Best Places to Trick or Treat in LA

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1. Cheviot Hills: This is an affluent community on L.A.’s tony West Side, just south of Fox Studios and Century City. It’s a very family-oriented neighborhood, known for being extremely safe. (When was the last time you heard about a crime being committed here?) A drive down Motor reveals numerous jack-o’-lanterns, bats and black cats smiling at you, inviting the little ones to stroll up the walk and enjoy.

2. Pacific Palisades: OK, you will encounter a few hills here and some of the streets may be narrow, but in most areas the houses are situated relatively close together, and the neighborhoods are extremely clean and family friendly. Your kids can fill their bags with healthy treats in a very short time. Believe it or not, this is the area where you’re most likely to see celebs trick-or-treating with their kids — if you can recognize them behind their masks.

3. Studio City: “The Valley” may not be perceived as upscale as L.A.’s West Side is, but consider the fact that a lot of set designers and makeup artists live here, and Halloween is their favorite holiday. Residents go all out creating professional-level spooky environs, and they come up with generous treats to go with them. The Colfax Meadows area is especially good.

4. Santa Monica: Stick with the posh houses north of Montana for the best (albeit healthy) treats. This is another extremely civic-minded, family-friendly area where there’s little crime, lots of luxury and the celebrities are as thick as thieves.

5. Hancock Park: This stately grand dame of a neighborhood near Hollywood has been an established Halloween mecca for generations. You’ll want to concentrate on Arden Boulevard, Rossmore Avenue and the Larchmont shopping district for the best Halloween spirit. Know, however, that the streets tend to get congested with traffic and pedestrians, so early evening is definitely the best time for the little ones here.

6. The Flats of Beverly Hills: This area between Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards draws thousands who come from miles around, and they’re never disappointed — unless they get a parking ticket, because it’s now illegal to park on a residential street after 6:00 unless you have a parking pass. This neighborhood is worth the drive alone just to knock on the door of the famous “Witch’s House” on Carmelita and Walden Drive.

Beverly Hills has been the long-standing Halloween favorite for years. The standing joke is that when you knock on a door in BH, the owner answers with a generous treat — maybe a full-sized candy bar, or even money. Then he says, “Wait … what did the neighbors give you?” Nobody likes to be outdone in that neck of the woods.

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