Known by many Angelenos as that place you drive by on your way to Pasadena, Glendale is often considered the square little brother of our City of Angels. But a closer look at this hopping stretch of Brand Boulevard between Lexington Drive and Wilson Avenue might leave you thinking Pasadena’s too far after all.
Local Positioning: Glendale at Brand Blvd.
A walking guide to Glendale (Brand Blvd.)
By Laura Freidman
Special to MetromixJuly 2, 2008
Damon's Steak House
317 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-507-1510
Sure it's kitschy, but this tiki-themed restaurant dishes up some inexpensive steaks and tropical drinks. The main draw here is the weird vibe, with lights that are always turned beyond low and pseudo-Gauguin murals covering the walls. People come specifically for the Sunday Mai Tai brunch. For the truly feckless, there’s the Chi Chi: a master mix of light rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, coconut milk and secret sauce (possibly more rum?).
Pho Hut
312 1/2 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-247-6955
We’ll put their Vietnamese beef noodle soup up against any in the city. Pho Hut has only been open six months and isn’t even in the phone book yet, but the crowd at lunch proves quality is the best advertising.
Bookfellows
238 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-545-0121
These people take genre fiction seriously. Bookfellows caters to fans of mystery, sci-fi and horror, offering a huge inventory ranging from $2 used detective paperbacks to new books from micro-publishers to antique first editions. The store also holds classes for avid readers who aspire to see their names on these same shelves.
Laura's Corset Shoppe
232 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-241-5616
As much as we usually despise any store that spells shop with an E, this specialty bra boutique has been around so long (since 1922) that it really is olde tyme. Let owner Haley Trivoli use her uncanny ability to find your perfect fit, and you’ll know what old-fashioned (to say nothing of olde tyme) service is all about.
Chess Park
227 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-548-2184
It took a stroke of genius for park-poor Glendale to turn an unused alley linking a municipal parking lot into a pocket park. The 4,500-square-foot space is devoted to the game of chess, with five surreally illuminated oversized chess pieces standing guard over 16 concrete tables.
Alex Theatre
216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale818-243-7700
Built in 1925, this historic art deco theater holds close to 250 concerts, movie screenings, and live performances a year. Recently, programmers paired the Glendale-set 1945 film noir Mildred Pierce with a Joan Crawford look-alike competition. Whatever it tells you about this city, the winner was a woman.
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