HIGHLAND PARK

Northeast LA is where it's at, yo. As Silverlake and Echo Park get more commercialized and rents have soared, those in the know have been moving farther east. This little slice of LA reminds us of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on art, music, and great coffee. It's also an incredibly easy neighborhood to get around, and although we spent most of our day on Highland Park's high-street, we promised ourselves to wander father on our next trip...there's so much more to see, eat, shop, and explore in Highland Park.

Stop 1: Cafe De Leche

 

   
This quant cafe is the perfect neighborhood coffeeshop, with a Highland Park twist: comfy couches, a play area for kids, and some perfectly-pulled shots...and the interior is brightly painted in the happiest of colors and you can have horchata in your coffee. We ordered a skinny latte, a soy chai, an horchata con espresso (a definite favorite!), and one drip coffee. Compliments to the barista all around.

(5000 York Boulevard, Highland Park) 

Stop 2: Highland Cafe

 

It was a weekend morning at 11:30am, which means one thing: brunch time! At this sidewalk cafe, bring your dog and your Sunday-cheat-day appetite: the verde chilaquiles were a crowd-pleaser, although the quinoa veggie burger was surprisingly delicious, too. We also ordered a desayuno breakfast burrito, and the vegan sweet potato tostada - both of which were a fantastic alternative to your regular yawn-worth breakfast fare. Order at the front, and grab your number and a table. We can't wait to return!

(5010 York Boulevard, Highland Park) 

 

Stop 3: York Boulevard Shops

Arroyo General Store:

Honeywood:

Wombleton Records:

Social Study:

  

When we arrived in Highland Park, we vowed that we would venture off York Boulevard, the neighborhood's main street. But! There's just so much good stuff on York, and we found ourselves browsing for hours on just three mere blocks. 

Pop-up produce market? Yep, there's even one of those. Arroyo General Store has a selection of fresh produce, home goods, snacks, and fresh flowers. Beautiful hand-crafted bowls and hilarious handmade greeting cards were other bonuses. We then wandered into Honeywood, a small and darling vintage shop with the most incredible cowboy boots, embroidered tops, and old band t-shirts (which were SO soft!) 

And although records have re-emerged in recent years, it's still tough to find a great selection in one place. Luckily for us, York Boulevard has a handful of vinyl shops, and Wombleton Records is one of our favorites. The shop has only been around about 4 years, but they bring in collections from all over the world - both the rare and the popular. And they have some great apparel - absolutely loved their t-shirts and shopping bags. 
If you're looking for a charming and unique present, Social Study is a lovely gift shop - with plenty of adorable toys and games for kids.

Stop 4: Artisan Market at Align Gallery

 

This wasn't originally a planned stop on our day, but we snagged a flyer for a first-ever Saturday artisan market in the back of an art gallery, and after spotting it just across the street, we made our way over.
The gallery itself was impressive, an artist-driven space with bold prints in the most vibrantly beautiful colors (pieces started around $700). The gallery owner told us that her family has lived in Highland Park for decades, and are both excited and trepidatious of the changes underway. She emphasized the neighborhood's desire to embrace innovations while holding on to the history and charm of Highland Park. 
The market out back was relatively small, but featured succulents in vintage coffee mugs, jewelery, and some homemade baked goods.

(5045 York Boulevard, Highland Park)

 

Stop 5: Donut Friend

 

We have to preface this by saying that 50% of our MyBestLADay team doesn't even like donuts (we know, we know. SO WEIRD). 
But these ain't your granddad's donuts. We drooled over the menu, finally narrowing down our choices to the Lemon Weapon (lemon custard with blueberry jam, fresh mint), Javabreaker (coffee-infused cake donut with espresso bean glaze), S'Morrisey (chocolate cake donut with toasted marshmallow and graham cracker crust), and the X-Ray Speculoos (cookie butter inside traditional donut, chocolate drizzle and sea salt. All of them were mind-blowing, but the Lemon Weapon took the cake (ahem).

(5107 York Boulevard, Highland Park)

 

Stop 5: York Park

  The newest park in the neighborhood is going to make many Angelenos very happy: with little in the way of grass or greenery, it's very drought-friendly. This small park was built on the lot of a former gas station, and is full of fun and kid-friendly equipment.

 

The Details:

You can take the Gold Line into Highland Park, and then everything is easily accessible on foot.

A map of our day looks like this: