The Great Los Angeles Walk 2016 Has A Meeting Spot: Grand Hope Park

(Photo by Rex/Shutterstock)

We have a starting point for this year's Great Los Angeles Walk! And just like past walks, we're meeting at a scenic location:

Grand Hope Park!

Don't confuse it with the Civic Center's Grand Park. This is GRAND HOPE PARK, located next to FIDM, at the corner of 9th Street and Hope. We'll meet under the clock tower (as seen in the photo above).

Blogdowntown wrote a great primer about Grand Hope Park in 2008; here's an excerpt:

While grand plans for South Park's titular park may not have developed, the neighborhood does have a great little pocket of green space in the 2.5 acre Grand Hope Park, located on the block bounded by 9th, Olympic, Hope and Grand.

The park, which shares its block with FIDM and Renaissance Towers, has quite the interesting development history. Though owned and built by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the space is operated by a non-profit and not the city's Department of Recreation and Parks.

Groundbreaking was first held in 1987, and the park officially opened in 1993. Because it's not operated by the city, there is a strict "no pets allowed" policy. Therefore, if you're bringing your dog on the walk, you can still join us under the clock tower -- but on the other side of the fence.

There's street parking nearby, and it's also a quick 10 minute walk from the Pico station of the Metro Expo Line, in case you're using public transportation. Here's the map:

Get there early, and grab breakfast at a nearby shop (there's also a Ralphs grocery store right across the street.) We'll see you there on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m.

More to come! And don't forget to buy a T-shirt if you want one!

More Great Family Hikes: A Visit to Franklin Canyon

Another in our series on great family hikes... if you haven't been to Franklin Canyon Park in a while, it's worth taking the kiddies along for a bit of urban nature. You can almost hear the whistle from the opening credits of "The Andy Griffith Show."



Some details from LAMountains.com:

Franklin Canyon Park rests on 605 acres near the center of Los Angeles between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. Within the park boundaries are chaparral, grasslands and oak woodlands, a three-acre lake, an ADA-accessible duck pond, expansive picnic grounds, and over five miles of hiking trails. The lake and pond serve as permanent and seasonal home for birds in the Pacific flyway.

The park has a history steeped in the forces that created the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles—oil and water. In 1914, William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) began construction of a reservoir in upper Franklin Canyon to distribute water newly brought from the Owens Valley. The family of oil baron Edward L. Doheny used the canyon as a summer retreat and a place to graze and water their cattle. The Doheny family built the Spanish style home in lower Franklin Canyon in 1935.

The William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom and Sooky Goldman Nature Center offers exhibits and a chance for kids to learn more about the canyon.



Just remember to fully stop at the stop signs there... they do truly enforce it via cameras and video (trust me, I learned the hard way!)



Franklin Canyon Park
2600 Franklin Canyon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Great L.A. Family Hikes: Monrovia Canyon Park Waterfall (One in a series)

We've got another family-friendly waterfall hike for ya, and this one may even be better. Monrovia Canyon Park is a quick, hour and a half hike that covers only about 2.5 miles -- but the reward is a lush, tree-covered hike that is easy for the little ones, with a waterfall at the end. Modern Hiker has more details:

There is plenty of shade on the trail here and for most of the rest of the hike you’ll be in cool, dappled sunlight. Even on a hot summer day, this is a great trail to explore – especially once the trail dips down to the canyon floor itself around the 0.6 mile mark, where you’ll be stepping over babbling brooks and overshadowed by enormous, tangled oaks.

At the 1.3 mile mark, you’ll hop over a few boulders and reach the rocky bottom of Monrovia Canyon Falls. This 30 foot double-cascade is not the tallest nor most impressive waterfall in the San Gabriels, but even with a steady stream of hikers coming and going this is still an absolutely lovely and serene grove that feels a million miles away from city life.

A month ago we wrote about the Eaton Canyon Waterfall, another closeby waterfall in the foothills. Even though we're in a drought, the waterfalls remain and are worth checking out. While Eaton Canyon's falls is more impressive, that hike is jam-packed. We enjoyed the solitude of the Monrovia hike.

Some pics:

L.A. River's Sunnynook River Park Nears Completion

During a recent bike ride down the L.A. River Bike Path, we came across a nice surprise: The new Sunnynook River Park, located next to the Glendale-Hyperion bridge (which connects Silver Lake with Atwater Village), is close to opening.

The L.A. Creek Freak blog has been writing about the Sunnynook River Park for several years, and filed this report at the groundbreaking last summer:

L.A. Creek Freak wrote about the planned 3.4-acre Sunnynook River Park back in 2008 when it was being planned, and in 2009 when LADWP approved the park existing under their power lines. Though it’s not a big project, it’s been delayed a bit by state and city budget shortfalls.

It’s a fairly small all-natural, all-passive park, accessible mostly via the L.A. River bike path and via the footbridges that cross the 5 Freeway and the river. The site has had its problems over the years. It’s bordered by the 5 Freeway and the river, so it has been home to homeless encampments, mostly on the freeway-side of the site, maintained by the state transportation department Caltrans. Hopefully the park improvements can create a green space where everyone feels welcome and safe.

Here are a few more shots of the park, currently under construction, as well as some River shots from a recent bike ride down the L.A. River Bike Path:

Attention Parents: Check Out Pasadena's Pirate Park

One of the things you never think about as a single person -- or a married-but-without-kids person -- is parks (or, in particular, playgrounds). I mean, why would you? But that all changes once you have a tyke or two running around the house.

