I live in Los Angeles, California and I love it here.

It’s the place where I would call my forever home based on all the reasons non-Angelenos ae jealous. It’s for the near perfect weather, the beautiful beaches, expansive cultures, and the glowing food scene. But as much as I love Los Angeles there are equal parts that make me question whether I should pack up and run away. Those being the difficult job market, explosive cost of rent, and traffic. In between the good and the bad that almost yo-yo me around is my favorite part about this city: the palm trees.

Rain or shine, rent free, and with only one job the palm trees in Los Angeles stand tall and beautiful. While not all types of palm trees are native to Southern California, they still serve as a beautiful representation to the city. Similar to the Hollywood Sign, the stars along Hollywood Boulevard, and any navy Dodger hat, palm trees feel like Southern California.

Seeing these cascading palms every day while driving through neighborhoods of Los Angeles has shown me more trees than I could ever dream of encountering. While common though would lead you to believe that Beverly Hills has the best and only trees, you would be wrong, at least partially. On the contrary, I’ve found the city with the best trees to be in Crenshaw, Inglewood, and Koreatown especially when it comes to taking photos. The reason I love these areas for photos is because there rows upon rows of identical trees without other trees between them, the streets are wide to capture varying angles, and traffic is often kept to a minimum. But in creating this list, I would be wrong to leave any of the surrounding cities out–so I didn’t!

If you’re running throughout Los Angeles looking for the best places to grab photos with palm trees, here’s a list of my favorite spots to date. Please be aware that some are in residential areas so cars will be parked on the streets or electrical wires will hang throughout, but overall these are some of my favorite areas. Of course more will be added as time goes but until then grab your camera, hit up these spots, and tag me in your own photos because I would love to see where you ended up!

And if you have any locations to add, feel free to drop the address or cross streets in the comments!

P.S. I got the amazing jacket in these photos from my friend and co-worker Brenda who wore it while she was in high school. She passed away late last month and I miss her kindness and bubbly personality. Even though she’s gone, I’m thankful that her jacket wraps around me. Every time I wear it, I’ll know she’s hugging me. Rest in paradise, Brenda Stevens.

Beverly Hills

1. 730 N Bedford Dr Beverly Hills, CA 90210
2. 9098 Burton Way Beverly Hills, CA 90211
3. The Beverly Hills Hotel – 9641 Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Crenshaw

1. 2666 Buckingham Rd Los Angeles, CA 90016
2. 4798 Cimarron St Los Angeles, CA 90062
3. 4727 S Van Ness Ave Los Angeles, CA 90062
4. 4199 Johnnie Cochran Vista, Los Angeles, CA 90019
5. 1698 12th Ave Los Angeles, CA 90019
6. 3760 Degnan Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90018

Inglewood

• coming soon

Koreatown

1. 541 N Normandie Ave Los Angeles, CA 90004
2. 400 S Mariposa Ave Los Angeles, CA 90020
3. 435 S Plymouth Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90020

Mid City

1. 1131 4th Ave Los Angeles, CA 90019

Pasadena

1. 1420 Lincoln Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103 (featured in photos here)
2. 600 S Allen Ave San Marino, CA 91108

Echo Park/ Silverlake

1. 1401 Coronado Terrace Los Angeles, CA 90026
2. Academy Road & Stadium WayLos Angeles, CA 90012

West Covina

1. 1401 E Workman Ave West Covina, California

Van Nuys

1. 14499 Haynes St Van Nuys, CA 91401

To see all these locations and for better directions to check them out for yourself, check out the map below!