Build your itinerary for Los Angeles' park neighborhoods

Where to stay

Hotel250, also known as the Hollywood Silver Lake Hotel & Suites, 250 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles 90004; (213) 639-1920, www.hotel250.com.

Sixty-five rooms, free Wi-Fi, parking and continental breakfast and an unheated outdoor pool. Website says $129-$259, but discounts as low as $110 (plus tax) are common on weekdays.

Los Feliz Lodge, 1501, 1503 and 1507 N. Hoover St., Los Angeles 90027, and 4357 Sunset Drive (same city and ZIP); (323) 660-4150, www.losfelizlodge.com.

This four-unit residential-rental operation is a series of Spanish-style courtyard bungalows that date to the 1920s. All have kitchens; two have washer-dryers. Walking distance to Los Feliz, Sunset Junction and the Sunset-Vermont Metro station. Rates $150-$180 a night.

El Tres Inn, 4439 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 666-6351, www.eltresinn.com.

The salon and rooms are often rented together for parties. Rates $189-$385, with occasional discounts.

Where to eat and drink

Forage, 3823 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90026; (323) 663-6885, www.forageLa.com.

Lunch and dinner in a long, skinny, chic space. Dinner main dishes usually $9-$11; side dishes $4 and up.

Trails Café, 2333 Fern Dell Drive, Los Angeles 90068; (323) 871-2102, www.thetrailslosfeliz.com or www.facebook.com/trailscafe.

Breakfast and lunch, dishes up to $6.75. No reservations, cash only.

Blair's Restaurant & Cafe, 2903 Rowena Blvd., Los Angeles 90039; (323) 660-1882, www.blairsrestaurant.com.

Dinner only. Main dishes $10-$34.

Alcove Cafe & Bakery, 1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 644-0100, www.alcovecafe.com.

Set in an old cottage. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner entrees $9.95-$17.95.

Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, 3922 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90029; (323) 663-6173, www.intelligentsiacoffee.com.

Open daily. Coffee drinks $2.50-$7.

L.A. Police Academy Revolver & Athletic Club Café, 1880 Academy Road, Los Angeles 90012; (323) 221-5222, Ext. 3, www.lapraac.com.

At the LAPD Academy site in Elysian Park. Burgers and coffee shop fare, with a top price of $7.99. Open 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.

Short Stop, 1455 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; (213) 482-4942, www.myspace.com/shortstopechopark.

This Echo Bar bar goes back to the '40s. Once a cop haven, it's now a dive-style hipster hang with dance floor, pool table, smoking patio and Pabst on sale for $2 during happy hour. Open 5 p.m.-2 a.m daily.

Tiki Ti, 4427 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 669-9381, www.tiki-ti.com.

Since 1961, this family operation has served up tropical drinks in a tiny space. Usually 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Cash only, no beer or wine.

Umami Burger, 4655 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 669-3922, http://www.umamiburger.com/umami-los-feliz/.

A playground for carnivores; Portobello burgers for vegetarians. Lunch and dinner. Burgers $9-$13. Combinations $15-$16. Beer and wine. Often crowded.

What to see

Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., Los Angeles 90012; (323) 224-1471, losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com.

Dodgers tickets typically run $12-$130, more for the luxurious club rooms. General parking is $15. The team offers daily 90-minute behind-the-scenes stadium tours for $10-$15. More info on their website.

Griffith Observatory, 2800 E. Observatory Road, Los Angeles 90027; (213) 473-0800, http://www.griffithobservatory.org.

Open Wednesday through Sundays, noon-10 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekends. Observatory and parking are free, but planetarium presentations cost $3-$7 a person.

Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles 90027; (323) 644-4200, http://www.lazoo.org.

Admission $14 for adults, $11 for seniors (62 and older), $9 for children 2-12. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

The Autry National Center's Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles 90027; (323) 667-2000; http://www.theautry.org.

Open Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends, with extended hours in summer. Admission $10 per adult, $6 students with current ID and seniors (60 and older), $4 for children 3-12.

Architecture Tours L.A., (323) 464-7868, http://www.architecturetoursla.com.

Architectural historian and tour guide Laura Massino Smith leads driving tours of Silver Lake and other L.A. County communities. Tours last two to three hours and typically cost $68 a person; reservations required.

Barnsdall Art Park and Hollyhock House, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90027, http://www.barnsdallartpark.com. Hollyhock Tours, (323) 644-6269, http://www.hollyhockhouse.net.

Hourlong Hollyhock House tours Wednesday-Sunday afternoons (click "visit" on website for times), adults $7.

Where to shop

Soap Plant/Wacko/Luz de Jesus Gallery, 4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 663-0122, http://www.soapplant.com.

Open daily.

Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles 90027; (323) 660-1175, http://www.skylightbooks.com.

Independent bookshop with lively reading lineup. Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily with an art-book annex next door.

Echo Park Film Center, 1200 N. Alvarado St., Los Angeles 90026; (213) 484-8846, http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org.

Open 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays, event nights 8-10 p.m.

Time Travel Mart, 1714 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90026; (213) 413-3388, http://www.826la.org/store.

The store is a front for the nonprofit organization 826LA, which is part of a national network that offers tutoring and teaches creative and expository writing.