The Coolest Places to Visit in Glendale, California, Glendale, California

Glendale, California is often made fun of as in the recent Anne Hathaway flick “The Idea of You.” Many people consider it boring compared to Echo Park, or Hollywood but it has plenty of charm and historic significance.

For many years it was Hometown U.S.A. and was used as a filming location. I was an extra on a Max Baer Jr. film that was shot in Glendale with the same name. We spent many evenings driving 1950s cars between Brand and Central and also hung out in front of one of its old high schools.

Glendale has had a Renaissance since then. It started with the indoor Glendale Galleria which was later upstaged by Rick Caruso’s Americana at Brand. It’s a high-end shopping and dining outdoor venue that goes out of its way to dress up at Christmas complete with a tram running through it. There you will find Gucci, Tiffany, St. Laurant, and other luxury stores.

I took a tour of the Museum of Neon Art a while back which I wrote about here. It has a fascinating collection of neon signage with permanent and temporary exhibits. MONA is across the street from Americana at Brand on Brand Ave.

Glendale was once part of Rancho San Rafael which was established in 1798. It included Glendale, Burbank, Eagle Rock, and Highland Park. The area was portioned in 1871 and the town of Glendale was created in 1887. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).