The Road Linds Travels

Los Angeles Magazine’s July issue encouraged me to venture to downtown’s Chinatown district where a beautiful thirty-two-acre state park celebrated its grand opening this past April. There are no swing sets or jungle gyms – just vast open spaces with drought-friendly plant life and dirt trails. Los Angeles State Historic Park is important because of its history.

In 2001, community activists and environmentalist groups defeated a plan by the then-mayor to create an industrial park of warehouses. This would create jobs. While the argument for job creation was strong, the counter for land preservation and the history behind its Native American roots was even stronger. As a self-proclaimed environmentalist who is always seeking nature in my urban surroundings, this was enticing. I felt the need to support.

Upon entering the lot off of 1245 North Spring Street, there’s a “park and pay” sign. We paid $2.00 for one hour. This was ample enough time to explore a good chunk of the beautifully landscaped state park.

The Metro gold line runs behind the park with Chinatown atop the hill as a lovely backdrop. Downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers command the sky to the southwest. The sound of passing cars and spokes from bicyclists’ wheels is evident. Groups of elderly people take a walking tour and families gather for picnics. This park was a long time coming but one well worth the wait.