KCRW Examines L.A.'s Eastside/Westside Smackdown

KCRW is wading into Los Angeles' Eastside/Westside battles. According to the station's Which Way LA? blog, the radio show will enter the fray and devote an hour-long episode to our divided city on February 6. Details:

Which is better? The Eastside or the Westside? We want to hear from you and get your comments on air!

Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu used to be synonymous with West Coast creativity, and free-spirited living (think Venice artists, Frank Gehry and the Santa Monica architects, beach-inspired artists/surfers/musicians). But pricey real estate has driven creative Angelenos east, first to Silverlake and Echo Park, then to downtown, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and beyond. This has given rise to strongly held opinions and prejudices among a subset of Angelenos about which side is superior — from the perspective of the arts, multicultural relations, urban living, essential LA-ness and hipster levels relative to New York.

On an hour-long broadcast of Which Way LA?, airing on February 6, we are going to explore this Eastside-Westside rivalry with a knockdown, drag-out fight between listeners and invited guests from both sides of the argument, as well as a few voices from parts of town that are neither Eastside nor Westside and don’t know what the fuss is all about.

You know where our loyalties lie, as we proudly live East of the Los Angeles River and spend much of our weekends in either Eagle Rock or Atwater Village (or, lately, Highland Park). Viva la Eastside! (Well, particularly, Viva la Northeast Side!)

Your Daily Thread Steps Into the Great Eastside/Fake Eastside Debate

When I wrote about eco-friendly site Your Daily Thread's "Eastside Green Guide," I tweaked them for referring to the Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park/Atwater Village areas as the "Eastside."

As you know, purists point out that the "Eastside" is East of the river -- something that those neighborhoods aren't. I've taken to call those 'hoods the "Fake Eastside."

Your Daily Thread caught quite a bit of grief, however, and has now renamed the Guide. Check out the "Neighborhood Guide" to Atwater Village, Echo Park, Los Feliz and Silver Lake here.

A Green Guide to the Not-Quite-Eastside

OK, set aside the fact that, technically, this guide isn't about the "real" Eastside (east of the L.A. river) but is about the Silver Lake/Los Feliz/Echo Park/East Hollywood region popularly known as the "Eastside."

Your Daily Thread has come up with a pretty nifty guide for green-related businesses in that part of town. Check it out here.

Eateries listed include some of our fave spots: Alcove Café and Bakery, Cru, Elf Café,Flore Vegan Cuisine, Gingergrass, Naturewell, Intelligentsia, Delilah’s Bakery, The Cheese Store, Scoops, LAMILL, Pazzo Gelato, Silver Lake Wine Shop and Lark Cake Shop.

YDT also has entries for Green beauty products, organizations, design shops, fashion, DIY and more. It's worth a look.

Your Choice for the "Fake Eastside" Border

It wasn't much of a contest. When you think of the "Fake Eastside," you think of the neighborhoods East of Western -- in other words, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, East Hollywood, etc. What do you call the Real Eastside? I suppose that's a poll for another day.

In second place is the street that psychologically for me served as an imaginary dividing point in the city (perhaps because it cuts through into the Cahuenga Pass), Highland.

Vermont Ave. got a fair amount of write-in votes, while one smart ass wrote "The 405." Perhaps someone who needs to do a little more exploring around their city.

The results:

Wednesday Poll: Where Do the Westside and the "Fake Eastside" Meet?

Yes, yes, we all know the true Los Angeles "Eastside" is East of the Los Angeles River. I bring that up first, because the whole "Eastside" thing is the source of countless debates (as most recently noted by the L.A. Times here).

Despite the truth, many Angelenos lay claim to the mythical "Eastside" that makes up Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Hollywood and even Hancock Park (which, yes, again is amusing when you know your L.A. history -- and realize that Hancock Park was originally considered a far West hike from L.A.). So it brings up a good question... where does this modern-day "Eastside" begin?

I've always considered Highland the boundary, mostly because it continues right up into the Cahuenga Pass, making for a nice little dividing line. But most articles on the "Eastside" debate seem to put it at La Brea or Fairfax.

What do you think? Where does the "Fake Eastside" begin? Take the poll below.



(Pic via LA Eastside.)