Hood #6: Westside Village - Winner of Most Trader Joe's Per Square Mile

OK, I don't know if that headline is true, but for such a tiny neighborhood, it does boast two Trader Joe's grocery stores (see map, R)—and given there are only a handful of stores in the 'hood overall, that's a pretty high percentage.

Westside Village is a primarily residential neighborhood sandwiched between Palms and Mar Vista in West LA (and I'm having a hard time remembering the name, as there is technically no "village" to speak of).  I'd never even heard of it, even though it's directly next door to where I live.  It's only because of my 'hood challenge that I've started to notice the neighborhood signs around town, and I saw this one on my way to TJ's.

When I looked Westside Village up online, I discovered that it's where I've been running several of my regular errands—my bank, the two Trader Joe's I frequent and the CVS store. Westside Village is also home to the flagship Beard Papa's—a bakery specializing in super yummy cream puffs. (If you go, get the Cookie Crunch Puff if it's on the menu that day...soooooo good.)

As much as I wanted to revisit Beard Papas to "experience" Westside Village, I'm trying to cut down on sugar for the new year.  Therefore, I felt the second best way to experience Westside Village was to shop the Trader Joe's.  TJ's is, in my opinion, the best grocery store ever and, therefore, the highlight of neighborhood.  (Randy Newman did that I Love LA song in the '80s; I could remake it as I Love TJ's.)

So today I took a shopping trip to TJ's and, in the spirit of this challenge, reminded myself that I wasn't in my 'hood—that I'd crossed over to Westside Village.  It may not seem like the most exciting adventure, but I did get a couple yummy salads.  For a Friday morning and with a refrigerator as empty as mine was, that's actually pretty thrilling stuff.  Besides, I set out on this 'hood challenge knowing that some neighborhoods are going to be just that:  places where people live and shop.  It's all part of the LA experience.

As a side note, I will add that my favorite thing about this Trader Joe's is the express lanes sign that—in addition to being cheerfully rendered—uses the grammatically correct "fewer" rather than "less."

(Oh, and one more thing:  Westside Village apparently has many jacaranda trees.  While they're nothing much to see this time of year, I made a mental note to do a drive-through in the spring when they're in bloom.)