Glendale

St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Cathedral

Glendale is a suburban city of 205,000 people (2019) in the southeastern corner of the San Fernando Valley of Southern California between Burbank and Downtown Los Angeles. Glendale has one of the largest communities of Armenian descent in the United States.

Get in

By car

Glendale is located along Interstate 5 between Downtown Los Angeles and neighboring Burbank. CA-134 passes east-west through Glendale, between Burbank and Pasadena directly to the east. CA-2 offers a fast connection to the neighborhoods of Northwest L.A., particularly Silver Lake and Echo Park.

By train

Bob Hope Airport, located in neighboring Burbank, is the closest airport to Glendale. Metrolink trains connect Glendale to Bob Hope Airport and Los Angeles Union Station in Downtown L.A. Additionally, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train makes a stop in Glendale.

By bus

Metro runs service into Glendale. The 780 rapid bus runs to Hollywood and Pasadena. The 501 runs an express service to North Hollywood and Memorial Park station.

Get around

Glendale's Beeline bus service connects with the Los Angeles Metro line. You can purchase a 31-day pass for $36 or a ten-ride pass for $9.

See

• 1 Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 West Mountain St., ☏ +1 818 548-2051. Tu Th noon-8PM, W noon-6PM, F Sa 10AM-5PM. Brand Library & Art Center sponsors many events that are free and open to the public, including art exhibitions, concerts, art and music lectures, dance events, and films. Free. 
• 2 Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 1712 S. Glendale Ave., ☏ +1 323 254-3131 (International calls), toll-free: +1-888-204-3131. 8AM-5PM (6PM during daylight savings time) 7 days a week. Forest Lawn-Glendale is both a cemetery and a tourist destination. It contains the world's largest collection of final resting places of Hollywood stars and other celebrities, many of which are accessible to the public. Visiting these sites is not encouraged, however, and they can be difficult to locate within the park's more than 300 acres. However, Forest Lawn-Glendale also has many other attractions that make it worth seeing. Among these are its art museum, its collection of approximately 1,500 statues, including reproductions of all of Michelangelo's works, a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" in stained glass, and a mosaic of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There are also multiple chapels that are exact replicas of famous European churches. (updated Feb 2016)
• 3 Museum of Neon Art (MONA), 216 S. Brand Blvd, ☏ +1 213 489-9918, info@neonmona.org. Hours vary by season.. A museum devoted exclusively to art in electric media. The collection includes electric and kinetic fine art and outstanding examples of historic neon signs. The museum also arranges neon cruises (neon-themed tours around the Los Angeles area) and neon classes. Adults $10, seniors 65+ $8, Glendale residents $5, children under 12 free. (updated Mar 2020)

Do

• 1 Arcave Room, 3725 Foothill Blvd, Unit O, ☏ +1 888 505 2283, toll-free: +1 888 505 2283, info@arcaveroom.com. Retro gaming adult and kids birthday party venue. 80's music, classic games, Xbox, Nintendo Switch. (updated Oct 2024)

Buy

• 1 Glendale Galleria, 100 W. Broadway, ☏ +1 818 246-6737. One of the largest retail shopping malls in Southern California. 
• 2 Americana at Brand, 889 Americana Way, ☏ +1 818 637-8982. M-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM, Su 11AM-8PM. Nice megacomplex for shopping and dining. 

Books

• Abril Bookstore. 

Eat

Being home to a large number of recent immigrants of Armenian, Middle Eastern, and Korean backgrounds, Glendale has some of the finest authentic restaurants.

Armenian

• Sevan Chicken. The best rotisserie chicken in town. HA!~ 
• Zankou Chicken. The classic rotisserie chicken and great shawerma sandwiches. 

Chinese

• House of Joy. Try the Mongolian beef here. Great lunch specials. 

Cuban

• Porto's Bakery. Cuban bakery beloved by locals for its wonderful breads, pastries, and Cuban sandwiches. 

Deli

• Mario's Italian Deli, Market, and Catering. Wide variety of imported Italian products including salamis, gelatos, olive oil, and burrata cheese. Consistently voted one of the best Italian delis in the Glendale/Los Angeles area. 

Filipino

• Original Barrio Fiesta of Manila. Authentic Filipino Cuisine.

Iranian

• Raffi's Place. Great location. Both indoor and outdoor, atrium-style seatin. Great Middle Eastern and Iranian food. 
• Shamshiri. Also great. 

Korean

Paris Bakery a fusion between Korean-French style pastries. They are really beautiful pastries and cheap too. One of the top bakeries in Glendale.

Lebanese

• Carousel. 
• Phoenicia. 

Mexican

• La Cabañita. Mexico City-style cuisine. Excellent mole sauces. 

Peruvian

Mamita Peruvian Restaurant, 714 South Brand Blvd (Exit Brand Blvd from the 134 Freeway), ☏ +1 818 243-5121. M-Th 11:30AM-9:30PM; F Sa 11:30AM-10PM; Su 11:30AM-9PM. low. 

Sleep

• Best Western Golden Key Motor Hotel, 123 W Colorado St, ☏ +1 818 247-0111, toll-free: +1-800-651-1155, fax: +1 818 545-9393. 
• Hilton Los Angeles North/Glendale & Executive Meeting Center, 100 West Glenoaks Blvd, ☏ +1 818 956-5466, fax: +1 818 956-5490. 
• Vagabond Inn Glendale, 120 W. Colorado St, ☏ +1 818 240-1700, fax: +1 818 548-8428. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. 
• Glendale Express Hotel, 450 W Pioneer Dr, ☏ +1 747 609-2222, fax: +1 747 609-2200. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. 

Go next

Burbank, home to Warner Bros. and Disney, is right next to Glendale.

Routes through Glendale

Sacramento ← Burbank ←	N  S	→ Northwest L.A. → Downtown L.A.
Northwest L.A. ← Northeast L.A. ←	S  N	→ La Cañada Flintridge → Wrightwood
North Hollywood ← Griffith Park ←	W  E	→ Northeast L.A. → Pasadena
Santa Barbara ← Burbank ←	N  S	→ Los Angeles → San Diego