Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel
For summer fun close to home, here’s what popular Los Angeles travel guides say about where to eat, drink, shop and take in the sights in Northeast L.A.
111 Places in Los Angeles That You Must Not Miss by Laurel Moglen and Julia Posey features seven must-sees in NELA. Cindy’s Restaurant, the 71-year old roadside diner in Eagle Rock (1500 Colorado Blvd.) gets the nod for having “respectfully updated” the menu while leaving the “wonderful electric-orange Naugahyde booths and counter seats untouched.” In Highland Park, there are three recommendations: York Boulevard for great shopping on a street “that’s refreshingly devoid of glamour and glitz;” Highland Park Bowl (5621 N. Figueroa St.) for fun, food, drink and ambiance; and, for sheer beauty, a tour of Judson Studios (200 S. Ave. 66), the 100-plus-year old maker of stained glass. There’s also one not-to-be-missed museum: Heritage Square in Montecito Heights (3800 Homer Street) where you can explore eight fully restored Victorian mansions built in L.A. in the late 19th century. And there are two bird-related attractions: the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Montecito Heights (4700 N. Griffin Ave.) and the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College (1600 Campus Rd.) with its collection of more than 50,000 birds.
100 Things to Do in Los Angeles Before You Die by @ and Carrie Kim recommends the Eagle Rock Brewery (3056 Roswell St.) for “curious imbibers” to check out L.A.’s burgeoning scene of craft breweries and distilleries. Also recommended is a trip to the venerable San Antonio Winery in Lincoln Heights (737 Lamar St.) where you can enjoy tastings, dining, shopping – and a big dose of history: The winery is still owned and operated by members of the Italian family that founded it more than 100 years ago amid the area’s once flourishing vineyards. The grapes used today are from the winery’s vineyards in Monterey, but bottling and distribution are still done in L.A.
Quiet Los Angeles by Rebecca Razo also recommends the San Antonio Winery, but since the book is about where to find peace and quiet, Razo emphasizes the winery’s intimate atmosphere during the week.
Another of Razo’s picks is the Lincoln Heights Branch of the L.A. Public Library (2530 Workman Street). Established in 1916 with an Andrew Carnegie public library grant, the library is modeled after a 16th century Italian Renaissance building in Rome, with semi-circular windows running its length, an arched front entrance and other noteworthy features. It is listed as a Historic-Cultural Monument and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not for Tourists (NFT) Guide to Los Angeles, 18th edition, from Skyhorse Publishing, specializes in the offbeat. Recommendations for nightlife in NELA include Footsie’s, “a simply brilliant” bar in Cypress Park (2640 N. Figueroa). For shopping, NFT likes Mi Vida in Highland Park (5159 York Blvd.) for its “urban twist” on Mexican crafts and the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store (210 N. Avenue 21) in Lincoln Heights because it’s “undersifted enough to tender serious rewards.”
T.A. Hendrickson, a native of Eagle Rock, is the editor of the Boulevard Sentinel and a former member of the Editorial Board of the New York Times.
