Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Mulholland, PCH, Arroyo Parkway: LA, What's Your Favorite Street To Drive And Why?
View looking toward San Bernardino covered with clouds from the Rim of the World Scenic Highway. October 31, 2006. (Jim Miller/Flickr Creative Commons)
()
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
It's been a rough week. It's been a rough year. If you're like us, you need a palate cleanser. So we're taking a moment celebrate our favorite streets in Southern California -- the more obscure the better. But we're not picky.
Your favorite street could actually be a road, boulevard, lane, cul-de-sac or highway. (Any takers for Rim of the World, which is technically a scenic byway, in the San Bernardino National Forest?) We're using "street" in the broadest possible sense for this crowdsourced experiment.
Support for LAist comes from
TELL US YOUR FAVORITE STREET TO DRIVE >>
We asked people to call our public affairs show, AirTalk, which airs on 89.3 KPCC FM, and share their selections with host Larry Mantle. Here's what they told us.
LOCKWOOD VALLEY DRIVE
[between Ojai and the Grapevine, a long road in the mountains north of Fillmore in the Ventura area]
Andrew in Glendale said:
"It's really nice rocks and geography. Lots of mountains, Alpine trees, peaked houses, things like that. Especially in the winter it's really gorgeous with all the snow."
Support for LAist comes from
PCH between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach shot from a moving car. (Megan Garvey/LAist)
()
Chelsea in East Los Angeles chose it in part because of its early L.A. feel:
"You get to see the wetland, you get to see the beach on the other side and for me, it reminds me of, uh, driving to my first job when I first got my driver's license."
ARROYO PARKWAY
David in Pasadena:
"Looking across the Rose Bowl, you get the silhouette at sunset of the mountains with the backlighting. You get the alpine glow on the San Gabriel [mountains]. There's just something magical about looking across the Arroyo at the lights on the other side of the of the canyon."
Support for LAist comes from
134 FREEWAY
Not too far away, you might try the 134 Freeway above the Eagle Rock/Glendale area with its spectacular views toward downtown L.A. Mantle says on a clear day, you can see the reflection of the sun across the Pacific Ocean, sometimes all the way to Palos Verdes.
Other people chose more urban streets such as Pico Boulevard in the Pico/Fairfax area and Talmadge Street in Los Feliz.
HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD
Gavin in Long Beach said:
"I used to live right on the end of Palos Verdes in a tiny apartment, and I'd to tell people to take Hawthorne all the way from downtown until it dead ends. It's a long city drive but you see pretty much the full spectrum of L.A. all the way to the tip of the peninsula, and the coastal view there is just gorgeous."
Support for LAist comes from
"You drive through from the from the north side and as you go further south, you hit the Porcupine Landslide and the road gets really crazy and up-and-down, [it] just undulate through the hills. It changes because of the landslide, so there's construction moving the water pipes. You see Catalina on a clear day. It's just really pretty."
US 95
One listener chose US 95 heading north from Blythe in eastern Riverside County "to oblivion." It's curvy and bouncy. I drive it in a Jeep, but dream of driving it in a Porsche.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
Robert in San Pedro:
"I used to drive home to Thousand Oaks. I'd drive that highway as far north as I could. I think it's just gorgeous. I feel like I'm at the top of the world and seeing the Channel Islands and the container ships."
"It's a very nice and relaxing drive. It looks very beautiful and under the night sky."
"The homes are all unique with beautiful views. It's a unique treasure in this great city and my dream is to own one of those homes."
CAMINO CIELO
Tad said Camino Cielo off of Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County was his choice:
"As you look towards the mountains above Santa Barbara, it's an invisible road that runs right along the ridge top. It doesn't go forever but it is absolutely spectacular. And if you're a fan of Highway 154, you know you've got that leading to it."
A view of the pool and bungalow area and Sunset Boulevard from the Chateau Marmont penthouse, August 20, 2020. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
()
Sebastian in Anaheim said he attended UCLA and remembers getting off the Sunset exit on the 405 and driving along the street to school.
Mantle recommends that people who looking for a scenic drive across the city start on Cesar Chavez in East L.A., take it until it becomes Sunset and keep following it until it finally opens up at the Pacific Coast Highway.
HIGHWAY 76
Henry in Highland Park loves driving east along Highway 76 starting at the 15 and heading into the desert:
"If you do it in the spring, you get those beautiful aromas of citrus and if the timing's right, it will spit you out in Anza Borrego during the flower bloom."
SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD
Ricardo in Santa Monica recommends San Vicente Boulevard between Brentwood and the ocean
"I think it's one of the more beautiful streets in the city and its the reason I moved from the eastside to the westside. The first time I drove down that street on a bicycle, I thought and felt the air, not discounting the young ladies jogging, 'I have to move here,' which I did."
GLENDORA MOUNTAIN ROAD
Ryan urges Angelenos to take the approximately 20-mile trip along Glendora Mountain Road up to Mount Baldy, a 20 to 22-mile trip:.
"You can see all of L.A. and even parts of San Bernardino from up there. It's a great drive."
Eugene in La Crescenta said he likes starting at the bottom of Lake Avenue and heading straight up into Altadena:
"It's a total change of scenery and back down, you just get a great view of of everything south."
Check out our story on the Mount Lowe Railway Southern California's fantastic, forgotten railway to the clouds.
Jerry in Long Beach chose the stretch of Ocean Boulevard, heading north over the port from the bridges over the port to downtown Long Beach:
"Especially at Christmas tim, is just beautiful and lit up. It's a great drive as you go all the way down the coast into Naples."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist