Cahuenga Renaissance

By: Kyle Wong
Submitted: 2008-08-28 16:08:45
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The past several years have seen Cahuenga rendered from grimy strip to cheeky corridor. It is no longer a last ditch effort for desperate partiers to cut loose. The transformation is nearly complete as more level headed, business minded folk might call it ‘gentrification’ but for those, who party for life and living, the Cahuenga Corridor is in its early stages of a renaissance of sorts.

The Velvet Margarita, Beauty Bar and The Room have been and still are firm fixtures on the block, surviving the treacherous two year half-life diagnosed upon most flash and fade establishments. Although not quite the chicest of venues, these bars had their following.

It was only when Citizen Smith planted its flagged that an instant touch of class was injected to the Cahuenga vein - a sign of things to come. With GOA being the crowning jewel, then arose a few galleries opening up shop, inadvertently functioning as buffers between clubs and bars.

Meanwhile north of the Boulevard, the newly remodeled White Lotus reopens its doors under the guise of Ritual – an upscale option for dining, dancing and drinking for the older Hollywood crowd. Also following suit, the mastermind behind the Geisha House design, Shereen Arazm, further stretched the expanses of the Cahuenga Corridor when he overhauled club, Concord, and created Shag. To top it all off, Sugar opens its doors to the grey area demo, which is, generally speaking, the younger, wilder college coed demographic thereby covering all the bases.

Just south of Selma, you’ll find boutiques beckoning to window shoppers along with a few sidewalk cafes and restaurants, which serves as ballast to the nightlife inspired endeavors up the street. The Cahuenga Corridor has quickly become the complete package, offering local flavor and savvy hipsters alike an alternative to the Hollywood and Highland tourist traps; however, with change comes sacrifice…at least for some. The disenfranchised skate kids and punk rockers probably have to look elsewhere for their acquired taste of clubbing Hollywood style.

Hollywood’s “it” scene has surely shifted east, further bridging the divide between the tragically hip Los Feliz and the over glammed Hollywood jet set. Where you fit in all the madness is completely up to you. Make sure to remember that. See you in line…from the inside.

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