people do, and if they don’t, then they’re missing out.
The river is for sure not L.A.’s best-kept secret, but I know quite a few
Angelinos (some who have lived in this desert longer than we have) who have
never gone down to its waters. Blasphemy, I say. Blasphemy!
The river is on my “Top Five Favorite Things About L.A. with a Bullet” list.
River (my daughter) and I cruise down there a few times a week. Sometimes, a
couple times a day. No kidding.
Look up the L.A. River online and you’ll find so much information your cup may
well runneth over. But if you’re seeking some quick meat-and-potatoes-style
info, then check out the ever-helpful Wikipedia, lariver.org, or the Friends of
the Los Angeles River page—an organization that has been holding the torch of
appreciation since 1986. Those people love, love, love the river and do regular
cleanups so we can all enjoy it.
A river in this city is an ironic juxtaposition of sorts, and I was reminded of
this when one of our Facebook compadres posted a paraphrased Louis C.K.
joke, which I’m about to paraphrase even further. It was something like: When
someone lives in the city and they see a deer they say, “How precious and
sacred,” but when you live in the country you’re like, “Oh, great. It’s the
hooved rats again!”
Funny, right? There is some strong truth to it, too—but mostly it just drives
home the point that sometimes when you live in a city you forget about nature,
and sometimes when you live in nature, you take it for granted. For those of us
who live in the City of Los Angeles, the river is a way to stay in touch with the
natural world, and to remember that we’re a part of it.
I like to close my eyes and picture what was there before the skyscrapers and
highways. I marvel at these modern feats of ingenuity, of course, but I like
to dream of what it must have been like to stumble upon an untouched Los
Angeles. I’m assuming it would have been magical.
The Los Angles River begins in the San Fernando Valley and lets out, at its
mouth, in Long Beach. Our adventure, however, takes place along the section
of riverbank between Rattlesnake Park and Marsh Park, a little jaunt with stops
along the way.
How it went:
A four-day weekend! It’s nice when you get that rare three-day weekend … but
a four-day weekend? It’s like striking gold. Thank you, God, LAUSD, and Labor
Day! We’ve been getting burned-out so easily these days between taking care
of baby, going to work, taking care of baby, and then barely getting any sleep
(all you parents know what’s up), so this four-day weekend was a much-needed
sabbatical.
Better still, Tania and I both had Labor Day off. Huzzah! Sometimes it feels
like we’re ships passing in the night, but this Labor Day we were docked and on
shore leave together.
It took us awhile to get going. (Side note: when one is not used to having time
off, one can stay on the couch all day watching Lethal Weapon 4 and having a
fat fest.) But finally, round sunset, we had a thought bubble of blue herons and
ducks floating downstream. A River with River stroll! Off we went, down to the
river by street in our little Saturn Twin Cam. It was a fresh, blue-sky day, and
the San Gabriel Mountains were vivid.
nearly always spots there, but if you can’t find one, there’s a little parking
lot adjacent to the street that’s good, too. We got Riv in her Baby Bjorn, and
walked down to the path.
When you walk down from Ripple it’ll spit you out onto the west bank. We
walked with the flow. Bikers whizzed by, but there were also couples of all
ages taking that dusky stroll. First stop was Rattlesnake Park—not a very
welcoming-sounding destination, but all the same, a sweet location with some
benches and a trash can. Pretty well kept. Not the Garden of Eden, but a calm
spot to people-watch, and, of course, river-watch.
the current-like statues, mama ducks and their ducklings scurried about with
places to go, and cars crossed the bridge above, making a sound of rushing
wind combined with wobbly bridge suspension noises. The music of the river
and the city. Our River was wide-eyed and loving it.
We walked on. Between Rattlesnake Park and Marsh Park, it’s mostly just path.
This gives you a great opportunity to observe the living and thriving ecosystem
that is the Los Angeles River—instead of driving by it on the freeway and
going, “What in the hell is that? Hobo Jungle?”
Down on the banks were some tatted up cholos, fishing. They had lawn chairs
and beers going. I inquired down towards the water, “You catch anything?”
One of the dudes pulled a pretty big fish out of his bucket. It was big from 20
yards away. We gave them the thumbs up. These are the moments we love.
We kept on rolling. There are a couple of workout/exercise spots along the
path that could be really cool for those of you out there with the older kiddos.
But for us, it would be a production with our little senorita. Just a bit further
down from the workout stations is Marsh Park in the Elysian Valley. Mostly an
open space of grassy lawn, tiny rolling slopes, and a playground consisting of
climbing toys that resemble giant animals, i.e., a rattlesnake, a toad, etc.
There are some benches and trashcans. It’s small.
some snacks. No one was there when we went. So mellow and kid friendly,
with exception of there not being other children present for the congregating.
They say Elysian Valley is one of the safer neighborhoods in L.A., next to
Brentwood. Seemed to be true for us.
The sun was sinking behind the power lines and leaving the sky with trails of
gold and pink. River was still pumped and ready to keep the party going, but
her sleep schedule was calling. Time to go.
Pros and cons:
I probably can’t gush enough about this little strip of solace. It’s given me
and mine such peace of mind on those days where peace of mind was much
needed. It seems to be safe and child-friendly, and out of the fifty times we’ve
gone there we’ve never felt threatened, though at dark walking next to any
river could be questionable.
If I had to find something to pick at, it would be that the bikers on the path
act as if they own the road. Meaning, some are courteous, but some act a bit
entitled. Just keep your eyes open and it won’t be a big deal.
This is isn’t Chuck E. Cheese’s or the mall. It’s not American Conventional
Family Fun. There’s not much for the kids to touch, but there’s plenty for them
to observe and learn about. Go for a walk, a bike ride, or a sit.
It’s worth it a thousand times over.
Peace and Good Luck.
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