Fox Hills Culver City, CA

Fox Hills was filled with riding stables and golf courses when it became part of Culver City in the 1960s. Development arrived in the '70s, bringing with it many large condos and apartment complexes, as well as the Fox Hills Mall, which serves as an anchor to the small neighborhood.

While Fox Hills doesn't feature any museums, a quick jaunt up the San Diego Freeway takes you to the Getty Center, with its striking architecture and massive art collection. The Kirk Douglas Theater in downtown Culver City is an offshoot of the Center Theater Group, which produces a full season of plays and musicals.

Arts and culture options closer to Fox Hills include the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, just across the I-405. The large, state-of-the-art cinema hosts blockbusters and art films, giving locals a wide viewing choice.

Residents of the Fox Hills neighborhood rely mainly on chain restaurants and fast food for their dining needs when in the immediate area, but a few unique restaurants do show up, especially in corporate parks and shopping areas. Locals also head west to Marina del Rey for more festive dining.

Stop in at California Roll and Sushi for sashimi and tempura, and get a free bowl of miso soup while you wait. Locals love the caterpillar roll and teriyaki chicken roll.

The Patio Cafe on Uplander Way has a long list of fans from nearby office buildings and businesses. Grab a workday lunch here, and you'll find yourself satisfied with Korean-fusion fare like bulgogi burgers and kimchi fried rice. If you're a fan of French fries, don't miss Mama Lee's huge order of perfectly cooked fries.

One of the favorite quick-serve experiences in Fox Hills shows up at the Fox Hills Mall, where Stone Oven wins over diners with its fresh-baked bread used to create sandwiches like the Santa Fe hot ham, which is filled with ham, cheese, crispy onion strings, bacon and avocado. The chicken, walnut and blue cheese salad comes with a full piece of the amazing bread on the side.

Just across Interstate 405, in the Howard Hughes Center, you'll find Dave & Buster's, a neighborhood hangout for singles and families alike. Grab a sophisticated cocktail or a beer from this busy sports bar and shoot a few games of pool or go wild at the enormous arcade.

Locals who love dive bars head north to the Scarlet Lady Saloon on Sepulveda Boulevard. Karaoke, trivia nights, big-screen TVs and generous pours keep locals coming back to this fun haunt. Live music occasionally livens up the scene on weekend nights.

While most locals in Fox Hills choose to use their own cars for daily transportation, the Culver City and Los Angeles buses run in the neighborhood, bringing shoppers to the Fox Hills Mall. Culver City buses connect residents to Venice, Inglewood, West Los Angeles and UCLA, and LA buses make connections to Marina del Rey, Playa Vista and Hollywood. Taxis, car services, airport shuttles and Uber are all available on an on-call basis.

If you plan to drive in Fox Hills, you have easy access to I-405, also known as the San Diego Freeway. Though traffic tends to be very heavy during rush hour, the freeway provides the most direct connection to the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach and Orange County. The short Marina Freeway connects Fox Hills to Marina del Rey. Public parking in Fox Hills tends to be free, with some metered parking on major streets. Few people choose to bike or walk in the Fox Hills area because of the heavy auto traffic.

Fox Hills Park takes up a significant portion of the neighborhood, and many residents find themselves within easy walking distance of it. Packed with amenities, the park features a jogging track, workout equipment, soccer fields, playgrounds for the kids and shady places to picnic. You'll also find courts for beach volleyball, basketball and tennis. This beautifully maintained park doesn't permit dogs.

While the cost of living in the Fox Hills neighborhood runs about 16 percent higher than that of Los Angeles in general, that number represents one of the lowest costs of living on LA's west side. A one-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood runs about $1,655 per month.

Bus fare to downtown Los Angeles costs $1.75 each way. Gas runs about 12 percent higher than the national average. When you stop off for a beer at a local pub, expect to pay $5 or $6 for a brew.

The Westfield Culver City shopping mall, commonly known to locals as the Fox Hills mall, is the area's primary shopping hub. Macy's, Target and JC Penney serve as the mall's major department stores, and locals also head here to eat at the Olive Garden or BJ's, work out at Gold's Gym, or indulge in a burst of karaoke singing at Yen Sushi and Karaoke.

Outside the mall, many specialty stores pack the Fox Hills neighborhood, making it extremely convenient for residents to get their errands done. Head to The Knitting Tree for eco-friendly, sustainable yarns. Make sure you take your current project with you, because you'll want to grab a coffee and sit down to chat with other hobbyists while you knit right in the store.

When you're ready to install a home theater in your apartment or condo, or you just want to upgrade your car stereo, go to Haas Entertainment on Uplander Way. The staff here sets the standard for clean installs and uninstalls of all sorts of electronics, and they're perfectionists when it comes to precision work.

With few supermarkets in the immediate area, most locals head to Target to do their grocery shopping. Ralphs, Sprouts and Vons are also within a fairly quick drive. The small Certified Culver South Farmers Market offers farm-fresh produce on Saturday mornings.