Some neighborhoods age gracefully, and Glendale's Montrose is one of them, celebrating its 95th birthday this month.
Head to Honolulu Avenue, where you can still order a cream soda at a diner countertop, sample cinnamon rolls made from a retro recipe, and park for free for an entire afternoon.
"It's the Mayberry of the foothills," says Dale Dawson, who owns Mountain Rose Gifts with his wife, Mary.
GETTING THERE
Montrose is located in northern Glendale. From I-210, exit at Ocean View Blvd. and go south to Honolulu Ave. The main shopping district is on Honolulu between Verdugo Rd. and Orangedale Ave.
EAT Black Cow Café Ask for a table outside, where you can enjoy banana-bread French toast and Mexicali hot chocolate laced with orange peel. INFO: $; closed Mon; 2219 Honolulu Ave.; 818/957-5282.
La Cabañita Latin American folk art and murals serve as the cheerful backdrop to this family-owned Mexican restaurant, a few blocks south of Honolulu Avenue. We love the pollo en mole verde (chicken in green mole) and sweetly spiced beef tacos. INFO: $; 3447 N. Verdugo Rd.; 818/957-2711.
Montrose Home Bakery Cherry danish, pecan-studded cinnamon rolls, and 20 kinds of cookies baked from 1950s recipes — expect delicate pink- and red-frosted hearts this month. INFO: 2325½ Honolulu Ave.; 818/249-4925. SHOP
The Paper Rabbit Montrose The neighborhood's longtime source for personalized gifts, invitations, and scrapbooking materials. INFO: 2269 Honolulu Ave.; 818/957-2848.
Village Artisans This narrow 25-year-old art gallery stocks vivid watercolors by local artists and jewelry handcrafted from Hawaiian glass and rare metals. INFO: Closed Sun–Mon; 2315 Honolulu Ave.; 818/957-3228.
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| Joe Schmelzer |
| Stop by Tom's Toys for stuffed Shetland ponies and other children's gifts. |
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Mountain Rose Gifts Euro-country furniture and home decor with a touch of shabby chic. INFO: Closed Sun; 2307 Honolulu Ave.; 818/541-0699. Tom's Toys An all-ages wonderland of board games, dollhouses, and Lincoln Logs. Kids will love the back play area. INFO: 2281 Honolulu Ave.; 818/249-2178.
HAPPENING NOW
Montrose turns 95 this month and celebrates with Founders Day (Feb 24; free), a festival featuring live music, a nine-layer birthday cake covered with roses, a vintage-photograph display, and lots of shout-outs to longtime merchants who helped launch and sustain the shopping district. The annual event is fittingly held in tandem with the weekly Montrose Harvest Market (9–2 Sun; 818/957-1964). Besides fresh flowers and produce, you'll find food stands selling tamales and Hawaiian chicken. There's also a small flea market of reasonably priced used books, antique furniture, and handmade jewelry.
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