Welcome to LAist City Treks, a series of easy hikes and walks that will help you explore the parts of Los Angeles and SoCal that we rarely get to see — or only see through the car window. Expect to get about 5K steps, and plenty of photos for your social media channels. Keep scrolling, because you'll also find recommendations for grabbing a quick bite to eat once you're finished.

Where are we headed?

Why now?

As rents keep climbing in Greater L.A., big chains replacing locally owned shops have become all too common, making one neighborhood feel just like another. Thankfully, Magnolia Park still retains a distinctive identity, making for a fun, whimsical jaunt conducive to impulse purchases.

Quickly, what can I expect?

• Route conditions: Flat and paved
• Difficulty: An easy 1 on a scale of 1 to 5
• Distance: 2.7 miles
• Dog friendly: Yes, except in businesses. That said, there are so many great shops and restaurants to check out on this walk. Might be best to leave the pup at home.
• Parking: Free, on neighborhood streets
• Bathrooms: At businesses along the way (so consider bringing along a few singles to tip in exchange for using the facilities)

Map it!

OK, let’s get started…

Start at the corner of Magnolia Boulevard and N. Hollywood Way. If you can brave its legendary lines, fuel up with Cuban coffee at Porto’s Café & Bakery, then make for Atomic Records, which is a block-and-a-half west of Hollywood Way on Magnolia. Like so many stores here, one could while away hours pillaging its bins, but other treasures await!

Return to Hollywood Way and now, turn left at Porto's. Cross Magnolia, and you'll soon come to enjoy the throwback pleasures of the Train Shack, a family-run model train store now in its fourth decade of business.

Early metro vibes

Speaking of trains, a real one used to rumble down Chandler Boulevard. The street is named after Harry Chandler, an early mogul whose real-estate syndicate carved up — and profited from — the San Fernando Valley. One of Chandler’s partners was Henry Huntington, whose Pacific Electric Red Car line once occupied what is now the road’s grassy median. (Farther west, on Chandler, the boulevard’s median was converted to the MTA’s G Line busway.)

A great way to spend an afternoon: Strolling the wide walkway of Chandler Boulevard in Burbank.

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From Hollywood Way, hang a right on Chandler, enjoying the median’s pathway, which has dedicated lanes for pedestrians and bicycles. Stay on it until you get to N. Keystone Street, then go right, returning to Magnolia Park’s commercial core.

Guide to strolling these eclectic avenues

The intersection of Magnolia and Keystone marks the eastern gateway of Magnolia Boulevard’s wonderful weirdness. Behold the Googie-style donut shop from the ‘50s (Donut Hut) and an apothecary with a pet snake (The Crooked Path). Until recently, this corner included a spooky-fun odditorium called Wish House. I just happened to drop in during their last exhibit — “Possessed Baby Dolls” — who no doubt cursed the place because it shut down the next day. The store plans to relocate.

Things are about to get wonderfully weird here! Enjoy all the puns and funny names of stores and shops you'll find along the way.

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Continue west on Magnolia (meaning, turning right from Keystone). Is it just me, or does it feel like this whole business district was designed by The Simpsons writing staff? Chuckle (or groan) at the kind of punny storefronts you might find in fictional Springfield — a salon called Hair to Dye For, a grooming spot named Pimp My Pooch and a bakery known as Random Acts of Breadness, to name a few.

Even Handy Market — just past N. Buena Vista Street — is a sweetly goofy name. The decades-old grocery store got its name because, well, neighbors found it so “handy.” But there’s nothing funny about their adjacent BBQ stand, whose smell will lure you to Handy’s parking lot when they’ve got the smoker going. If you plan on chowing down later, at least grab a BBQ corn on the cob to go! (Cue Homer Simpson drool sound.)

A few more blocks past Handy is Autobooks-Aerobooks, the only bookstore in the L.A. area devoted to automobiles and airplanes. Even if you’re not a car or plane enthusiast, the owners’ devotion to their niche is impressive (Jay Leno is a frequent customer). In a neighborhood known as Nerd Central, Autobooks-Aerobooks fits right in!

Just past N. Florence Street is a stretch of fabulous vintage clothing stores that extends to Hollywood Way, including It’s a Wrap!, which sells used props and wardrobes from movies and TV shows. This is the best place to star-watch around here. Actors are known to haunt the aisles, perhaps looking to reclaim an on-set item they just can’t live without.

Brace yourself for pop culture overload

Never too early to start planning that Halloween costume.

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At the corner of Magnolia and N. Niagara Street, you’ll find Halloween Town, a year-round store that carries every conceivable costume you can imagine (and a few you never did). A nearby adjunct specializes in macabre collectibles. Both feel as if you’ve entered a secret wing of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Likewise, the nearby Mystic Museum is both a curio shop and a separate venue hosting immersive horror exhibits.

Kitty-corner from the Mystic Museum is the nostalgia superstore Blast from the Past. Through its portals, you’ll find a piñata shaped like the Millennium Falcon and a life-sized replica of the acid-spitting Dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park. I find their bargain bin more my speed. For my wife, I picked up a humor book with pearls of wisdom inspired by The Golden Girls, though I passed on the Blanche and Dorothy action figures.

Surround yourself with all things Pinocchio at this off-beat restaurant, which features classic, old-school Italian favorites.

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Next store is another blast from the past, culinary edition. Pinocchio Restaurant dates to 1971, long enough that the neighborhood around it seems to have co-opted its kitschy charm. Sidle up to its cafeteria-style counter and order your favorite Italian American comfort food to the strains of Louis Prima and other crooners. Chow down in its red Naugahyde booths amidst storybook paintings and wooden puppets of Pinocchio (because … why not?), saving room for the gelato bar, or grabbing Italian confections from the adjacent Monte Carlo Deli.

Five more blocks closes out the walk’s loop, whisking you back to the future of the present until your inevitable return. (Whoa… that’s a lot of time-jumps. See what you’ve done, Magnolia Park?!)

Done! Where to eat?

If you're hungry, you can't go wrong dining at the spots we've mentioned — Porto's, the Pinocchio Restaurant, and the Monte Carlo Deli next door. LAist's Associate Editor for Food and Culture, Gab Chabrán, also recommends the following three places in the area:

Pablito's Tacos

Pablito's Tacos is a popular spot, and for good reason. The crispy taco supreme features a house made crispy shell, ground beef, guacamole, sour cream, fresh lettuce and tomato — a classic. The Vampiro taco is finished off with plenty of melted cheese and green "crack" sauce. There are keto tacos, too, featuring a cheese tortilla instead of a corn tortilla. Plenty of other offerings, too, like hefty breakfast burritos, mulitas and more.

World Empanadas

World Empanadas is exactly what it sounds like: a spot dedicated to empanadas. Their menu is long, and includes offbeat fillings such as biscuit and gravy, pepperoni and cheese and chicken pot pie, as well as classics such as seasoned beef. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options as well. Favorites include rice and beans, soy chorizo, spinach and cheese. There are also dessert empanadas as well, such as Nutella and bananas.

Chili John's

Chili dogs. Chili spaghetti. Chili fries. Chile tamales. You get the idea. But Chili John's also serves up a handful of dishes that aren't slathered in their beloved chili. They do burgers, for example, and a chicken sandwich. But mostly, they do chili. And they must be doing it right — this place dates back to 1946. The decor alone is worth stopping in. Prepare to dine in classic style. Go for the red chairs at the counter.