Cycleway Coffee, Hermon & Highland Park's Neighborhood (Coffee, Tea, Smoothies 'n More) Meet-up Spot

About Cycleway Coffee's Neighborhood

Our Neighborhood -- Hermon, California

(a tiny, quiet corner you'd never believe was in Los Angeles)

We spotted the shop first, a quaint building sitting in the saddle of three hills just above the Arroyo Seco. And after a bit of research we truly loved the area.

Hermon, a small district within Los Angeles (city), California, is situated in a half square-mile valley bordered by the Arroyo Seco and the historic 110 freeway to the west, Monterey Hills to the south, and South Pasadena to the north and east. The community has been part of Los Angeles since 1912, but has retained its own unique identity. It is primarily a residential community, with a small business district in the center, one elementary school, and newly-dedicated dog park.

History

Hermon was established in 1903, when the Free Methodists church group obtained the isolated valley from owner Ralph Rogers to establish a school. The school grew to become Los Angeles Pacific College in 1934, then merged with Azusa Pacific University in the 1960s. Up until recently, the school campus held a private college prep school, Pacific Christian.

Better links were established between Hermon and the rest of Los Angeles with the construction of a bridge across Arroyo Seco at Avenue 60 in 1926, the Monterey Road pass through Walnut Hill to the south in 1930, and the Hermon Avenue (renamed Via Marisol, over the objections of many community members, by Los Angeles City Council member Art Snyder in 1978 to honor his young daughter, Erin Marisol Snyder) bridge to the west in 1939.

In the 100 years since its inception, the neighborhood has grown from 100 small lots into a community of over 3,000.

Since you're in the neighborhood... a few things to do/see:

If you haven't already check-out our store location & neighborhood parks map page.

Within walking distance (OK, it's LA, a one-minute drive) of Cycleway Coffee there's plenty of outdoor activities, for any level outdoors person! The Arroyo Seco Recreation Area alone boasts:

• Fishing & Fly Casting
• Hiking, Walking, & Bird Watching
• Archery
• Tennis
• Golf
• Sports Fields
• Horseback Riding
• Disc Golf
• Bicycling

Monterey Hills Jazz Festival

If you're lucky enough to be in the neighborhood Saturday, September 13, 2008, you'll definitely want to head up the hill to Budd Weiner Park for the free Monterey Hills Jazz & Blues Festival for a day-long outdoor concert, dancing, and food in a fantastic location! Check MontereyHills.org's website for info!

Highland Park

Just across the 110 Freeway is Highland Park, a busy community full of small markets, mom 'n pop restaurants and... Chicken Boy??

Standing on a rooftop next to the Highland Theatre (on Figueroa St) Chicken Boy, at just over 22' tall, is eye catching to be sure, but he's also a testament to the better side of Angelenos. When the Broadway restaurant (downtown Los Angeles) where he'd stood for decades shuttered Amy Inoye jumped in to save him. Many years later she's found him a new home!

His new perch is fitting -- amid a growing artistic, engaged community that embody a preservationist attitude; folks who appreciate where they live and the great city this was and, thanks to folks like Amy, remains!

Ernest E. Debs Park

It's truly shocking that within view of downtown Los Angeles vast open-spaces still exist; not just exists, but flourish, and Ernest E. Debs Park is a prime example. This large acerage between Happy Valley, Montecito Heights, and Hermon has picnic facilities and many, many hiking trails. Take on to the top and you're in for a treat: a secluded pond, shaded by pines, overlooks downtown LA!