Outside of Brooklyn, LA may be more frequently equated with hipsters and hipsterdom than any other city in the world. Here are a list of the top hipster hangouts our city has to offer.
The Arts District, Downtown
This little sliver of culture amid a forest of factories feels like Brooklyn or even Berlin. Coffee shops, galleries, and artists’ lofts abound, but it’s the street art that makes the Arts District truly something special. No other neighborhood in LA so deftly combines walkability, art and a cosmopolitan feel.
Silver Lake/Sunset Junction
Silver Lake was recently dubbed America’s “hippest hipster neighborhood” by Forbes magazine. Of course, when Forbes recognizes something as hip, it loses some of its cool, but nonetheless the vintage stores, street markets, world-class coffee shops (including Intelligentsia, widely regarded as the best coffee place in LA), still attract interesting people from all over the city. Sunset Junction, where Sunset meets Santa Monica, is the center of the Silver Lake scene.
Echo Park
Full of guitar shops, old school record shops and greasy spoon Mexican restaurants, Echo Park is the grungiest neighborhood on the list. It’s home to one of the best music venues in Los Angeles, the EchoPlex, which showcases new and interesting bands nightly. It also boasts its namesake park, a gorgeous marsh of water lilies and lotuses, perfect for picnickers.
Franklin Village
Franklin Village is a tiny slice of a neighborhood on the border of Hollywood and Los Feliz, but it boasts a big impact. Upright Citizens Brigade, the famous coffee shop Bourgeois Pig, the popular industry bar Birds, and the office of alt-pinup girl company Suicide Girls are all neighbors on Franklin Street between Bronson and Tamarind. Stop into The Oaks Deli on the corner and watch the beautiful people go by.
NoHo Arts District
The North Hollywood Arts District is a budding expanse of art galleries, theaters, and recording studios in the Valley. There are fantastic bars, like Tokyo Delves and Skinny’s Lounge, as well as the renowned wine bar and restaurant, The Eclectic. The neighborhood is filled with artists and has a bustling, walkable feel unlike anywhere else in the Valley.
Follow Isaac Simpson on Twitter at @Isaco525
