A Grand Little Playground Downtown

Right in the heart of LA's downtown concrete jungle of high-rise office buildings and apartments, bustling city streets and general city chaos lies a sweet little fenced-in, clean, sand-free playground.

It's within the boundaries of Grand Hope Park, across from FIDM's (Fashion Institute of Design & Management) Los Angeles campus, and located 3 blocks from the 7th and Figueroa Metro stop on the red line.

Here's what mama friend L has to say about the playground, which she and her son have come to know very well:

"This is the most ethnically diverse playground I have been to in LA.  Even better, the parents are really interesting.  Many are expats from all over who moved into downtown for one reason or another. And they are friendly! One tough thing about visiting Grand Hope playground is the parking.  Meters are $3/hour - and that's if you can find one.  However, directly across the street is Ralphs supermarket, which offers a 90-minute validation - no purchase required.  It has a huge deli and prepared food section - helpful for that last-minute snack or lunch. It's not exactly health food but acceptable in a pinch. Grand Hope also has a huge open grassy area plus a fountain/water feature; kids always seem to love those. I am currently investigating kid-friendly restaurants within close proximity - will report back."

nice playground equipment and spongey ground

cute riding toys

Always Appreciate a Good Playground

Is it just me or is there really a shortage of good playgrounds in this city? This is a constant conundrum for L & me. We have our limited faves but are always on the lookout for more around town that suit our needs. L really prefers a playground sans sand; highly desired are the ones with the spongey surface - and no darn wood chips. Unfortunately, those are few and far between. So, inevitably we have to settle for second best.

Today was one of those instances of finding a playground happy medium: not crowded, shady, clever climbing structures, very little sand, but lots of wood chips. The kids had a blast. They tried every structure: swings, spider web climbing maze with a trampoline center, monkey bars, slides, spinny things (for lack of knowing their proper name), and grass for running and kicking a ball.

And it was all in a quiet neighborhood off of Cordova in Pasadena, at a place called Grant Park. There's even a covered picnic table area with charcoal grills, baseball diamond and tennis courts, and tons of free parking. Hooray for an awesome discovery - thanks to another dear mom friend, Y.

~ C