South Valley - area of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, USA

South Valley is an area of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is made up of the neighborhoods of the southwestern portion of the valley: Canoga Park, Encino, Reseda, Tarzana, West Hills, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

Understand

Reseda grew into a prominent town after World War II when many of the existing ranches and orange groves were converted to housing for the returning soldiers. Today the population hovers around 80,000. The town has been featured in several movies and songs, most notably 1984's Karate Kid as the home of the title character. Tom Petty's hit Free Fallin also features the town in the lyric "It's a long day livin' in Reseda. There's a freeway runnin' through the yard". Tarzana was named after the Tarzana Ranch, which was owned in the early 1900s by Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan stories. The land was later subdivided and sold, and in the late 1920s the residents named the town Tarzana.

Woodland Hills is an average middle class Los Angeles neighborhood, remarkable for the numerous Persian restaurants along Ventura Blvd in the south as well as the medium-density new city development known as Warner Center. Topanga Canyon Blvd provides the most scenic road from Los Angeles to the beach, with a small hippie community called Topanga along the way. However, Woodland Hills is not generally acknowledged as a tourist destination.

Get in

Encino is located along US-101 and I-405.

Tarzana is located along US-101 a few miles west of its intersection with I-405.

West Hills is accessible by car from either the 101 Freeway or the 118 Freeway.

Reseda is located a few miles northwest of the intersection of US-101 and I-405.

Woodland Hills is accessible by car from the 101 Freeway.

Get around

An automobile is essential for getting around the South Valley. Metro buses are also an option, and the Orange Line has a stop at Warner Center.

See

• Movies at the Encino Town Center.
• Shadow Ranch, 22633 Vanowen St (just east of Fallbrook), 34.1945°, -118.62°, +1 818 883-3637. Historical site.
• Candy Cane Lane. A charmingly decorated street at Christmastime.

Do

• Mountain Biking - There are plenty of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Hills and the various canyons. A great ride starts at the south end of Reseda, or stop part way up and begin at Caberello Canyon. Ride up to dirt Mulholland and go either north or south. If you go south you will see the Nike Site (missiles were stored there during the cold war) or north and ride over to Trippet Ranch, Will Rogers park, Eagle Rock or to the lookout point. Great riding - single track and fire roads.
• Woodland Hills Country Club, 21150 Dumetz Rd (south of the 101 freeway), +1 818 818-347-1511. M-F 7AM–sunset, Sa Su holidays 6:30AM–sunset. 18-hole golf course with restaurant.

Buy

• Fallbrook Center, 6633 Fallbrook Ave (Fallbrook and Vanowen), +1 818 885-9700. Anchored by Mervyn's, Kohl's, Michael's and Target.
• Promenade Mall, 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd (Topanga Cyn and Erwin), +1 818 594-8732. M-F 10AM - 9PM, Sa 10AM - 8PM, Su 11AM - 7PM. Upscale shopping. Casual dining and a movie theatrer.
• Westfield Topanga & The Village, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd (Topanga Cyn and Vanowen), +1 818 594-8732. M-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM. Chain store shopping.

Eat

• EuroAsia Restaurant, 17209 Ventura Blvd. Encino, 34.160868°, -118.507893°, +1 818-205-9311. Tu-Su from noon. Hope you like Russian and Uzbek cuisine.
• Stonefire Grill, 6405 Fallbrook Ave (Fallbrook Mall parking lot), +1 818 887-4145. Pizza, pasta and BBQ. $15-25.
• Pizza Cookery, 6209 Topanga Canyon Blvd (strip mall on northwest corner of Topanga Cyn and Erwin), +1 818 887-4770. Casual pizzeria with sawdust on the floor. The garlic rolls have a cult following. $15-30.
• Salsa & Beer, 6740 White Oak Ave, 34.19334°, -118.51828°, +1 818 609-8877. Mexican.
• Shalimar Cuisine of India, 23011 Ventura Blvd (west of Fallbrook, tight parking lot, more parking on side street), +1 818 225-7794. The perfect Indian restaurant for British ex-pats. $10 - $20.

Drink

• VLounge Night Club, 6101 Reseda Blvd, +1 818-514-6400. Could be a little seedy.
• Pickwick Pub, 21010 Ventura Blvd, +1 818 340-9673. Quintessential British pub.

Sleep

• Hilton Woodland Hills & Towers, 6360 Canoga Ave (Between Victory and Erwin), +1 818 595-1000. From $189 per night
• Courtyard Los Angeles Woodland Hills, 21101 Ventura Blvd, +1 818-999-2200. Smallish hotel tower.
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 22617 Ventura Blvd., +1 818 222-2299. Offers free breakfast, free Internet access and hotel vacation packages
• Warner Center Marriott, 21850 Oxnard St (Oxnard and Topanga, across the street from the Promenade Mall), +1 818 887-4800. 474 refreshed rooms and suites. Indoor and outdoor pools. From $209 per night

Connect

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