If you come here
as a first time visitor, you will see one of Los Angeles’
premiere shopping districts. If Westwood Village didn’t
impress you during the late eighties and early nineties, you
should reconsider it now as it is more flourishing and
picturesque than ever. A dedicated community alliance won the
struggle to reclaim this little gem from a decline in popularity
and economic setbacks. Why not give indoor malls a break and
experience the newly regained excitement and vigor of this
culturally rich, historic neighborhood. Recent reports indicate
that crime rates have continued to remain low since efforts
began to restore the Village’s popularity.
There are over
600 merchants and stores in this district including practically
everything under the California sun. The movie theatres are
numerous and exceptional here. Hollywood premiers are
commonplace. The reasons are: its central location, the historic
buildings look great with long red carpets in front of them, the
auditoriums and screens are huge and the film prints are of the
utmost quality. One theatre of note is Mann’s Westwood, about
one block from UCLA at 1050 Gayley Avenue. The marquee and
architecture are circa 1920. Be sure to go early for tickets on
a weekend and visit one of over a hundred restaurants, something
for every taste and budget.
You can come to
the Village for one or two specific reasons, but it seems to
have been designed for those who love to walk around without an
agenda. You will not be at a loss for things to see or do. The
Armand Hammer Museum, Geffen Playhouse, the UCLA Center for the
Performing Arts and the Fowler Museum of Cultural History all
hail from the within the UCLA campus and the Village’s
borders. New features to enhance your visit include many
additional trees, street furniture, year round twinkle lights
along Gayley Avenue and decorative crosswalks. The numerous
commercial high-rises in the vicinity add to the pervasive
cosmopolitan feeling in the air.
During the day,
this shopper's haven is for the whole family. Catch a matinee,
leave the kids in the Westworld arcade while you check out the
shoe stores. Night time however, is a little different. This is
dating territory. The college crowd will be in Maloney's
swilling a few brews. By night, the ambience throughout the town
is trendy with a large dose of flashiness.
Some shops have
been here for decades, including Stan’s Corner Donut Shop,
LaMonica’s New York Pizza, Fatburger, Flax Art Supply and
Monty’s Steak House. Many prominent buildings date back into
the late 1920’s and these are punctuated with stucco,
red-roofed Mediterranean-style homes on residential streets. One
of the founding engineers named these streets after a handful of
his UC Berkeley professors (Hilgard, LeConte, Gayley). The
complimentary blend of influences here lend the area its
distinctive charm.
Bordering the
beautiful, thriving academic campus and community of UCLA (which
is worth a visit in itself), the Village is located just off the
San Diego Freeway (I-405). Take the Wilshire Boulevard exit,
head East and turn left on Gayley Avenue, Westwood Boulevard or
Glendon Avenue. A recent addition to five City Parking
structures is a 400 space garage. Go to 1036 Broxton Street and
the garage is clearly marked. Here and at the other lots, you
may park free for one hour. The second hour is free if you have
it validated by one of over 100 participating merchants.
