GET OUT OF TOWN -- OR JUST EXPLORE IT

Originally part of El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. Starting in Universal City and winding through Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana and Woodland Hills, the boulevard is home to restaurants, boutiques, car washes and supermarkets. Its traffic jams are notorious, but, on the bright side, there’s a lot of visual stimuli.

Dining

THEY’RE READY TO ROLL

The street’s eastern end is often referred to as Sushi Row, due to its high concentration of such restaurants, including Sushi Nozawa (11288 Ventura Blvd., Suite C, [818] 508-7017), home of L.A.’s legendary “sushi Nazi.” If you sit at the bar, heed Nozawa’s “Special of the Day: Trust Me” sign lest you get tossed out on your ear. The wait for a table at Katsu-ya (11680 Ventura Blvd., [818] 985-6976) can be 45 minutes, but fans of the baked crab rolls swear they’re worth it. Celebrity sushi chef Katsu Michite’s empire now includes Tama (11920 Ventura Blvd., [818] 760-4585); if there’s room at the center bar, grab a seat and ask for the $55 omakase.

PUT SOME ENGLISH ON IT

At the Fox and Hounds (11000 Ventura Blvd., [818] 763-7837), homesick English expats tuck into fish and chips and shepherd’s pie. It can get rowdy if there’s football (not the American kind) on the telly, but the most popular nights are Mondays and Wednesdays, when Yanks test their wits against Brits during a trivia quiz.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING HERE

At Romanov Restaurant & Lounge (12229 Ventura Blvd., [818] 760-3177), pictured above, the decor (crystal chandeliers, velvet tapestries) and cuisine (caviar, veal tongue) are too decadent for every day, so it’s apt that it’s open only on weekends. Throw back an Anna Karenina -- Stoli vanilla, butterscotch and a shot of espresso -- and join the dressed-to-the-nines crowd dancing to live Russian music.

Shopping

GET YOUR FASHION FIX

A hit among Hollywood stylists and designers, the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall (14034 Ventura Blvd., [818] 906-0338) houses an array of jewelry from the 1900s to 1960s, plus flea-market staples such as Russel Wright dinnerware and vintage toys, pictured bottom right. For designer denim or fancy frocks by labels such as Jovovich-Hawk or Phillip Lim, Valley girls flock to upscale boutiques Dari (12184 Ventura Blvd., [818] 762-3274) and Rumor (13325 Ventura Blvd.,[818] 981-4762).

FOLLOWING ITS OWN DRUMMER

Freakbeat Records (13616 Ventura Blvd., [818] 995-7603) is an increasingly rare specimen: a neighborhood record shop packed with vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Unsure about a potential purchase? Give unsealed items from the selection of punk, rock, soul, country, soundtracks and jazz a spin on the shop’s turntables and CD players before plunking down your cash.

KEEP ON BOOKING

The boulevard is a bonanza for bibliophiles of every stripe. At Samuel French (11963 Ventura Blvd., [818] 762-0535), you’ll find plays, screenplays and books on anything remotely related to the entertainment industry, while Storyopolis (12348 Ventura Blvd., [818] 509-5600) carries new and rare first-edition children’s books, a menagerie of stuffed animals and children’s art, including pricey prints by Tim Burton and “Harry Potter” illustrator Mary GrandPre.

Kicking Back

THIS OASIS IS NO MIRAGE

Surrounded by suburban sprawl, Los Encinos State Historic Park (at Balboa and Ventura Boulevards; los-encinos.org) is a remarkable remnant of the area’s past. This five-acre park was once the site of an Indian village, then an early California rancho. Visitors can tour the De La Osa Adobe, built in 1849, and the limestone Garnier House. Or feed the ducks and picnic on the banks of the guitar-shaped lake.

DRINKS AND A MOVIE

Like its Hollywood counterpart, the ArcLight Cinemas (15301 Ventura Blvd., [818] 501-7033) offer reserved stadium seats, state-of-the-art theaters and screenings where booze is allowed. Latecomers who get shut out can drown their sorrows at the Sapphire (11938 Ventura Blvd., [818] 506-0777), a candle-lighted hideaway with wraparound couches and classic cocktails.

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-- Pauline.OConnor@latimes.com