Luckily, we're close to a number of parks, as well as the elaborate Shane's Inspiration playground at Griffith Park. Where were these kind of playgrounds when we were growing up? 30 years later, today's kids are spoiled with elaborate modern-day parks like the one above, located next to the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena. Blogger Kid and Blogger Toddler 2.0 both take swimming lessons at the Aquatic Center, and afterward enjoy going over to the park to play pirate.

This is What City Budget Cuts Look Like

At least two Glendale parks sport these stylish graffiti-laden pieces of wood, hastily hammered in place on play structures where slides once stood. Ahh, budget cuts.

Along the Newly Expanded L.A. River Bike Path

We wrote a while back about the Franklin Avenue Quartet's weekend family bike rides up and down the L.A. River Bike Path. But that was along the older bike path -- the one that sits alongside the 5 freeway for much of its run.

But last weekend, the Blogger Kid and I decided to explore the newly opened L.A. River Bike Path extension, which travels south from Fletcher to Figueroa. And unlike the original stretch, this portion of the path is away from the freeway -- which means for a calmer, more peaceful and scenic ride.

As a matter of fact, I think this will be our new bike ride. The 2.5 mile extension includes a handful of pocket parks and travels past the back of homes, industrial buildings and more next to the Elysian Valley neighborhood nicknamed "Frogtown."

Our mysterious pal the Militant Angeleno also recently biked along the path and had this to say:

After passing the 2 Freeway overpass, the harsh white-noise roar of cars rushing above soon transitioned into the soothing rush of water and the intermittent quacking of ducks. Ducks? Yes, ducks! Lest you forget, the entire section of Los Angeles River, from Griffith Park to Elysian Valley, lies close to the underground water table, and was therefore never fully paved. The result is a glimpse of the what the River used to be -- and what many hope it will once again become -- replete with islands boasting California Bay Laurel trees protruding from the riverbed, and both native and migratory fauna walking, swimming or flying throughout. There are even mini-rapids where water rushes through rocks in the riverbed, forming calming sounds which soothe the senses. Aromatherapy, anyone?

It is in this section you can witness the Los Angeles River in pure serenity, with only the occasional whoosh and horn blare of a passing Metrolink train across the river interrupting the unexpectedly pastoral setting in the middle of this bustling metropolis.

We're lucky enough to live close by, allowing us to bike through Atwater Village to the bike path. For any of you in the area, it's worth a ride.

A handful of pics from our bike ride:



At the Marsh Park off the L.A. River bike path



Blogger Kid tries out exercise equipment off the L.A. River bike path



Ducks!

Spotted in New York, Part 4: The Creepy Head of Madison Square Park

It looks like something you might see in a futuristic movie. But this slightly creepy but utterly fascinating head is "Echo," the work of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Curbed New York writes, via Mad Park News, that the sculpture is a "giant fiberglass resin face of a young girl in a dream state and was inspired by both a real 9 year old and the Greek nymph Echo."

Mad Park News says the sculpture will be on display through mid-August "as part of the Madison Square Conservancy’s groundbreaking Madison Square Art public art program."

The Silver Lake Meadow, One Of Our New Fave L.A. Spots

Fine, I'll admit it. New York has us beat in one area: Meadows. Central Park's Sheep Meadow is a great gathering place during the summer for New Yorkers looking to just plop down and lie in the sun. Yes, we have the beach. But what about those of us a bit further east?

The Los Angeles State Historic Park has some great empty space near Chinatown, and is next to the Gold Line (for your trainspotting toddlers). But for folks closer to Silver Lake, your best bet was Griffith Park -- until now.

The long-awaited Silver Lake Meadow (tag line: "A Quiet Place") opened at the start of the month (although an official opening ceremony is set for later), and it's an immediate hit. With no dogs allowed (officially), it's also a perfect spot to let the little ones loose and let the shoes come off.

We met up with our pal Jessica and her two kids on Saturday for our first trip to the meadow... and it was an ideal setting. With the water from the reservoir shimmering nearby, the mountains in the distance and a partly sunny sky, it didn't take long for us to appreciate it. Even the wind was great for kite flying (thankfully, Jess brought two).

The meadow was formerly part of the Silver Lake reservoir but eventually filled in, creating this pasture. But it sat fenced in until the DWP finally ceded control to the parks department. Now, let's hope the lush grass stays healthy... and dog poop-free.

Some pics:

Getting Crafty at This Weekend's Renegade Fair

It was DIY craft weekend in L.A., with Unique L.A. stationed down at the California Market Center penthouse, as well as the second Renegade Craft Fair at the Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Most folks hit both events, given the close proximity. But we were pressed for time on Saturday and only had a chance to visit one. Renegade was free... plus, longtime Franklin Avenue pal Emmie was showcasing her ultracool Fomato cards. So it we zoomed over to the park.

You may remember the Los Angeles State Historic Park from its time as the Not a Cornfield exhibit. Turns out, it's also a pretty cool spot to pitch some tents, throw in a couple hundred vendors and have a DJ spin cool tunes.

Emmie said the crowds were decent, and at least on Saturday afternoon, it appeared to be pretty well attended. The two boys were more excited about being so close to the Gold Line MTA trains, while Maria and I found some Christmas gifts for family members. We even took a moment to sit on a hill and watch the sun set behind the downtown skyscrapers.

Some pics from this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair:


I Taco LA. Virtually every day.


"Everyone Poops"... but don't forget the unsung hero in this scenario, best friend T.P.


Celebrate warm times, c'mon! It's "Wool and the Gang."


Felt beards.


Wall of Monkeys.