If you live in the Los Angeles area you should consider yourself a lucky person. Sure traffic is horrible, gas extremely expensive, people rude and annoying, but one of the advantages to be part of such a huge metropolis is the vicinity of it all.
Freeways are so overrated, gone are the days where you took the freeway to get wherever you wanted to go in a matter of minutes. No matter what day of the week or what time of the day, freeways are always packed, and that’s when you forget about all the places that are so close yet so far.

Take a ride

Next time you happen to have a free day and are feeling a bit adventurous, no la pienses dos veces and drive to your nearest bus station.  The first destination in your day plan should definitely be the Los Angeles Union Station.  Back in Europe all roads lead to Rome, well, here in Los Angeles, almost all public transportation leads to the L.A. Union Station.  Once you’re there, you’ll encounter endless possibilities.

Everyone knows driving in Los Angeles has become more and more difficult these last few years.  For me, the worst is inching along in bumper to bumper traffic on an ugly commercial street made worse by graffiti and hideous signage.  Whenever I get the chance, I like to take tree-lined streets.  The best of these routes include some of my favorite alternative landmarks.  These hidden treasures are not always on my way.  But they’re well worth the slight detour.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The Shakespeare Bridge, built in 1926, is part of Franklin Avenue in Franklin Heights, east of Hollywood and near the Silverlake Reservoir.  It’s a Gothic revival bridge over a ravine.  I don’t know what connection the bridge has to Shakespeare but I find it impossibly quaint and romantic.  I use it to get from Hollywood Blvd to Hyperion Avenue, avoiding the traffic on Sunset Boulevard.

The Chateau le Moine is one of those Storybook houses you can still find in some of L.A.’s older neighborhoods.  The best of these look like illustrations from vintage Hansel and Gretel books.  The Chateau Le Moine, in Brookside, is a storybook castle which comes complete with gables, turrets, a whimsical gatehouse and a draw bridge.  In addition, an actual brook runs along the property.  The home, with a tower fit for Rapunzel, is just off of busy Highland Avenue on the corner of 9th and Longwood.  It’s currently for sale, listed at $4 million.