West Hollywood

Los Angeles, California Travel Guide

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West Hollywood

Area: Mid Los Angeles

Overview: Whip out the wife-beaters, tight jeans and your dance feet. Oh, and maybe a dog and leash. Welcome to “WeHo,” as the locals affectionately and scandalously call it. West Hollywood in Los Angeles deserves the honor of being the most recognized and popular area for the alternative lifestyle scene, with Silverlake coming up on the heels. This area is where up and coming actresses and great looking girls who have money live so they won’t get “hit on.” It’s also the sight where the funkiest, most scandalous Halloween parade happens. West Hollywood sits at Doheny Dr to the west, Fairfax Ave to the east, Sunset Blvd to the north and down to Melrose to the south.

The action in West Hollywood takes place on Santa Monica Blvd between San Vicente Blvd and Fairfax Ave. At the beginning of the West Hollywood district stand artsy sculptures in the center divider on Santa Monica Blvd. Currently, round colorful sculptures. The sculptures say a lot about the district; primarily, welcome and have fun in the most multicolored part of town. But, these sculptures aren’t the only crafted things you’ll see. Strolling up and down the street, hanging out on the patios of cafes and darting in and out of places, you’ll see the carefully defined and manicured bodies of both gay women and men and a lot of straight women, a lot of whom gravitate towards West Hollywood for its safety and cleanliness.

What you will see on Santa Monica Blvd in WeHo are clean – very clean – streets and sidewalks, tons of restaurants, gyms, outdoor cafes and coffee shops and dance clubs. WeHo is an upscale area, with a population that has a higher than average income. The population works hard and plays hard and likes nice things.

Start your day at one of the many breakfast nooks in West Hollywood – perhaps at Silver Spoon Restaurant or the popular, budget conscious IHop, both located on Santa Monica Blvd. Stroll around, shop at the local boutique shops and maybe get a massage at one of the many in West Hollywood. If you have a pet, take a gander in the Leash and Collar pet shop. Then, have lunch at the popular Basix Cafe or Hamburger Mary’s. Check out the Pacific Design Cener on Melrose Ave and then lounge around at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Put on your decision cap because there are tons of dinner venues in West Hollywood. For a mixed bar and hamburger scene, eat at the small but very popular franchise, Barneys Beanery. You may be up for treating yourself. Hit up La Boheme. For a complete club, bar and food experience, head over to the ever popular The Abbey.

After dinner, you will probably want to work it off and enjoy WeHo’s primary draw: nightlife. Usually, follow the crowds. People come and go and loiter, hoot and do whatever it takes to get noticed. Notable clubs are Abbey, Rage, Micky’s, Mother Lode, Here, Circus and the Factory. But, Sunset Blvd departs from the alternative lifestyle scene.

Accessibility: West Hollywood is wheelchair accessible.

Getting There: www.metro.net, www.ladottransit.com