Fairfax District, Los Angeles (Where Gumbo was #338)

Congratulations to George G. and PortMoresby, who correctly guessed that Gumbo was spending an afternoon in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.

Fairfax is a neighborhood that sits in between Beverly Hills and Hollywood, northwest of downtown L.A. It was the center of LA’s Jewish community for many years, and is still home to many historic synagogues, and also to LA’s most famous Jewish deli, Canter’s.

What drew Gumbo to Fairfax, though, was another foodie destination, The Farmer’s Market. In the 1880’s A.F. Gilmore bought a 256 acre dairy farm at the corner of Fairfax Ave. and 3rd street, out to the west of Los Angeles, In 1900 he struck oil on the property and closed the farm. However, as the city Los Angeles expanded and eventually surrounded the oil field, new regulations, which limited the size and number of well derricks came into place, and greatly limited the ability to draw oil from the ground.

The land sat basically empty for several years, until, during the depression, they were approached with the idea of opening up an space for local farmers and merchants to gather and sell their goods. In 1934, the Farmer’s Market was born.

The market quickly expanded, and permanent stalls were built. Restaurants quickly joined the sellers and the Farmer’s Market became a place to come, buy fresh produce and meat, but also to get some good food at reasonable prices and to people watch. In fact you never know who you might see there. On a recent trip I ended up eating a few tables down from Sandra Bullock.

Next to The Farmer’s Market is a more recent development. The Grove (which takes its name from the orchard it replaced) was opened in 2002, and is a high end mall, with stores like FAO Schwartz and Abercrombie & Fitch. The Grove is built around a pond and that has an animated fountain in it. Every hour it puts on a show coordinated to a soundtrack that plays over the speakers in the area.

Fairfax is also an interesting neighborhood to walk around. It was developed during the 1930’s and it has many architectural structures from that time, from movie theaters to old bungalows.

You will also find a lot of street art up on the walls of commercial buildings.

So visit The Farmer’s Market for lunch, do some shopping at the Grove, but also spend some time walking around the Fairfax district. Take a look at classic LA buildings and remember, tomorrow, there is a new puzzle as a Gumbo takes off for a new destination.