Tucked between Burbank, Pasadena and Eagle Rock, Glendale is one of Los Angeles’ most walkable, design-minded pockets — equal parts shopping, gardens, art and exceptional food. Here’s how to spend a weekend, and where to stay while you do it.
Shop and stroll The Americana at Brand
The Americana at Brand is Glendale’s open-air heart — a landscaped promenade of boutiques, a dancing fountain, and some of the best people-watching in the city. Come for the flagship stores, stay for the trolley, the greenery and a slow coffee on a bench. It’s a five-minute drive from The Glenmark, which makes an easy afternoon even easier.
Escape to Descanso Gardens
Just north in La Cañada Flintridge, Descanso Gardens is 150 acres of oak forest, camellias and a famous rose garden. Time your visit for spring blooms or the winter light festival, and give yourself a couple of hours to wander. It’s the kind of quiet that resets a weekend.
Get cultured on Brand Boulevard
Glendale takes its art seriously. The Brand Library & Art Center — a former mansion turned public arts space — hosts exhibitions and live music, while the Alex Theatre anchors the boulevard with touring shows and film. Even the hotel gets in on it: at The Glenmark, a rotating contemporary art collection runs through the lobby and guest floors, so you’re never far from something worth looking at.
Eat well, from brunch to the rooftop
Glendale’s dining runs deep, and you don’t have to leave the block to eat beautifully. Olia serves European-style brunch from 8am — benedicts, shakshuka, khachapuri — straight through to dinner. Come evening, head seven stories up to Mya Rooftop for French-Japanese plates, sushi and steaks, cocktails and an open-air view of the city from golden hour into the night.
See the city from Forest Lawn and the hills
For a dose of the unexpected, Forest Lawn Memorial Park holds one of the largest collections of religious art and stained glass in the country, with sweeping views back toward downtown. Prefer a trail? The hills above Glendale reward an early-morning walk with the kind of quiet, layered light that makes you understand why people fall for Los Angeles.
Where to stay
Glendale sits at the center of it all — close to Burbank’s studios, minutes from Pasadena, and a straight shot to downtown LA. The Glenmark, a design-led Tribute Portfolio hotel on North Brand Boulevard, puts you within reach of every stop on this list, with six distinct room types, an on-site restaurant and rooftop, and an art collection you can move through rather than past.