Gayley Ave, Westwood

Some of my favorite things from college are on Gayley Avenue. The street wraps around the front end of the school. The entrance to all of the newer dorms is on Gayley and all of the fraternity houses line the street in front of the school. These houses, from the outside, are beautiful. They're giant mansions that are all in a different architectural style and it's pretty stunning to see the lot of them. There are also a number of apartments on the street across from the school, but I would never live in one of them. The cars go by way too fast and you would be in the midst of all the frat boys which can be insanely loud.
One of my favorite college bars is on Gayley. It used to be Maloney's and now it's O'Hara's and it's exactly the same as I remember it. It is a hoot-hollering good time but it gets insanely crowded Thurs-Sun with college kids who act like a-holes. In n out burger is right on the corner of Gayley; and, while I'm not a huge fan of the place, it pumps out the most amazing burger smell that you can smell all the way down the street.
Mongols is a place I'm obsessed with. It's not much to look at -- actually, it looks pretty scary. But, man oh man, is that Mongolian BBQ good. And, you get a ton of food for really cheap. It's pretty much two meals for almost nothing. I have dreams about that place. I'm also obsessed with Lamonica's pizza which is on Gayley. They have great pizza and they deliver really quickly. It's so much better than any take out chain; it's a very New York kind of pizza place. Native Foods is also on Gayley. It's a small health food store and it's kind of obsolete now that Whole Foods is down the street but I like to support them because they were around long before health food was cool and I hope they get to stay.
Gayley has some great spots and almost no chains on the street which is great for the village vibe. But, again, this is a really dangerous street car-wise so I wouldn't live on it.

Gayley Avenue is a busy thoroughfare congruent to the hustle and bustle of UCLA. The students on the street that walk throughout the day are pleasant, except when they are those stumbling from a party on Fraternity Row. The scene is not to write home about, but provides a sense of collegiate nostalgia sure to bring back memories. The proximity to the Village and to campus made this street very efficient for me during my time there.

I would only live on Gayley if I really wanted to walk to UCLA no matter what: it’s noisy, polluted, and has more traffic than many other neighboring streets. It would definitely be my last resort of all the streets to live on in Westwood as a student. There are also a fair number of greek houses there too so if you’re looking for a quiet place to live, Gayley is not it.