Where the happy people live

Angelenos have a funny way of pronouncing the names of streets and neighborhoods in this city. That is how you can tell someone isn’t from here, how they say words like the street LACMA is on. Wilshire, for example, does not sound like the place where the Hobbits live, but for locals, it sounds more like “Will sure.”

When I first moved here, I said Spanish words with their correct pronunciation. When I said Los Feliz the first few times to locals, I realized it made me stick out like a sore thumb. They had no idea what I was saying. I would say it again “Los Fay-Lease” and then they would realize what I was trying to say and would respond, “oh you mean, Los feeeliss” Now I don’t bat an eye, and say it like Angelenos say it. Los Feliz, the happy ones, is now just a non-sensical, the I don’t knows. I don’t say Sepulveda like I should any more for similar reasons. Somehow La Cienega, the swamp, and La Brea, the tar, retains its correct pronunciation, but San Pedro doesn’t. (San Peeedro)

Now you know how to pronounce words in Angeleno when you come here.

Los Feliz is just a short train ride from Hollywood, but feels so very different. This neighborhood is filled with locals instead of a sea of tourists. The tourists tend to bee-line for the Griffith Observatory and skip all of the things to do a few blocks from the entrance of the park. This surprisingly residential neighborhood is boxed in by major streets. It is where Sunset and Hollywood criss-cross on Vermont and Hillhurst.

I turn now to Los Feliz because it isn’t just for locals. There is a lot of shopping, art, and hiking to do.

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