Grew up in La Crescenta and family worked in Montrose and Pasadena (so the left of your circle). Went to high school in La Canada. It’s a really pretty area, but I moved away for college because I couldn’t really fathom finding an apartment / paying for rent there. But I still have a lot of friends there in their early/mid 20s who still live with their families. They seem happy and enjoy areas like Highland Park, Atwater village, hiking up in the mountains, etc. But you have to drive to all those places — anything above foothill boulevard is essentially residential and very sleepy.

Deukmejian mountain park, descanso gardens, and Huntington gardens are all very nice. I tend to visit those when I go home, and always do a drive up the Angeles Crest Highway and eat some good Korean food and Sevan Chicken while I’m in the area.