Montrose Verdugo City

Verdugo City is a residential neighborhood with lots of older Ranch Style homes. The street has an old time feel to it--the sort of place that you would expect you grandparents to live or where your parent’s childhood home might be. There is nothing terrible about it—there are nice quiet streets, nicely kept lawns, but the houses just feel very out of date. You get sleepy just looking at them.

There is nothing terribly soporific about the main drags through this residential neighborhood, however. There are several restaurants and nightspots along Honolulu Avenue including Leo’s Sports Bar—a great watering hole for watching your favorite team, getting plastered, and mingling—and the My Way Lounge—another owner operated sports bar where the smoke is thick because its owner operated. If you aren’t looking to get plastered but only to grab a bite, there is Jeremy’s--a typical small town coffee shop—and a nice authentically Mexican restaurant, El Sol. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. These are not the highlights of the neighborhood—this is pretty much it in terms of dining choices and nightspots.

The neighborhood also has a very family feel, not only on Honolulu but also along Montrose that forms its northern border. It is a nice wide lane which is very walkable. There are several pre-schools and daycare centers here, and a number of churches as well. Along with the offerings of nearby Crescenta Heights you will have plenty religious and educational institutions from which to choose.

At the far southern end of the neighborhood, there are a few retirement communities so you will often see the old timers around town. They are inevitably chatty and eager to interact, which I am usually happy to oblige in since they are so nice. If you are an impatient sort of person or don’t like having to be reminded of aging, you might not like the area as much. Overall, it’s a nice quiet area with a bit of a small town feel.