Dennis RomeroSome L.A. neighborhoods can be frightful on any night, let alone Halloween. This is especially true if you're on foot, God forbid.
If you have to hoof it for your candy — and, no, we're not talking about skateboarding down the block to your friendly neighborhood cannabis retailer — it's good to know before you go. We're talking about the 2013 guide to L.A.'s top 5 neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, courtesy of real estate site Zillow:
5. Cheviot Hills. Yes, there's candy in them there hills. But we'd have to question whether the rich Westsiders who live near the Hillcrest Country Club really want outsiders begging for Twix. After all, this is the same community that fought tooth and nail against the Metro Expo Line light rail extension. And it doesn't even go through their neighborhood. Just the thought of seeing its own Mexican maids and gardeners being able to hop a train nearby, however, had this upscale barrio spooked. Avoid.
4. Studio City. When you think Studio City, you think Valley. Then you get shivers. The horror. But consider that much of this Ciudad de Studios is really just the other half of the gilded hills above Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It's nice. They have good candy. There's no parking.
3. Bel Air. Now we're talking. Swimming pools. Movie stars. One small problem: They have gates and private security. It's still part of the city of Los Angeles, so don't be discouraged. The real problem with getting at all that Godiva is that many of the manses above UCLA are behind long-ass driveways which are behind locked gates. Bring a megaphone.
2. Brentwood. We might disagree with this one. Yes, Brentwood is yet another of L.A.'s many star-inhabited upscale areas, which increases your likelihood of hitting confection gold. But … it's also the epicenter of yoga, gluten-free everything, and organic what-the-hell. You want healthy, sustainable snacks — and we know you don't — go to Brentwood.
And the top trick-or-treating neighborhood in Los Angeles is …
1. Pacific Palisades. If you can elbow your way past the entitled rich kids, the Palisades is not a bad place to bring your pumpkin bucket. Besides having grotesque wealth, this Westside community is not as visitor-averse as places like Bel Air. There's parking. And the driveways don't always go on for miles. Bonus points: Hit both the Palisades and Brentwood. Keep the good Kit Kats for yourself, use the flax-seed candy to scare your little brother.
By the way, Zillow ranked Los Angeles the sixth-best city in the nation for trick-or-treating. Read more here.
Check out last year's neighborhood list here.
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