About 200,000 people live in Glendale, California, which is a bedroom community between the San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley. It is not a popular place to visit in and of itself. In the city, there are no amusement parks, beaches, places to camp, or famous museums. There are only a few hotels, and the best one is a Hilton. There are also a few high-end motels, and all of the hotels and motels are priced very affordable. There are hundreds of restaurants, and while there are no expensive ones, there are places like Damons on Brand Boulevard that serve aged prime cuts of beef and have great service (They just do not charge an arm and a leg for the meal.) and restaurants like Tony Roma's, the Olive Garden, and the Panda Inn. There are also a lot of high-end coffee shops, like Conrads, which has a brightly lit coffee shop area, a nice outdoor patio, and a dimly lit lounge area that will remind you of a good steak house. You can get a fillet mignon dinner for less than $20 that tastes just as good as dinners at most high-end steak houses. Also, their fried chicken is as good as you can find almost anywhere, and their service is great.) and almost every kind of ethnic food.
The location of Glendale is its best feature. On Los Feliz Blvd., you can drive to Hollywood in less than ten (10) minutes. On the way, you can stop at the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park, and the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium. After driving past the Rose Bowl and the Norton Simon Museum for ten (10) minutes on the 134 freeway or on Colorado Blvd., you will arrive in Old Town Pasadena. After passing Dodger Stadium, you can drive south for 10 minutes to get to downtown Los Angeles. If you take the 134 freeway west, you can reach the whole San Fernando Valley. Universal Studios is also less than ten (10) minutes from Glendale. Glendale also has a train station where Amtrak trains stop. You can park just a few yards from where the train leaves and the station are never crowded. You can go down the coast to the border with Mexico or up the coast past San Francisco.
You could stay in Pasadena, Hollywood, Universal City, or downtown Los Angeles, but Glendale is much cheaper, quieter, has less traffic, and has fewer parking problems.
Also, if you like to shop, this city is home to the Glendale Galleria, which is one of the biggest and best malls in southern California.
