Los Feliz has a certain vibe, sort of a 50s Hollywood retro-hipster feel: brightly colored stores in mint and orange, the names of restaurants and buildings in California script, bunches of orange and lemon trees, and wide, breezy avenues. The people sitting at the outdoor tables are mostly in vintage garb, as well, adding to the time warp to old-Hollywood appeal of the area. There's no doubt that it's hip - boutiques and cafes abound - but it's not expensive enough to exclude young actors, artists, and musicians, who give it a certain throb of youth culture.

Downtown Los Feliz consists basically of Vermont Ave. and Hillhurst Ave., bound on the north by Franklin Ave. and on the south by Hollywood Blvd. (as well as the surrounding residential area). While walking around, make sure to check out the Los Feliz Goodwill, located just off Hillhurst on Hollywood Blvd. Its prices are similar to most Goodwills (but cheaper than those in New York), and it has a LA flair in its selection, which includes bizarre 80s tanks and shirts, pastel high heels, 60s dresses in garish colors... treasures for any thrift-seeker. Also, the Hollywood Hills Cafe recently relocated to Los Feliz (after a long stint in Hollywood), which is the perfect setting for its hipster vibe and fantastic food.

If you have an inkling to see a movie, the mint Los Feliz Theater (which has an ornate 50s marquee) is a great place to watch one. There's also a bookstore, a post office, lots of fancy little restaurants, outdoor cafes, and nice wide sidewalks for strolling. Once you hit Hollywood Blvd. (and leave downtown Los Feliz), you feel like you've exited a quaint southern California neighborhood and re-entered LA.

The best way to get there, if you want the scenic route, is to drive (or walk) east on Franklin Ave. As you leave Hollywood, the apartment buildings turn into stately mansions set back from the road with ornate landscaping and brilliant bougainvilleas climbing over white walls. When the road becomes flat again, and old-fashioned apartment complexes (with such names as "The Palms" and "The Teri-Lyn") abound, you've entered Los Feliz.

There's an inundation of fun and trendy bars in the area, too--from dives that are so Midwest they're cool to Asian-inspired opium dens (sans opium). A couple include:

Ye Rustic Inn
1831 Hillhurst Ave.
An old-school, divey bar--it even has the ever-popular stucco exterior with brown faux-Alpine woodwork. A fun place to drink hard without feeling guilty.

Good Luck Bar
1514 Hillhurst Ave.
All red--red cushions, red booths, red lights--makes for a sexy, dim bar. Good Luck is always a good place to get reasonable drinks, and it's a popular date spot. Kind of a meet-market on weekends, but it makes up for it in character.