Brand Boulevard
Brand Boulevard is known as the main drag in Glendale and the place to come if you want to find a range of local shops and produce in the same area. The boulevard is particularly well known for its bookstores and its strong cafe culture, and so with that in mind it can be the perfect place to while away the hours if you want to pick up some new literature in Glendale. The area is also known for its eclectic stores that also include such curiosities as stores selling evening wear, so if you need a red carpet dress or a tuxedo then this is the place to find them. GLENDALE’S main drag, Brand Boulevard, emerged as the town’s epicenter thanks to its proximity to the Pacific Electric railway line that arrived in 1904. Like many things in this foothill city, the thoroughfare is named after Leslie C. Brand, the local tycoon and civic booster who, during the early 1900s, ran full-page ads in Los Angeles newspapers every Sunday posing the question, “Have you been to Glendale?”
That question has been coming up with greater frequency of late, especially since the grand opening of Americana, the boulevard’s spanking-new 15.5-acre shopping complex featuring 75 retail stores, 338 residential units, restaurants, an 18-screen multiplex and a 2-acre public park. Although the $400-million mall has its share of detractors, who bemoan the attendant traffic snarls and erosion of small-town charm, many residents welcome the injection of excitement and status it’s brought to a neighborhood more commonly associated with the car dealerships to the south. (Speaking of cars and traffic: Glendale’s 15th annual Cruise Night, when Brand is overrun by hundreds of hot rod, classic and antique cars, happens July 19.) Still, city leaders are hopeful Americana will bring new customers to other businesses along the boulevard, such as the neighborhood establishments shown here. The name changes at Beverly Boulevard in Echo Park, north of the Hollywood Freeway (Route 101) at Bellevue Avenue. State Route 2 runs from Alvarado Street until the freeway entrance north of Allesandro Street.
Northeast of Riverside Drive and Interstate 5, it merges with Hyperion Avenue, forming the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge over the Los Angeles River. As it passes underneath the train tracks of the Metrolink, it enters Glendale and changes to Brand Boulevard, a principal north–south thoroughfare in Glendale, marking the west–east postal divider of that city that finally ends at Kenneth Road.
