Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
The Times' website today is pushing a travel feature on the West San Fernando Valley, writing that "in what we hope will be an ongoing series, we present you a weekend escape to a niche often left unexplored." Well, the West Valley remains unexplored:
Yeah, so why are you starting with the Valley? We live in a city that’s jam-packed on weekends with locals and tourists alike converging from Silver Lake to San Pedro. When one needs a little peace and quiet, it might be time to go against traffic. If the North Hollywood Arts District isn’t chill enough, keep going. The wide-open skyline (and parking lots!) in the West San Fernando Valley might be just the ticket. Here are some of the area’s highlights.
Fair enough, but of the places mentioned only one — Sushi Yotsuya in Tarzana — is actually located in the Valley that's home to 1.5 million potential Times readers. The rest are well beyond, in Westlake Village or Malibu Canyon. Frankly, the feature seems like a thinly veiled attempt to promote the Four Seasons Westlake Village and Saddle Peak Lodge, which are highlighted in galleries of staff-shot photos. (Saddle Peak lists its address as Calabasas, but it's outside the city limits on the far side of Mulholland Highway.)