Wedged between the tidal wave of fully engulfed neighborhoods to its west and an unprecedented revival of downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park is in the midst of a rapid makeover—or more accurately put, gentrification. As of December 2015, Echo Park is a vibrant and diverse neighborhood where you'll find historic houses and low-income developments, 6 dollar designer coffee, dollar stores, hipsters, gangs, bike lanes and free 6-day parking on side-streets. It's where the Dodgers play in their stadium and quinceañeras adorn nearby Elysian Park. It's where some of your favorite hit songs from the 70's were written, and some of your favorite new shops and restaurants are—or will be.
Simple, cozy and delicious american style lunch and dinner
the neighborhood's little green grocer
A must-visit east side women's clothing boutique.
Go-to spot for cactus fiends.
While LA’s sprawl comes with its cons (read: traffic), it also makes discovering new, hidden spots a frequent occurrence. One such gem is the network of public stairways freckled throughout the city. Back in the 20’s, these stairways were built for easy access from trolley car routes to the steep hillside communities around LA. Echo Park boasts some of its best, including the Baxter Street Stairs–the steepest stairway in all of Los Angeles. If you’re the ambitious type, check out the Big Parade LA–an annual two-day walk that hits up 80 of the public stairways in the city. Led by some LA history buffs, even the native Angeleno will learn a thing or two.
