For those who come to Los Angeles in search of the hippest neighborhood in which to hang out, plant some roots, indulge in the indie music scene, and otherwise attempt to look cool, we have news for you; there is a new flavor of the month.
Many years ago, the hippest neighborhood was Venice Beach. Then Silver Lake stole the crown. For the last few years, there has been much speculation on where the next up-and-coming LA neighborhood might emerge. According to a recent article in the LA Times, the new champion is tiny little Eagle Rock.
This comes as quite a surprise to me. I grew up just a few miles away and visited this semi-armpit of a town for only two reasons: Tommy’s and The Bucket. Otherwise, there was nothing but eyesore.
Despondent communities are the breeding grown of hipster communities, however. And over the last few years, more and more hipsters have moved to Eagle Rock and brought with them coffee shops, book stores, concert venues, art galleries, tattoos, and that ever-so-obvious cool swagger which comes naturally from being the hippest hipster in the hippest part of Los Angeles.
There is one big difference, however, between Eagle Rock and Silver Lake according to Susan Carpenter: Eagles Rock’s newest arrivals are a little older and a little more family oriented–thanks to more affordable housing in the area. Apparently the window of cheap houses has closed however, as gentrification has quickly increased property values.
So has Eagle Rock become the hot tourist destination for those in the know just as Silver Lake did a handful of years ago?
Almost.
If you plan to be in LA for quite a while and have seen all the other sites, including Silver Lake, Eagle Rock just might be an interesting stop one weekend night or Sunday afternoon. If it’s not yet up to your standard of hipness, then simply get a Tommy burger and come back in a few years when Eagle Rock will either be the hottest community in LA, or will be on the skids as Tujunga takes over the crown.