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Studio City may actually be what out-of-state folks are talking about when they imagine L.A. (I personally had always wondered...) Wide boulevards lined with palm trees and shops, neighborhoods yielding houses used on TV sitcoms, plaques on the sidewalk commemorating John Wayne films, and filming going on around nearly every corner; as Vankman said to Vigo, it's "the sweet life out in Southern California's beautiful San Fernando valley".
For Los Angelenos, it's either a gateway to the valley, "with the Cahuenga Pass on the east leading to Hollywood, and both Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon feeding into Studio City from the Westside" (Studio City Chamber), or just a gateway to Universal Studios. And if you're a pop-punk fan, it's also the site of Mest frontman's stabbing incident at the Archstone complex off Ventura and Vineland:
Way more after the jump...
Boundaries:
Bounded roughly by Ethel Avenue to the west, Highway 101 to the north and east, and Mulholland Drive and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south, it is 4 square miles according to Wikipedia and 7.11 square miles according to the Studio City Chamber website.
Political Lowdown:
"Studio City is part of the 2nd City Council District of Los Angeles, represented by Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. The area is also represented by Los Angeles County District 3 Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, District 23 California state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, California state Assemblyman [Mike Feuer] and US Congressman Howard Berman.The district is also represented by the Studio City Neighborhood Council." (Studio City Chamber)
City Councilperson:
Distr. 2 Wendy Greuel, Distr. 4 Tom La Bonge, Distr. 5 Jack Weiss
County Supervisor: District 3 Zev Yaroslavsky
State Senate: District 23 Sheila Kuehl
State Assembly: District 42 Mike Feuer
US Congress: District 28 Howard L. Berman and
District 30 Henry Waxman
Closest subway stops: the North Hollywood station right by the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, and Universal City on Cahuenga, across from Universal.
Usually considered: Burbank, Universal City, The Valley
People here who front say they live in: Burbank
Some celebrity residents, past & present:
Anna Nicole Smith
Jason Alexander
Britney Spears
Vin Diesel
Ed Asner
Steve Carell
George Clooney
Teri Hatcher
Keith Moon
Bill Nye
William Shatner
Alex Trebek
Bit of history: Studio City got its start in the 1920s when Mack Sennett, the Canadian-born founder of Keystone Studios (which produced slapstick comedies featuring Charlie Chaplin, among others), moved his studios from Echo Park (or "Edendale", at the time) to a spot near Colfax Avenue and Ventura Blvd:
Failing to survive the Depression, Keystone was bought out by Mascot Pictures and later became Republic Studios, whose B-movie Westerns starring Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Wayne are commemorated by plaques along Ventura Blvd:
A $20 million film center called "Studio City" was developed by a corporation known as The Central Motion Picture District, and in the late 1940's and the early 1950's, Studio City became a real star haven, with actors like James Stewart, Bette Davis, Tony Curtis, Joan Fontaine, Jane Wyman, and Errol Flynn walking the streets and riding their horses through the Santa Monica Mountains. In the 1980s, the city had expanded to about 25,000 people, and Republic had become the CBS Studio Center, off of Ventura Blvd:
The Brady Bunch house on Dilling St. The owners put up the gate for privacy, and no, it's not a two-story house.
The Wilkersons house from "Malcolm In The Middle" on Cantura.
The Hallmark Channel building on Coldwater Canyon.
Filming on a street corner.
Headshot portrait studio.
Former Fox Theater turned Bookstar, turned Barnes & Noble.
The Daily Grill, where you can sign up for a free birthday dinner, consisting of anything you want on the menu.
Mexicali on Ventura. Good margaritas.
Pretty, tree-lined streets off of Ventura Blvd.
Bird Cage Restaurant on Ventura.
...And Omar's Exotic Bird Shop down the street. Coincidence?
Katsu Ya sushi.
Good pub on Ventura, Fox and Hound. (Under one of the many Simpsons' Movie billboards around.)
Bollywood! Across from The Fox and The Hound.
A favorite of mine and my friend's - Maeve's, (video review) near Ventura & Vineland. Good jukebox and good for Red Sox games.
Whacko's Hair Salon.
Intersection at Ventura and Vineland, recently jam-packed due to that 13-car-pile-up on the 101.
Vivian's on Ventura, for very good Cobb salads and breakfast. The waitresses once did a calendar photo shoot and had it up for sale.
Ralph's shopping center across from Vivian's.
A bar called Splash at the Holiday Inn on Vineland, where they play music videos on large screens. (It's on the Noho border.)
It's effing hot here.
3 o'clock traffic on Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Tree People station at Coldwater Canyon Park (off Mulholland Dr.)
Coldwater Canyon Park signs.
View from the Tree People side of the park.
Tree People "Sustainable Life" Display
This is good...
...And this is bad.
S. Mark Taper Amphitheater in the park.
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy sign in the park.
View of the mountains.
More shoppin', at Coldwater Curve Shops on Coldwater Canyon Blvd.
