Silver Lake & Echo Park

Things to know

• The two neighbourhoods are adjacent but the walk between their centres is about two miles along Sunset, most of it uphill. Treat them as separate evenings.
• This is hill country. The public stairways — the Micheltorena and Mattachine steps among them — are genuine shortcuts and genuine climbs.
• Dodger Stadium is directly above Echo Park, which means the bars on Sunset fill and empty on a baseball schedule. Check whether there is a home game before planning a quiet drink.
• Restaurants here are small. Sixteen-seat rooms are normal, most take reservations, and the good ones go a week or two out at weekends.
• Street parking is permit-restricted across much of both neighbourhoods and the hills are narrow. This is one of the few parts of the city where arriving by rideshare is genuinely easier.