Culver City 101: The four Culver Cities

I have been slowly introducing you to Culver City over the past two years. I gave you a food tour in two parts, my favorite delightfully weird place in all of Los Angeles, and made the city part of an Oscar-themed itinerary. My recommendations so far have only scratched the surface of the four Culver Cities. 

If you look at Culver City on a map, it has strangely shaped borders. It looks like Florida with a deflated panhandle. In some areas of the city, it is hard to tell if you are in Culver City or not. One business could be Culver City and its neighbor across the street could be Palms or Mar Vista. I am here to help you figure out what to do in Culver City.

Culver City is a city with four distinct parts separated by blocks and blocks of apartments and homes. It might seem too residential, but there is a lot of art, Michelin Stars, and boutique shopping. 

Cities change

Culver City holds a special place in my heart. My first job in Los Angeles, sixteen years ago, was in the Helm’s Bakery/Arts district area of Culver City. In that decade and a half since I left that job, the city has really changed. When I was in the Helm’s Bakery District, Culver City wasn’t much of a foodie haven. There were few restaurants I could walk to. I had El Ricon for pupusas, Honey’s Kettle for great fried chicken, and La Dijonaise–they had one of the snottiest waiters. Mainly I would walk to Trader Joe’s and pick up a prepared salad or sandwich and walk back to work–just to show you how hard it was to find good and cheap options at the time. 

This is no longer the case. Now, there isn’t a shortage of things to eat from outposts of Brooklyn pizzerias, rooftop brunches, and vegan burger joints–not too many people are stocking up on TJ’s salads to have lunch al desko. 

A big part of me thinks that all of these changes are due to all of the studios and tech companies that are impending tenants. It is hard to complain because the city is benefitting from it. But the flipside means that I may no longer be able to afford a home here.

I could have called this post the city of Targets. Surprisingly, there are several Target stores that are only roughly a mile from each other. I am not sure why. They are all incredibly busy. When you need one, there are several here to choose from.

The four Culver Cities

This next series breaks down these four areas which all have their own attractions and feel. It is possible to visit the four Culver Cities in one day, but, I think you should go slow and try to get to know this city better.

For this blog, I will be dividing the city like this:

• One: Downtown Culver City
• Two: Arts District/Helms Bakery
• Three: Fox Hills Posts will be combined with four) 
• Four: Culver West (Posts will be combined with three)

COMING UP NEXT… Downtown Culver City

Did you know that I have a FREE Culver City Itinerary? It is ready for you to download and take on your next trip. If you use it, let me know.