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I haven't been here yet, but it looks promising: Belwood Bakery.
This one too.
Jerry's Deli and Pinz Bowling across from Coldwater Curve Shops.
The L.A. River behind Jerry's, and golf course opposite.
This makes no sense at all until you realize there's a nightclub called Guys North.
Sportsman Lodge Hotel on Coldwater Canyon.
L.A. River Walk on Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Amphibians enter on the opposite side.
Ole Man River.
Where the King and Queen live.
I have to say I enjoyed my tour there. Please go check it out for yourself. Hit me up and we'll get a drink at Maeve's. Cheers!
All photos by Simone Snaith for LAist
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that was very very good
Awesome job Simone...but, no love for Carney's? You might have to do an addendum. I mean, I'm just lookin out for your taste buds. Really, it's worth it.
BRADY BUNCH HOUSE!
Very nice, Simone!
How can you do a piece on Studio City and fail to mention Ed Begley Jr.?? He's practically a fixture, he even has a booth at the farmer's market every Sunday selling an all-natural household cleaning product called "Begley's Best".
Would have liked to see more people rather than restaurants (that goes for this entire neighborhood series). I love Studio City and it is one of the more walkable neighborhoods of the Valley. Taking pics outside a car would help in getting good pics tremendously.
#6, you dont even want to put your name next to a comment on a blog, what makes you think that people want their faces put IN said blog, or react kindly to bloggers taking said pictures?
im constantly amazed at how people love to criticize things that theyve obviously never done before and clearly dont practice themselves.
Archstone Apts. is also infamous as home to many a porn queen. Must be the proximity to Vivid.
Vivians rocks. On second thought, it sucks. Do not go there, especially for breakfast. It's crowded enough as is and I can't live without my breakfast burrito.
#6, you dont even want to put your name next to a comment on a blog, what makes you think that people want their faces put IN said blog, or react kindly to bloggers taking said pictures?
there's always malingering. huh? what? oops. uh nevermind. bye.....
I live in Studio City.
I just saw a crane there.
I also saw a flood there.
Thanks for the profile Simone.
You're right it is hot here.
All the cool kids now call it Stud City.
So THAT's what Guys North is. That sign has perplexed me for weeks. Is it a gay club?
No mention of Sushi Row? Studio City has more sushi restaurants than the entire eastern seaboard. Or so it seems.
Shout out to the Ralph's on Coldwater and Ventura, where you not only get good star sightings, but automatic weapon fire too!
Don't get caught in traffic on Laurel or Coldwater. South of Ventura, just take Whitsett.
Oh, and I work at Hallmark Channel, I could have come out and waved! That Bellwood Bakery is next door, and it has very good stuff!
Nice job! Belwood Bakery is excellent -- it's a chain and they have them in Brentwood and BH too.
Risotto -- another restaurant in that mini mall, isn't so great.
nice pics simone!
Joe Miller: the bird in the close-up pic on your blog isn't a crane, it's a Great Blue Heron.
And though it's hard to tell from the pic, if the bird you saw looks something like a Great Blue Heron, but is a bit smaller and almost entirely white, it's probably a Snowy Egret.
Both of them are fairly common waterbirds here in the LA area. You can usually spot them around Lake Balboa over in the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin.
Re: the last pic - "Where the King and Queen live."
Which King and Queen would that be?
-- Curious S.C. Resident
So glad this came out all right - took me several sweaty days... I think almost all the pics were taken outside of my car? Maybe two weren't.
"The King and Queen" was a joke. It just looks like a modern castle to me. Anyone know if they're celebrities?
I kept missing the Farmer's Market!!!
CORRECTION: Please note that since the November '06 election the Assemblymember for Studio City is Mike Feuer, not Paul Koretz.
Oh Archstone, it's the first place I lived when I moved out here to LA. It's full of pornstars, and my boyfriend and I are pretty sure the apartment above us was used as a set for more than a few adult films. There always was a curious buzzing sound, and loud music coming from upstairs at odd hours of the night and day. I moved out two weeks before the stabbing.
Great post!
No one should ever go to Mexicali. the service is awful and the food not much better... there are plenty of places to get a good drink.
No Carney's? No Farmer's Market? No Dupar's?
No Studio City Tattoo (voted #1 by citysearch for a wile now).
I'm VERY glad you omitted Pinkberry!!!
Pat Morita used to live on Sunswept Dr., but his house was a bit further west.
If you're interested, you can see a photo gallery and VR tour of the "castle" here, though it doesn't seem to be a current listing.
Great essay, thanks Simone!
This was a wonderful summary of all the sights of Studio City. As an LA native, who has lived on the East Coast for the past 7 years, these neighborhood reports really bring back good memories of all the places I lived in LA. This report was the best neighborhood report yet. Keep them coming LAist!
you missed the boy meets world house on colfax and acama
belwood is great and risotto is pretty good. studio city is one of the best places for good food at semi-reasonable prices in my book. also- jason alexander lives in Hancock Park, i'm pretty sure.