Tasksgirl

This street, around Union Station, is gorgeous. I can't speak for the sections outside of this area however. We actually had our engagement pictures taken here - in and around Union Station, and across the street where the edge of Placita Olvera starts. The architecture is gorgeous, the palm trees, the city feel, the cultural feel, etc. It seems like a fairly O.K. area to live as there are many nice condos literally right next to Union Station. If I had to live downtown, this is probably where I would live.

Olvera street is not really a functioning street so much as it is a historical and cultural center. Olvera Street is where Los Angeles was founded, and totally it is mainly popular with Hispanic residents and tourists. There are often festivals and events important to the Hispanic community held here, and the original homes are now shops and restaurants. I believe some of the shop-owners live above the stores. There are stalls lining the middle. They have kept things tasteful, cultural, and historical selling mainly Hispanic foods, candies, knick knacks, leather goods, clothing, toys, etc. I've been to marketplaces in many parts of non-touristy Mexico and it's very similar.

It is not the cleanest or nicest place (for example, there are rats by the bus stop in front, but they have fenced them off) but it has alot of character, historical significance, and is very important for the Hispanic community.

It's a great place to spend a weekend afternoon. Oh and it gets crowded! And eat at La Golondrina it's a very nice patio-type restaurant (with seating inside too!)

Broadway is a main east-west street going through Glendale, California. Traffic is generally good, except for around Broadway & Brand due to the two malls, Glendale marketplace, and other retail & shopping. Broadway goes right through the heart of Glendale and I believe it is the dividing line for other streets becoming either North or South. (It's either Colorado or Broadway - I forget!) Despite being a main street, Broadway is great to live on and there is alot of residential areas as well. The street and city are safe and well-kept.

This is another one of the main streets that runs through Glendale. It starts in Los Angeles but this review is about section that runs through Glendale. There is tons of retail, mostly small businesses which are very popular in Glendale and do well. Further north into Glendale there are more chains like Ralph's, Trader Joe's, Petco, Ross, Michael's, TJ Maxx, etc.

Traffic here can be very bad, especially during certain times of day. This is largely because of students going to class at Glendale Community College which is up in North Glendale where Glendale Blvd. turns into Canada Blvd. But it is also because it is a main street and Glendale is busy. It's a nice street as a whole, safe, and tons of retail.

Glenoaks is a mixed retail/residential street that connects Glendale and Burbank. The Glendale DMV is here so this is where I practiced most of my driving and was tested. Glenoaks is a fun street to drive on because it is very wide, has a higher speed limit, and is interesting with lots of things to look at. My husband and I like to drive down this street a lot. There are lots of tall palm trees and the view of the mountains is great too. I would like to live on this street. Extremely safe area, especially since it is patrolled by both Glendale and Burbank police, which are both notorious for being very active and keeping the community safe.

Vermont is a huge street that goes all the way down to South L.A. so this review is specifically for the area near Hollywood. My favorite area is the stretch from Los Feliz to Vermont. This area is very hip, trendy, walkable, and great for couples, singles, or families. There are many cafes and little shops, and many tree-lined sidewalks. The side streets around Vermont are excellent places to live as well. I see many people with strollers, pets, or jogging around.

Past Prospect/Hollywood Blvd., it becomes less trendy and a bit more gritty, the further south you go, the worse it gets. I used to drive this way to work out in Santa Monica, I would drive down Vermont and turn on Olympic. I would see it becoming more gritty and less residential the further down you go. It becomes very urban and crowded.

But Vermont/Prospect area is excellent !

Los Feliz is one of my favorite streets. It is an excellent street to live on, and lined with many nice apartments, and even luxury condos. Further down towards Hollywood there are many mansions and luxury homes. It is an excellent street to take a drive on, as it passes through the Griffith Park area and then turns residential with a nice scenery to look at. For living on, it is a very popular street and while retail is a bit limited it is still there and is a nice walkable area. It's close to Glendale, close to downtown, and close to Hollywood. It's a very "trendy" area. However it is great for families as well and very green and safe. Lots of tree-lined streets to walk down !

Traffic is usually heavy especially around the park. People often speed here and cops commonly hang out hoping to catch some speeders. It's one of the major thoroughfares for getting to Hollywood from Glendale and the surrounding areas.

San Fernando Road is a LONG street which goes all the way from Los Angeles through Glendale, Burbank, and the valley all the way to San Fernando (the city). It is largely industrial all throughout and a major street. Traffic is usually heavy and retail is usually limited. Lots of warehouses, office, and similar type buildings. However there is one area near Burbank where there is tons of retail, apartments, condos, and it becomes a nice area. Later it passes by the Burbank airport, and follows the train tracks, becoming very industrialized and goes through some shady areas.

This street, which I lived on from 2004-2006, is one of the 2 major streets in Glendale that parallel eachother (Central and Brand). It is mainly a retail/business street so not the best street to live on or the cleanest, but still very nice. In fact I think I can count on 1 hand how many apartment buildings or homes would actually have a South Central address. There are a few senior living homes, and I believe this is due to the proximity of the hospital, medical center, and bus stops. Very many seniors take the local beeline bus here which has stops all along S. Central Ave.

It's a very main street. Traffic is strong but never backed up horribly. Around where South Central turns into North Central is the main shopping area of the Glendale Galleria and the Americana. Traffic around here is horrendous because of the malls !

This street is actually better known for being in Glendale, not Los Angeles.

That being said the 2 sides of Chevy Chase are dramatically different. On the west part of Chevy Chase, once you cross San Fernando and especially the train tracks, it turns into Los Angeles and is TVR gang territory. The houses are small, dumpy, run down and probably cheap. I would not walk there at night.

However this is only one small part of Chevy Chase and it's reputation is more of being a nice street in Glendale. I live near the train tracks but on the "good" side and the gang activity pretty much NEVER crosses over because Glendale police are very very active and they know it. Chevy Chase in Glendale is very safe, very diverse (Armenian and Hispanic equally) and very expensive especially the deeper you get into Glendale. There are sections with VERY nice homes and apartments and getting close to being in the hills. There are a lot of schools, retail, those sort of things, but it feels mainly suburban with nice homes and trees and grass.

As far as Glendale as a whole, it's safe, diverse, tons of small businesses, great community feel, good city services and excellent cops, and pretty good schools. There is great and somewhat famous shopping at the Americana and the Glendale Galleria. They are across the street from eachother. There are several parks, and Griffith Park is just a short 5-10 minute drive away. Getting to downtown is extremely convenient and I love being so centrally located because getting anywhere in the Los Angeles area is easy, I'm not limited to just the 'west side' or 'east side.' The safety, diversity, and vibe of the city can't be beat for being so close to downtown and also very close to Hollywood.