. The NoHo Arts District packs in the talent and the platforms in which people’s dance and musical gifts can be nurtured and shine. The Millennium Dance Complex (www.millenniumdancecomplex.com, 5113 Lankershim Blvd, 818-753-5081) is the defacto dance studio in Los Angeles. Their dancers have taught some of the most famous performers and choreographed their dance numbers. As far as music and recording studios go, check out AMP Rehearsal (http://amprehearsal.com, 5259 Lankershim Blvd, 818-761-2670). Macy Gray also opened a music academy for the gifted yet under-privileged on Vineland (4716 is the address).

ART
A number of art galleries and art spaces exist in NoHo. Check out the registered landmark Lankershim Arts Center (www.lankershimartscenter.com, 5108 Lankershim Blvd, 818-752-7568), which houses the NoHo Gallery LA, or the funky L’Imagerie Gallery (http://limageriegallery.com, 10555 Victory Blvd, 818-762-8488) and Satsuma Gallery (www.satsumagallery.net, 5447 Satsuma Ave, 818-508-7459). An interesting gallery space and educational center is Carpe Arte Kidz (4914 Lankershim, 805-208-3012), a space where inspired and rising artists display their works. The founders, Romeo Valentino and Olga Sosa also focus on educating children about the arts (every form). Their slogan is “Seize the Day, Seize the Education.”

TELEVISION
For TV buffs, it’s more than worth a visit to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Lankershim and Magnolia where you’ll find a huge, golden Emmy statue. Yes, this is the organization that facilitates and awards the achievements of performers at the annual Emmy awards. On the grounds, you’ll find bronze busts of famous television personalities such as Bill Cosby.

EAT
Artists may be struggling financially but they need to eat. Here are some of the places where they and most others eat: Ecletic Wine Bar & Grille, Salomi Indian & Bangladesh Restaurant, Pitfire Pizza, Little Toni’s and Eat on Magnolia, which serves a mean chicken, avocado and bacon sandwich. Cap off your dining experience in NoHo with a deliciously decadent gourmet cupcake at the newly opened Cupcake Central (www.cupcakecentralnoho.com, 5227 Lankershim Blvd, 818-48-sweet). The young owners will hook you up with their great service in addition to their sweet offerings. See Restaurant Guide

Accessibility: The NoHo Arts District is wheelchair accessible.

Getting There: Metro Red and Orange Lines, www.ladottransit.com, www.burbankbus.org