'Hood #12: Sherman Oaks Which Is Like, Totally, Fer Sure, the Valley

Well, I knew this day would come.  Since I've challenged myself to visit all of LA's neighborhoods, that meant that eventually I'd have to go to...dun dun dunn... the Valley.

Last night, my friend Kate—who works for the ArcLight theater and often invites me to movies for free in Hollywood—invited me to see American Hustle. Only this time, we'd meet at the theater where she usually works in Sherman Oaks.

Here's the thing about the Valley:  for people such as myself who've always lived near the beach, the Valley is the other side of the 405 Freeway.  You may as well be saying "the other side of the moon."  And yet, the lure of a movie and the chance to check Sherman Oaks off the list of neighborhoods had me hopping into my car IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC to make the 11-mile, roughly one hour drive up the 405.  I thought about bringing provisions but decided to tough it out.

It was even more the Valley experience than I'd expected.  Turns out the ArcLight (which, btw, is a very snazzy theater) is located in The Galleria Mall—a mall made famous in the '80s by Moon Unit Zappa's "Valley Girl" song. Kate also told me that the ArcLight sits on the same site where the movie theater scenes were shot for Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Justin Bieber and his entourage have been frequent movie-goers here.

Anyway, even though I always think of the Valley as soooooooo far away, it really didn't take me any longer door-to-door than going to Hollywood. And on, say, a weekend when traffic is lighter, I could probably get there even faster.  (Truth be told, now that I live in Palms—even though it's considered a Westside 'hood— it is east of the 405, so I am already on the "other" side of it.)

There are still more 'hoods in the Valley to explore as part of my LA 'Hood Challenge, but this was an easy and enjoyable way to get my valley feet wet.

As for American Hustle? Loved it.