Lankershim Boulevard on the go

The underrated 10 Universal City Plaza, the tallest building in the Valley at 36 stories, looms over Lankershim Boulevard. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Dec. 13, 2012 2:46 PM PT

Lankershim Boulevard has become one of the most noteworthy streets in the San Fernando Valley, a testament to the energy created from the growth of the region’s bus and rail system.

All types of signs dominate the landscape at the intersection of Lankershim, Ventura and Cahuenga boulevards in Studio City. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

At the southern end of Lankershim stands Campo de Cahuenga, a rather half-hearted tribute to L.A.’s Mexican past that’s open just once a month to the public. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Studio City’s St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church along Lankershim was the site of Bob Hope’s funeral Mass in 2003. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

There’s plenty of foot traffic on Lankershim at the North Hollywood Arts District, which has blossomed in the last decade with several small theater companies, a movie house and various restaurants and bars. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Buses converge along Lankershim Boulevard at the North Hollywood station, where the Metro Red Line and the Orange rapid-bus line meet. Thousands of transit riders flood the area daily, prompting officials to consider building a pedestrian tunnel to help ease crosswalk congestion. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Commuters stream through North Hollywood’s Metro Red Line Station, the creation of which helped the arts district take off in a big way. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The stretch of Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood that includes the Metro station and various theater companies and clubs has blossomed over the years. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The El Portal Theatre along Lankershim in North Hollywood was built in 1926 as a showcase for vaudeville acts and silent movies. Reopened in January 2000, the old movie palace now houses three theaters. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Bob Hope’s bust is one of many such bronze statues of entertainment industry legends at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame Plaza along Lankershim in North Hollywood. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A jetliner flies over the Green Set lot along Lankershim Boulevard in Burbank. Green Set rents out trees, plants, shrubs and props for television and movie shoots. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The pot shops that dot the northern half of Lankershim have added their own bit of branding to the landscape, with bold graphics, green signage and those telltale crosses. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)