Notes from a Valley girl: Why the 818 does it better

Happy Valley Day! It’s August 18—a.k.a 8/18, or 818—so what better day to kick off my new series, in which I staunchly defend the San Fernando Valley against its detractors and highlight the ways life is better in the Valley?

As I’m now proud to tell people: I’m a Valley girl, born and raised in Burbank. Once I reached college age and ventured out from my little Valley bubble, though, I learned that—gasp—people on the other side of the hill liked to make fun of and openly deride the Valley. I started to feel self-conscious and apologetic about my hometown. I hated listening to my own voice specifically because I would hear my rushed pace, the incessant “likes” and vocal fry at the end of each sentence. “I sound like a Valley girl,” I’d bemoan, the subtext being, “I sound ditzy.”

But even though the Valley has been used as a punchline for years, those lucky enough to spend any stretch of time in the 818 have begun to wise up and admit what I’ve known all along. From its movie studios to the community feel to the less-crowded outposts of the city’s best restaurants (hello, Jon & Vinny’s and Petit Trois)—not to mention the sheer amount of space to move around in and the (slightly) lower real estate prices—the Valley is winning over converts on the daily, who, say, move to North Hollywood for the relative affordability and then realize how nice it is living blocks away from a walkable thoroughfare like Magnolia or Ventura Boulevard.

Even the Los Angeles Times has noticed. From 1962 through 1992, Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show from “beautiful downtown Burbank”—a running joke at the time. But the paper reported earlier this month, “Beautiful downtown Burbank isn’t a punchline. The city is booming while Downtown L.A. struggles,” detailing how the city differentiates itself from Los Angeles by cutting through red tape to welcome new businesses and develop new housing.

And to those who love to debate that the San Fernando Valley isn’t Los Angeles, I hate to burst your bubble, but the whole of the Valley lies in L.A. County, and the majority of it is part of the literal city of Los Angeles—save for Burbank, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and San Fernando, which are their own cities (and Universal City, which answers to no one). (Glendale is also its own city, though I don’t really know if I consider it the Valley—at least not all of it—but more on that in a future installment.) In fact—and this surprised even me—over one-third of the city of L.A.’s population resides in the San Fernando Valley.

Anyway, I admit that starting this series in August—when the weekly forecast has finally cooled down to a high of 94—is a choice. The heat is one of the easiest criticisms to throw at us during our Death Valley–esque summers. But where isn’t hot these days? I spent a sweltering morning near the supposedly-cooler coast last weekend, and Europe—everyone’s favorite summer vacation destination—is in the midst of its own heat wave. (And at least we know enough to have and use air conditioning.)

In this series—my new little passion project—I’ll go through the many things I love about the Valley. For my first installment, though, I thought, If I was trying to sell someone on the Valley, what’s my elevator pitch? The answer: free parking. So what better place to start?

You know that sinking feeling when you’re meeting someone for dinner in Los Feliz or Koreatown (which the city has informally voted as the absolute worst place to park) and just know you’ll have to pray to the parking gods to find a secure, safe spot that’s less than a 15-minute walk from your destination? Or when you want to buy one thing from the Trader Joe’s by the Grove and have to pay just for entering the parking lot? Yeah, that doesn’t happen in the Valley. Among other things, we’re blessed with surface lots and parking structures that are completely free. (For you car-free folks, public transit admittedly could be better, but we’re working on it: A bus rapid transit route is currently under construction that’ll connect Pasadena with Burbank, and the Metro B and G lines stop in NoHo.)

While you can easily drop $18 on parking at the Beverly Center or $32(!) at Westfield Century City, the majority of malls in the Valley (which, hello, is the mall’s spiritual home) don’t charge you to park. You can shop, hit up the food court and see a movie without ever having to worry about who validates.

Downtown Burbank is the first example that springs to mind. The neighborhood is lousy with parking garages. There are three of them with six entrances for the Burbank Town Center alone, with another huge structure just across the street for Barnes & Noble, Crunch Fitness and a six-screen AMC. Speaking of AMCs (these days, Burbank’s claim to fame is its three AMC theaters within blocks from one another), there’s an underground garage for the AMC 16, an above-ground garage that connects to it, and two other garages just off the top of my head where I’ve never failed to find a spot. All this parking is a draw for business owners, too. Star Wars–themed bar Scum & Villainy has a second location in the works, and owner J.C. Reifenberg chose Burbank in part for the parking. “You kind of get the best a big city has to offer, but it’s on your doorstep, and there’s free parking everywhere,” he told The Times.

And while I’m admittedly a cheerleader for Burbank, it’s far from the only example here. Self-parking at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks is also completely free. Heading north, parking at Northridge Fashion Center is free, as is parking in the surface lot of Panorama Mall in Panorama City.

And while parking meters line much of Ventura Boulevard, if you’re in Studio City to visit the Barnes & Noble Bookstar, Annabelle’s Book Club, Salt & Straw, Uncle Paulie’s Deli, Bluestone Lane or any of the other trendy shops and eateries west of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, there’s free parking for you in the back. Even deeper in the Valley, Westfield Topanga—including its food hall, Topanga Social, newly revamped with buzzworthy chef collabs—offers the first 90 minutes of parking for free.

I’ll allow that there are a couple of lots that don’t offer free parking (ahem, the labyrinthine Sherman Oaks Galleria). And last year, the Valley’s namesake San Fernando Boulevard in downtown Burbank had the audacity to shake things up—becoming one-way and installing parking meters that demand payment from 8am all the way until midnight. But even on the rare occasions where you do have to fork over a few bucks to park in the Valley, there’s never any concern over whether you’ll be able to park at all—that isn’t always a given in other neighborhoods. There will always be space for you in the Valley. Come say hi.