La California sits between the downtown core and Barrio Escalante, sharing the energy of both without quite being either. It has a slightly rougher, more improvisational feel — this is where art studios, independent record shops, and older neighbourhood bars coexist with the newer wave of restaurants and coffee places. The streets are lively at all hours.
The neighbourhood is worth exploring on foot. It is less polished than Escalante and less architecturally impressive than Amón, but it has a genuine urban texture that the more refined areas sometimes lack. Several of the city's better live music venues are in or just around La California.