The imposing Art Deco entrance to the Hollywood Bowl
BOUNDARIES: US 101, Outpost Dr., Franklin Ave., Cahuenga Blvd.
DISTANCE: About 3 miles
DIFFICULTY: Moderate (includes stairways)
PARKING: Street parking is available on Camrose Dr. (pay attention to posted signs), and there’s also a parking lot for visitors to the Hollywood Heritage Museum, just north of Milner on Highland Ave. Please be aware that parking anywhere in this vicinity on summer evenings can be dicey because of Hollywood Bowl parking restrictions.
NEAREST METRO STATION: Red Line (Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave.)
Tucked between the Hollywood Bowl and Camrose Drive in the Hollywood Hills sits the cozy and unusual High Tower neighborhood, which feels like an exciting peek into old Hollywood. The homes along Alta Loma Terrace, the pedestrian pathway at the top of the hill, are accessible either by stairs or by the Bolognese-style “high tower” elevator at the northern end of High Tower Drive. The Carl Kay–designed duplex immediately adjacent to the tower was featured as Philip Marlowe’s apartment in the 1973 classic The Long Goodbye.
After a quick detour to the adjacent Hollywood Bowl complex, this route crosses Highland Avenue to explore Whitley Heights. Most of the homes in this neighborhood were built between 1918 and 1928, and the predominant architectural style is Spanish Colonial Revival. The seclusion and beauty of the area attracted such stars as Rudolph Valentino, Judy Garland, and Charlie Chaplin during Hollywood’s heyday. Alas, the construction of US 101 in 1946–47 divided the hill in two, demolishing 40 historic homes in the process. To maintain what’s left, the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone alliance has granted the neighborhood protected status. Today, Whitley Heights is still home to entertainment-industry professionals, and many of the original Mediterranean homes are as lovely as ever, but the address doesn’t hold the same prestige it once did.
Walk Description
Begin at the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Camrose Drive near Highland Camrose Park, a quiet sanctuary walled off from Highland Avenue that provides a convenient picnic area for patrons of the nearby Hollywood Bowl. Head away from Highland to go west on Camrose.
Turn right on Rockledge Road. Straight ahead on Rockledge, you’ll see a gorgeous Spanish-style home with extensive blue tile work and a long balcony of arches overlooking the front courtyard.
Follow the road as it curves up the hill. The Mediterranean houses are increasingly ornate and colorful as you continue upward; some even have castlelike architectural flourishes.
When you reach the end of the cul-de-sac, you’ll come to Los Altos Place, a pedestrian walkway. Descend the short flight of stairs and continue along the narrow path between homes.
Cross High Tower Drive, which is lined with single-car garages for residents of the neighborhood’s hilltop homes. To the right you’ll see the pretty tower for which the street is named. This structure houses a locked elevator to which only residents have a key. Continue along the path on the other side of High Tower Drive. Turn right on Broadview Terrace, another pedestrian path, and continue up the stairs. As you approach the tower, you’ll notice a raised clearing on your right. This patch of land provides a nice vantage point from which to admire the southeast view of Hollywood.
Ascend the stairs next to High Tower.
Turn right on Alta Loma Terrace. This path is shady and peaceful, and the houses on either side are accessible only by way of this pathway; hence the detached rows of garages on the street below. Architectural styles range from Mediterranean to Japanese to rambling clapboard farmhouse.
Turn right to continue along Alta Loma Terrace. You’ll come to a charming fairy-tale house with miniature doors and windows at 6840.
Turn left to descend the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs you’ll find yourself in a private, fenced-off parking lot for the residents of Alta Loma Terrace. Turn left to head toward the black iron gate exiting onto Highland Avenue.
On the other side of the gate, turn left on Highland and walk toward the parking lot for the 
Hollywood Bowl. Follow the sidewalk adjacent to the lot until you reach the main entrance to the Bowl, which is marked by the 1940 George Stanley Fountain, a beautiful Art Deco piece representing the muse of music.
Turn left to follow the pathway identified as Peppertree Lane uphill to the amphitheater. On your left is the Hollywood Bowl Museum. It’s worth stopping in to see blown-up panoramic photos of the outdoor theater taken when it was first incorporated into its natural canyon surroundings in 1922, and to admire exhibits about the many legendary performers who have played here over the decades.
