Los Feliz is LA at its best, without the big-city intensity

by Ebony Housley formal dresses

Los Angeles, vast and sprawling, can feel overwhelming. I suggest spending a couple of days in Los Feliz - a neighborhood that will give you some of the best L.A. has to offer while eliminating the hustle and bustle you're trying to get away from in the first place.

Nestled in central Los Angeles, below the southern rim of Griffith Park between I-5 and the 101 Freeway, Los Feliz is dotted with vintage shops and bookstores and art deco apartment buildings. It is green and walkable, and it boasts a couple of subway stops that provide easy access to Hollywood and downtown.

But its best feature is the park.

You can begin a weekend in Los Feliz by sampling some of the best pastries and granola - packed with lots of spices and served with fresh fruit - at The Trails Cafe. Seating is appropriately rustic, outdoors at cement picnic tables on dirt and under a canopy of trees. The cafe is about a half-mile from the park's westernmost entrance, on Fern Dell Place, which is marked by a big sign and a bear statue. Parallel park on either side of the street for free.

A couple hundred feet north of the cafe is a well-maintained dirt trail that snakes up the southern edge of the canyon. From there, it's a 1-mile hike to Griffith Observatory.

The climb is steep but will reward you with views of downtown, the Hollywood sign and, on a clear day, Santa Monica Bay. Dogs are allowed on leashes.

If you're still feeling energetic after your hike, stroll through Franklin Village - west of Griffith Park and just outside Los Feliz. The village, on Franklin Avenue across from the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre, stretches just one block but wields three independent bookstores.

At the Daily Planet, browse racks of Charles Bukowski novels and hard-to-find magazines and shop for incense, candles and journals.

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Stop for a latte and turkey sandwich next door at Bourgeois Pig, a dark, bohemian coffee shop where you can sit inside hollowed-out trees.

Later in the day, return to Franklin Village for dinner at one of its four restaurants - try Birds for casual comfort food (don't stray from the chicken) or La Poubelle Bistro and Bar for French fare in a finer, romantic setting. Franklin Tavern and SushiStop are the other options.

Afterward, laugh through a show at Upright Citizens Brigade, one of the premier comedy troupes in the country. Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari and Ed Helms are among the more famous alumni of the bicoastal improv training company. Tickets are $5 or $10.

Or catch a film at The Vista, an old, single-screen moviehouse emblazoned with Egyptian-themed decor and with modern, comfortable seats.

As an evening alternative, head back within the boundaries of Los Feliz and dine at the Jonathan Gold-approved Mother Dough, where a searing, wood-fired oven casts a slight char on pizzas with mozzarella di bufala and other such toppings as prosciutto and arugula or fried egg. One night, a special featured pork jowl.

Then, for a nightcap, squeeze into Tiki-Ti. A true Tiki bar that opened in 1961, Tiki-Ti is decorated so heavily with stuffed monkeys, wooden masks, seashells and nets, you'll be hard-pressed to recall the color of the walls once you leave.

The menu is strictly tropical cocktails, mostly sweet and frothy and garnished with slices of pineapple and maraschino cherries.

On Day 2 of your Los Feliz getaway, take a break from food and drinks - at least briefly - and venture to the eastern side of Griffith Park. It's there that the Autry Museum of the American West is showcasing photos and paintings, clothing and artifacts - including a Smith & Wesson revolver presented to Ulysses S. Grant - in an exhibit titled "Empire and Liberty: The Civil War and the West," which runs through Jan. 3.

Ongoing exhibits include "Art of the West," "Western Frontiers: Stories of Fact and Fiction" and "Four Centuries of Pueblo Pottery." Museum admission is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students with ID, $4 for children 3-12, and free for military personnel, veterans with ID and children under 3.

At the heart of Los Feliz are two walkable, longer shopping districts, one on Vermont Avenue and the other on Hillhurst Avenue. The latter offers a trio of great brunch options: Home, Alcove Cafe and Bakery and Little Dom's, so you can reward yourself after that short break in calorie consumption.

The quietest of these restaurants is Little Dom's, a small Italian joint with an old-New York feel, where you might treat yourself to a glass of Prosecco and a fried oyster po' boy.

Save room for a midday treat, though, because Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, a favorite Chicago creamery with exotic and seasonal flavors - sweet corn and black raspberries; sweet potato and pecan praline; chocolate and cayenne _recently opened.

And then get out the credit card - this is a shopping district. Vintage stores pepper Vermont and Hillhurst.

But the best shopping is not on either.

Paper Moon Vintage, on Hollywood Boulevard, is where beautiful old dresses made of silk, chiffon, satin and velvet go to find new lives. The curated frocks span 1920 to 1970. It's heaven for anyone who appreciates intricate beading, lovely lace, dropped waistlines, full skirts - and fair prices.

Some might be very delicate, but they are all in excellent condition.

Yes, Los Feliz packs a lot into slightly more than 21/2 square miles. It's L.A., but in a small-town way.