Cheviot Hills - Los Angeles, CA

The Cheviot Hills neighborhood came to life in the 1920s with the arrival of the Pacific Electric Railway, also known as L.A.'s "big red cars." With easy transportation to downtown, residential construction began, taking over the California Country Club in the 1950s.

Because of the neighborhood's proximity to Sony Pictures Studios on the former MGM lot to the south and to Fox Studios, within walking distance of the north edge of Cheviot Hills, many TV shows and movies have used the area for filming. Laurel and Hardy filmed many movies here, and the exterior of one of the "Modern Family" houses comes from Cheviot Hills.

The residential nature of Cheviot Hills means it doesn't host any major events or festivals, but head to nearby Beverly Hills, Century City and Culver City for a variety of food, film, art and music festivals.

The residential nature of Cheviot Hills means that restaurants can only be found around its borders, especially on Pico Boulevard to the north. The Six on Pico Boulevard has a uniquely streamlined menu concept. At any given time, the restaurant features precisely six appetizers, entrees, pizzas, flatbreads, salads, desserts, red wines, white wines and beers. Although items on the menu can rotate seasonally, keep an eye out for the mac and cheese fritters, crispy Brussels sprouts, purple kale flatbread and hanger steak. John O'Groats, a much-beloved family-owned breakfast and brunch place on Pico Boulevard, serves bacon cheddar biscuits to die for, along with other terrific breakfast specialties. In one location for over 50 years, the restaurant has built up a loyal clientele of locals who love the pancakes; you can choose from lemon, mango-macadamia nut or even cilantro potato pancakes. When you're ready for a high-end sushi experience, save your pennies and head to Sushi Zo, which many consider one of the top sushi bars in all of L.A. The omakase menu at Sushi Zo can run to 24 items, all of them perfectly marinated and cut. With no nightlife in Cheviot Hills to speak of, most residents head south to Culver City or northwest to Beverly Hills for a night on the town. Head to Seventy7 Lounge in Culver City for clever cocktails, live bands, DJs spinning hip hop and even burlesque on some evenings. The Club Bar at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills provides timeless elegance with its perfect cocktails, though it charges for the privilege. Mingle and Plei in Beverly Hills, a social club that opens its doors on Friday nights, serves as an adult game room, complete with board games, Guitar Hero and musical chairs on its tiny dance floor.

Cheviot Hills residents tend to travel around the neighborhood and the city by car, the most common mode of transportation in all of Los Angeles. Residents have free street parking throughout the neighborhood, with a small amount of metered parking on the few commercial thoroughfares. The Santa Monica Freeway, or Interstate 10, lies just to the south of Cheviot Hills, providing easy access to Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles, as well as nearby connections to the San Diego and Harbor Freeways.

Few buses run through the Cheviot Hills neighborhood. One Los Angeles Metro bus route can take you to Santa Monica or Malibu, and one of the Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus lines runs along the north end of Cheviot Hills as it connects Santa Monica to the mid-Wilshire District. You can access taxis, Uber and airport shuttle services on an on-call basis only.

Cheviot Hills provides recreational walkers with dozens of beautiful streets to walk down, enjoying mature shade trees and beautiful architecture. The immediate residential neighborhood also welcomes bicyclists, who must however be careful once reaching the boundaries of Cheviot Hills and venturing out into city traffic.

The Cheviot Hills Recreation Center and its adjoining park run along most of the north side of the neighborhood and provide a focus point for the community. The park provides a community room, baseball diamond, basketball courts, a playground for the kids, indoor gym and volleyball courts, all free to use unless reservations are required. Dogs are welcome if kept on their leashes.

Right next door are the Cheviot Hills Tennis Courts, available to anyone in the neighborhood. Sign up for lessons if you've never played. Also next to the rec center you'll find the Rancho Park Golf Course, L.A.'s major public golf course on the west side, featuring 18 holes of par-71 golf, a driving range and putting greens.

The somewhat misleadingly named Beverly Hills Country Club is a private tennis club located within Cheviot Hills. Many residents treat this as their neighborhood hangout and appreciate its low membership fees. In addition to the many tennis courts, the club offers a clubhouse and restaurant, three swimming pools and a gym, and it hosts regular exercise classes and many social events throughout the year. The private and very exclusive Hillcrest Country Club with its world-class golf course also sits within the boundaries of Cheviot Hills.

The tranquility and beauty of Cheviot Hills' quiet streets comes with a bit of a premium price tag. The cost of living in Cheviot Hills runs about 36 percent higher than the overall cost of living in Los Angeles. While most of Cheviot Hills consists of single-family homes, if you're looking for a one-bedroom apartment, expect to pay about $1,429.

Hopping on a bus costs you $1 for Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus and $1.75 to take an L.A. Metro bus. If you plan to drive, expect to pay about 12 percent more than the national average when you fill up the tank. Stopping for a beer on your way home from work should run you $7 to $9.

Cheviot Hills has two major shopping centers just outside its borders. The Westside Pavilion lies just west of the neighborhood and includes the luxurious Landmark Theatres, which show both blockbuster movies and little indie gems. Just to the north of Cheviot Hills, you'll find Westfield Century City, a prestigious shopping mall anchored by Bloomingdales and containing high-end stores such as 7 For All Mankind, Kate Spade, Kitson, Swarovski and Tesla Motors.

Children's Book World serves as a destination bookstore for parents and children all over the west side of L.A. With several rooms of picture books, chapter books, young adult books and more, this lovely bookstore conjures up wonderful memories. Bring your kids here for storytime or author book signings, and don't forget to stop in to check out the craft kits and other gifts when you need to pick up a birthday present.

F&S Fabrics has an enormous selection of apparel fabrics on the north side of Pico, and don't miss their separate store of upholstery and other home furnishing fabrics on the south side. A huge button and trim section gives you plenty of choices for your projects.

Most residents in Cheviot Hills shop at the local Vons, centered in the residential neighborhood's only small shopping center, for convenience. Nearby, you can head to Trader Joe's in either Culver City or Palms, or go to Century City to visit Gelson's when you need some gourmet ingredients or prepared foods. While Cheviot Hills doesn't host any farmers markets inside its boundaries, the nearby Palms Farmers Market opens on Sunday mornings, or check out the Culver City or Century City Farmers Markets.