Los Angeles, CA 90068
Tons of visitors want to see the Hollywood sign (so many that it set off a battle between residents and the city), but the unique neighborhood underneath it, Beachwood Canyon, is also worth a look. See both the sign and the neighborhood on this walk.
One of the city’s first planned housing tracts, the magical, quaint neighborhood is filled with gorgeous homes of a variety of styles dating back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it has counted many silver-screen stars among its residents.
Since parking and foot traffic on the streets is a touchy subject in the neighborhood, tour Beachwood by way of its “secret stairs,” a network of staircases dating back to the streetcar era of Los Angeles. As the neighborhood is quite hilly, the Beachwood Canyon stairs are fairly challenging, adding a healthy component to sightseeing.
There’s a whole book on walking tours of LA’s staircases, and the website for the book includes a PDF map and directions on how to get to and traverse the ones in Beachwood. Parking is scarce on the winding streets (some of which are permit-only parking), so why not take the Beachwood DASH bus up to the start of the walk? It picks up near the Hollywood and Vine subway stop.