Any Los Angeles native could remark on the transition Culver City has undergone over the last decade. Once dismissed as the New Jersey of Los Angeles County, downtown is now filled with hipsters – young and old – moving from gallery to cafe to bar and back again.
It’s become a place of good food, art and culture – reminiscent of what it once was during Hollywood’s golden age as the movie studio mecca.
Unlike Santa Monica or Venice, the newly bustling Culver City still remains toned down and quiet. The local hipsters intermix with visitors, and its downtown doesn’t feel too crowded or rushed. It’s the perfect place to discover a new restaurant, where a long wait is still less than 30 minutes.
Equipped with entertainment, Culver City offers activities for any morning, afternoon or evening jaunt. Call your Uber and follow prime’s guide to discovering colorful street art, sneaking into the local speakeasy and finding out where to get the coffee to keep you moving.
My thighs began to quiver halfway up the Culver City stairs, and droplets of sweat dotted my forehead. Athlete after athlete passed us, conquering the stairs at a running pace.
Despite my apparently poor physical condition, however, the hike to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook was short and relatively easy. On a clear day, the surrounding LA landscape gives any tired wanderer a good excuse to stop and take in the view.
An urban park nestled in the middle of Culver City, the overlook functions today as a habitat preserve and getaway from city life. The top of the peak sits at an elevation of 500 feet and offers a spacious area for people to get a panoramic view of Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean and surrounding mountain ranges.
Not only are the sights outstanding, but we even happened upon a bit of wildlife – a lizard scuttling through the chaparral and a snake crossing the road. A visitor center is located on top of the hill, where people can learn more about this natural space and its cultural history within concrete Los Angeles.
The Culver City Arts District begins farther downtown on La Cienega Boulevard. For a few concentrated blocks, artist studios, small galleries and street art intermix with artsy cafes, stores and eateries, including Industry Café & Jazz – an Ethiopian restaurant with live jazz music.
Galleries close early, so plan to arrive before sunset to stroll through the contemporary spaces – coffee from Cognoscenti in hand – or wait for nighttime exhibit openings.
Founded in Santa Monica, Blum & Poe relocated to Culver City in 2003 as one of the first galleries to arrive in the arts district. With locations in New York and Tokyo, the gallery began Culver City’s takeover as a place for experimental conceptual art.
The list of contemporary galleries that followed goes on and on, but some of the more popular ones are Thinkspace and Heart ’N’ Soul Gallery – all hosting rotating artist exhibitions.
But while you’re making up your mind about which one to stroll into, a handful of contemporary murals decorating the walkway are available to satisfy any artistic cravings.
Although Culver City is known as “the heart of screenland,” it also has a thriving arts and theater scene, including the Kirk Douglas Theatre and The Actors’ Gang theater company.
Central to downtown, the Kirk Douglas Theatre was opened in 2004 by the Center Theatre Group. The theater is a renovated historic movie house harking back to the classic Hollywood era. Now a smaller theater with two stages – one holds 100 seats and the other holds more than 300 – it shows in-house plays and guest productions.
If you’re not up for a night of theater, the movie palace’s maintained exterior – with the original box office and mezzanine tiling – still acts as an attention-grabber from the street. To get inside and see a show, check out group ticket offers, and dress to the nines to transport yourself back to a different time.
Just a quick walk from downtown Culver City, a giant rainbow statue peeks out above the buildings at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
While gazing at the 94-foot structure, you might be inspired to start singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – a perfectly normal reaction when standing next to the lot where “The Wizard of Oz” was filmed in the 1930s.
In addition to being a major historical landmark in the film world, the studio continues to add a variety of features to its portfolio, ranging from “13 Going on 30” to “The Amazing Spider-Man.” The company also produces television series like “Shark Tank” and “Outlander.”
For some, peering through the studio’s extravagant iron gate may be satisfactory. But for those with a little more curiosity, interactive tours – where you can follow the yellow brick road and play a game of “Jeopardy!” – are offered on weekdays. Walter White’s RV is also on the premises, but the activities associated with it are most likely prohibited.
Minutes away from the Sony Pictures Studios, Jackson Market is tucked within a suburban street. The front sign is partially covered with vines, and if it hadn’t been for our Uber driver’s GPS, we might have mistaken it for a little house.
Using our feminine wiles, we asked the employee at the deli counter to design his own custom sandwich creation. There was a little bit of confusion, but after we issued our challenge, he ultimately agreed with a smile.
The sandwich was delicious, stuffed with vegetables, thin slices of provolone cheese and marinated with vinaigrette. However, there was some misunderstanding over meat – or lack thereof.
Regardless, we chowed it down on the back patio, surrounded by a lovely garden and koi pond. With the wide range of beverages and grocery items sold inside, we could have stayed there all afternoon.
The first bar I went to when I turned 21 was Father’s Office.
There are two locations in Los Angeles – one in Culver City and the original in Santa Monica.
The Culver City location lives in the Helms Bakery District, an offshoot street in downtown with a hidden art bookstore – Arcana: Books on the Arts – and the acclaimed hot dog truck, Let’s be Frank.
After being carded at the door of Father’s Office, you step inside to dim lighting and packed communal wooden tables. The bar serves 36 craft beers on tap, but more importantly, it’s home to one of the best burgers in town: its signature Office Burger.
The burger – created by chef and owner Sang Yoon – is topped with caramelized onions, blue cheese and arugula on a crunchy bun.
Oh, and the beer is good, too.
Blind Barber is tucked far down on Washington Boulevard next to barren strip malls and a Weight Watchers.
By day, it’s a discreet barber shop, with a small barber’s pole outside and an advertisement on the window for a free drink with a haircut.
But at night, you walk through the barber-shop front, past men getting their monthly trim, and into a speakeasy in the back. It’s an “Alice in Wonderland” moment, walking from sterile white into a dark, candle-lit room with a central bar and scattered tables.
After happy hour from 6 to 8 p.m., the bar picks up later in the evening with DJs, and 20- and 30-something-year-old hipsters mingle and dance until two in the morning. They even have an overpriced food menu with delicious small bites, specialty grilled cheeses and sweets.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but I am a sucker for latte art.
When we entered Cognoscenti, I ordered my usual black tea and took advantage of my friend’s beautifully decorated mocha latte for some coffee photography. Despite my usual distaste for the stuff, I took a sip of the frothy drink, and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it.
Overall, this cafe has a quintessentially hip and modern atmosphere, with orange and yellow chairs that contrast well with black and metallic tables. It matches the general aesthetic of Culver City Arts District, and therefore functions as a go-to stop in between shopping and gallery browsing.
Located on the opposite side of Washington Boulevard relative to the arts district, Copenhagen Pastry is Culver City’s authentic Danish bakery.
When we entered the shop, we were greeted by a glass case full of perfectly golden and flaky pastries. Overwhelmed, we asked the friendly woman behind the counter what she recommended. She said, “I recommend you try samples.”
With that, she placed three different pastries on a napkin – the Kringle, the Copenhagen and the Braided Cinnamon. The Copenhagen incorporated yellow custard and chocolate, while the Kringle, topped with almonds, fused both custard and almond paste. The Braided Cinnamon was a delicious Danish version of the classic cinnamon bun. We left with a purchase of all three.
The woman smiled and bid us a good day as we made our way to the bench out front to eat our pastries. The hardest part by far was having to share.