Dubbed "Chicken Corner" for an Aaron Donovan mural that once graced the eastern wall of the Del Mor Apartments (and was torn down when Chango installed windows), this little block of galleries and storefronts was once a crossroads of gang activity. Now it boasts a fair share of '80s Volvos with Smith and/or Wesleyan window stickers. That doesn't mean you won't catch some gleefully shady activity while sipping a coffee on Delta Street, but you're just as likely to see parents pushing their Bugaboos. The too-cool-for-school set is reeling as condos (with underground parking, they promise) stagger to life just across the street from the Magic gas station.
Local Positioning: Echo Park Ave. (aka Chicken Corner)
A walking guide to Echo Park
By George Ducker
Special to MetromixJune 25, 2008
Chango Coffee
1559 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles213-977-9161
Opened in 2004, this corner coffeehouse quickly became the place to hang among the bead-wearers and beard-combers. The service varies from polite and helpful to stoned and lackadaisical, but there's plenty of art to stare at while they're trying to fix that cappuccino machine. And let's be honest: There's a reason you didn't go to Starbucks.
El Batey
1557 Echo Park Blvd., Los AngelesSalvadoran soft drinks, dried chilies, candles: There's a fantastical old-world energy in this 41-year-old mom-and-pop grocery mart. If you were going to find a real-life mogwai anywhere, we bet you could find one here, somewhere in the back.
Flounce
1555 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles213-481-1975
Boutique shopping that takes you back to a gauzy 1930s world of smiley gift cards, chiffon dresses, suitcases fit for a cruise and shiny, shiny men's pajamas.
Hope Gallery
1547 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles323-782-9221
Another gallery! Except this one's run by the folks behind Family bookstore and Teenage Teardrops. They have their share of wine-soaked openings, which spill out up and down the block.
Show Pony
1543 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles213-482-7676
One of the last of the first wave of art galleries here. We recommend this little storefront for its hip-stat clothes and first-of-the-month art openings, which always draw regulars, curiosity-seekers and those who just like free wine.
Lucas
1541 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles213-250-7992
Let the comely ladies of Lucas get their hands on your 'do, and you'll be all the more stylish for it. Although the prices might be a tad steep—men's haircuts are $55, women's $75—you know you can't really put a price on that perfect bed-head.
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