We're No. 1!

You all know how sour I've been on the new house. If it's not one crisis, it's another twelve. Latest discovery: The garage roof leaks. Yeah, found that out this weekend, during our latest rainstorm. Nice. I'm already looking to fix our house foundation, get a heating/AC unit and resolve other issues; just add this to the list.

But just when I felt like we had made a big mistake, I picked up the December issue of Los Angeles magazine. This month, the pub reveals its annual list of " "The 10 Best Neighborhoods (You've Never Heard Of)."

How cool would it be, I thought to myself, to see our new 'hood in the list! I flipped to the story. Nah, wouldn't happen.

But there it was -- not just on the list, but ranked No. 1!. Our Glendale neighborhood, Adams Hill. This year's top pick for (drum roll, again)... The best damn "undiscovered" neigborhood around.

Indeed, the neighborhood was a strong selling point for us. Like the Los Angeles mag editors, we were pleasantly surprised when we first looked at our house there. This was like no other part of Glendale; why had we never heard of this neighborhood? We saw kids playing in their yards; the streets were well-lit at night; neighbors were friendly and the hillside served as a nice backdrop.

And this truly is a neighborhood on the rise. Since we moved in just this past June, a neighborhood coffeeshop opened up, while planning began on a new park scheduled to open next year near our house.

Here's what the magazine has to say: So where can home buyers priced out of Silver Lake and the Hollywood Hills find the same kind of snaky roads, cosily sandwiched Spanish Revival homes, lush landscaping and mountain breezes? In Glendale, and what's remarkable about the neighborhood of Adams Hill is how un-Glendale it is.

That's not to diss Glendale, once a colorless banking district and now a walkable entertainment and shopping mecca. But Adams Hill is different. Located at the hilly southeastern tip of Glendale near Forest Lawn, the area was incorporated as the town of Tropico in 1911 before being annexed by Glendale in 1918. Gorgeous Spanish Revival homes arose during a building boom in the 1920s and 30s, though the architecture is eclectic...

Bottom line: "Architectural charm and the hush of suburbia with an urban feel and postcard-worthy vistas." Granted, our house is about the size of that postcard's postage stamp... but we'll take it.

Other neighborhoods making the cut: Averill Park (San Pedro), Faircrest Heights (L.A.), Hollywood Dell (Hollywood), Huntington Palisades (Pacific Palisades), Lafayette Square (Mid-City), Mount Angelus (Highland Park), Park Moderne (Calabasas), Seven Hills (Tujunga) and Wild Rose (Monrovia).