Ah yes, quaint little Highland Park. Why are people so scared of you? You’re actually quite in right now. Especially because of your sweet street, York Blvd.

If you’re not spending one of these lovely summer days (yes, I realize it’s January but seriously, summer days) at the beach, why not explore a new area or two? Even three years ago, you never would have found me in Highland Park, nor anyone I know, really. But lately, things have been looking up, helped by the tasty restaurants and dive bars on York Blvd. To start, The York has been getting quite the attention mainly because gastropubs are popular, and this one is way good. It helps that their happy hour starts at 3pm and goes til 7pm and the doors stay open until 2am for some late night eating, drinking, and dancing. Highlights off the menu include the York burger and the truffled grilled cheese. For a post-York snack, you may want to swing by the La Estrella Taco Truck for your asada, pastor, chorizo, cabeza, lengua fix. For $1.25, your taco or burrito comes packed with meat and flavor. You can never go wrong with a taco truck.

Then you’ll need a decent bar to end the night at, and I vote Johnny’s. It’s definitely a favorite and it doesn’t hurt that it’s got a photo booth AND a pool table. It’s also not a dive bar. Do don’t even think about walking in there and calling it that. A regular may punch you in the face. Or just give you a stare down through their thick-rimmed glasses and call you a stupid bitch or something. If it’s earlier in the day, and you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage to enjoy, why not try the popular Café De Leche? This is definitely a spot for someone who lives in the area, who wants a nice place with free wifi and art and horchata espressos. But really, anyone can love this place! It actually reminds me of The Ragazzi Room. Aww.

There’s also a cute little place down the road called Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. Already in love? It gets so much better. This is one of those places where the young and old will find themselves jumping about the aisles looking through all the old fashioned candy and of course, soda pop they’ve got! This buildings been here since 1897, so you know they’re legit. They really do have a ridiculous supply of soda’s, pretty much anything you could dream of! The owner is very helpful and will fill your basket with the best flavors he’s got! They also make sandwiches so you can have something to eat while you drink your Rose Petal soda or a simple bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola for about $2 a [soda] pop! (so clever.)

Now onto gettin’ stylish on York Blvd: If you want to fit in at Johnny’s, you’d best get a nice little vintage dress at Orecul77, or a pair of Ray Bans at Society of the Spectacle. Orecul77 isn’t just a regular vintage shop, it’s much cooler than that. You can bring in your old clothes and they can help you create something new! They can also take old fabric and make a skirt or blouse or well, whatever! All you have to do is make an appointment and you’ve got yourself a personal clothing designer! You could always just go to the store and buy their clothes because they’re pretty cute. Some items are pricier than others so you’ve been warned! Since everyone apparently wears glasses these days, I’m sure you, too, are looking for a unique pair reminiscent of your grandpa’s pair he loved so dearly. Look no further than Society of the Spectacle. I’m sure you’re wondering why on earth I’m writing about an eyewear store on BoredLA, well deal with it. It’s a cool eyewear store. The owner’s are awesome, and their merchandise is awesome. The end. I mean seriously, they sell Ray-Bans, Fiction, Oliver Peoples, Persol, and a ton more. They’re really all great brands, the glasses are all ridiculously cute, and they will most likely cost you: but it’s all worth it when you look into the mirror and see those sweet vintage frames staring back at you!

So all in all, I’d say York Blvd., although somewhat unexpectedly, is a pretty sweet street!

Want to suggest a sweet street? E-mail us!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 5:54 pm and is filed under Sweet Streets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.