Eventually you arrive at a circular plaza surrounded by snack bars, the box office, and the Hollywood Bowl gift shop. If a concert is in session and you don’t have tickets, you won’t be able to explore much more. Otherwise, continue up the hill through the turnstiles and enter the massive outdoor venue, which seats nearly 18,000 people. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to catch an artist in the middle of sound check. A summer evening at the Bowl is a quintessential LA experience that every resident should try to enjoy at least once a year.
To leave the Hollywood Bowl complex, return to the plaza in front of the box office and follow the signs for the Odin Path, which takes you along a walkway that runs behind the museum and eventually deposits you in the massive parking lot.
Turn left to cut through the parking lot back to Highland Avenue.
At Highland, turn right and follow the sidewalk back toward Highland Camrose Park.
When you return to the corner of Camrose and Highland, cross to the east side of Highland Avenue. At this point, the street name changes from Camrose to Milner Road. A park with shady picnic areas for Hollywood Bowl patrons, as well as the 
Hollywood Heritage Museum (open weekend afternoons only), is on your left. Pass the Whitley Terrace Steps next door to 6776 Milner—you’ll descend these later—and follow the road as it curves left, past romantic Mediterranean houses built up against the hill on your right. There are charming, cottagelike homes on your left. A posted sign indicates that you’ve entered the Whitley Heights Historical Preservation Overlay Zone.
Continue uphill and bear right to stay on Milner at the split in the road; you’ll notice a stunning Spanish home on the corner with dark-stained wood and a huge, arched picture window. Two more Spanish Colonial Revival homes catch the eye at 6708 and 6718 Milner; both have a slightly imposing old-world beauty.
The aptly named High Tower
Turn right on Whitley Terrace. Several more elegant Spanish-style homes adorn the hill on your right. Many of the newer homes in Whitley Heights maintain the Spanish Colonial Revival style, integrating nicely into the old neighborhood. As Whitley Terrace curves left, note an interesting castlelike home at 6697 with unique floral tile murals and stained glass.
Ascend the wooden staircase on your left, just past 6681 Whitley Terrace—keep an eye out for it, as it can be easy to miss. A row of standalone garages lines the other side of the steps; most of Whitley Heights’ homes were built in the 1920s with single-car garages, so the row garages were built to accommodate extra vehicles.
Turn left at the top of the steps onto Grace Avenue. You’re now approaching the uppermost portion of Whitley Heights, where the homes have a peaceful, secluded quality. As you approach the top of the hill, you get a lovely view of Griffith Observatory in the distance. Note the gated road off to your left, at the point where Grace Avenue turns right—this is Kendra Court, the only street in the neighborhood that’s closed to the public. Continue to follow Grace down the hill.
Turn right on Whitley Terrace. A couple of the houses on the left side of the street are modern in design, but most maintain the Mediterranean theme. While the homes on this side of the street appear to be on the small side compared with the stately homes on your right, they are actually quite grand, spilling down the hill on the other side and affording spectacular views of Hollywood and beyond.
Look for the sign for the staircase on your left that reads 2000 N. WHITLEY TERRACE STEPS (just past 6666 Whitley Terrace). There is a black wrought-iron gate at the top of the stairs, but it always seems to be unlocked. Descend the long staircase past several homes, a couple of which are accessible only by the stairs, lending them an appealing sense of being secret hideaways. As you head down, admire the charming vista of the hills on the other side of Highland; the red-tile roofs scattered among the treetops give the impression that you’re in a seaside Mediterranean village thousands of miles away.
You’ll encounter another gate at the bottom of the stairway, but, like the gate at the top, it should be unlocked. (In the unlikely case that either gate is locked, you can continue north/northeast on Whitley Terrace, turn left on Milner Road, and follow the street downhill to your starting point.)
At the bottom of the steps, turn left on Milner Road, and cross Highland Avenue to return to where you began near the corner of Highland and Camrose.
Hollywood’s High Tower and Whitley Heights
Points of Interest
Hollywood Bowl 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068; 323-850-2058, hollywoodbowl.com
Hollywood Heritage Museum 2100 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, CA 90068; 323-874-4005, hollywoodheritage.org
