This retro-inspired sign stylishly signals where you are.
BOUNDARIES: Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake Blvd., Marathon St., Hoover St.
DISTANCE: About 1.75 miles
DIFFICULTY: Moderate (includes stairways)
PARKING: Free street parking is available on Vendome St.
When it comes to hip neighborhoods, Silver Lake is one of the hippest in the country. Often compared with Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York City, Silver Lake has experienced a cultural/demographic shift over the years, from predominantly Latino to gay to young hipsters and now, with three-room homes renting north of $4,000 a month, increasingly more upper-class and trendy. This walk explores the area’s residential streets as well as the main commercial drag along Sunset Boulevard, which offers a cool and eclectic collection of shops, restaurants, and cafés.
Begin at the intersection of Vendome Street and Del Monte Drive, just south of Sunset Boulevard. On the west side of Vendome, across from the intersection of Del Monte, are the famous Music Box Steps, immortalized in Laurel and Hardy’s 1932 short film, The Music Box, in which the duo attempts to move a piano up the 133 steps and hilarity ensues.
Ascend the staircase to Descanso Drive, climb another short flight of wooden steps to the second level of the split street, and then turn left.
Follow Descanso Drive as it curves to the right. On the northwest corner of Descanso Drive and Micheltorena Street is a cheerful home painted with flowers; the front gate is decorated with a mosaic angel. Continue on Descanso across Micheltorena, and notice how the homes become more attractively maintained as you head farther up the hill.
When you reach the end of Descanso Drive, turn right on Maltman Avenue. Follow the road over the crest of the hill, past a handful of lovely Craftsman homes, and then all the way down to Sunset Boulevard.
Turn left on Sunset. On the opposite side of the street are 
Pine & Crane, a Taiwanese restaurant just off Sunset on Griffith Park Boulevard; 
El Cóndor, a hip Mexican restaurant; 
Pazzo Gelato; and other tempting dining options.
Once you cross Lucile Avenue, the abundance of funky specialty shops is a sure sign of this neighborhood’s style of gentrification. Trendy home-furnishings stores line the northeast side of Sunset, while the southwest side features an eclectic array of shops and cafés. Upscale gift shops and baby boutiques sit next door to vintage-clothing stores and the 
Surplus Value Center, where you can stock up on Dickies gear and fatigues. Cleverly named shops like Den of Antiquity and Bar Keeper (a vintage-barware and liquor store) signal the creativity of Silver Lake’s small-business owners.
As you approach Sanborn Avenue, note the SUNSET JUNCTION sign over the sidewalk. 
Intelligentsia, a gourmet and eco-friendly coffeehouse, holds court at 3922 Sunset. The cluster of shops on the corner, several of which are hidden from the street, includes the Cheese Store of Silver Lake, Cafe Stella, and a flower shop.
Turn around at Sanborn Avenue to retrace your steps back to Maltman Avenue. Cross Maltman and continue along Sunset Boulevard, passing the charming Purgatory Pizza on the corner and 
Millie’s, a no-frills diner frequented by the neighborhood’s edgier artists and rockers, located at 3524. The strip mall next door is home to 
Trois Familia, a breakfast-and-lunch spot that blends French and Mexican.
When you pass Micheltorena Street, look for the short sidewalk that leads to a long stairway on your right; an interesting wooden rotunda sits in the enclosed yard to the left of the sidewalk. Ascend the Micheltorena steps as far as Larissa Drive, and turn left (don’t climb the second flight of steps).
Continue along Larissa, keeping right when the road splits, at which point it becomes Descanso Drive.
Follow Descanso Drive uphill, and keep an eye out for the short flight of steps from earlier that cuts across the median on your left.
Descend these steps, and then cross to the other side of the street, back to the Music Box Steps, which you climbed earlier. Head downstairs to return to your starting point on Vendome Street.
West Silver Lake
Points of Interest
Pine & Crane 1521 Griffith Park Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-668-1128, pineandcrane.com
El Cóndor 3701 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-660-4500, elcondorla.com
Pazzo Gelato 3827 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-662-1710
Surplus Value Center 3828 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-662-8132, surplusvaluecenter.net
Intelligentsia 3922 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029; 323-663-6173, intelligentsiacoffee.com
Millie’s 3524 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-664-0404, milliescafela.com
Trois Familia 3510 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-725-7800, troisfamilia.com
