Laura Randall - Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

To John, Jack, and Theo

M y sincere thanks go to the people with the foresight and talent to create or maintain all of the special places mentioned in this book:

The spirit of the late Amir Diamaleh lives on in Amirs Garden, the green paradise he carved out of a

Wallis Annenbergs philanthropy drove the opening of that the city sorely needed in 2009.

Every Saturday, Tai Chi master Chao-Li Chi transforms the courtyard into a haven of camaraderie and serenity.

The volunteers at the Audubon Center at help make it one of the citys best and most accessible parks.

Donna Harris, Davida Taurek, Ann Flower, and a cast of docents provided generous help and guidance with my research.

And heres to all of the gardeners, servers, and park rangers who show ongoing appreciation and respect for the tranquility of their workplaces, as much as those of us who visit them do.

Special thanks must also go to my friend and neighbor Haru Kuromiya, whose wise suggestions and infectious enthusiasm for Southern California motivated me throughout the research and writing of this book. At 83, she is a true inspiration for anyone who loves discovering new places, and I am so grateful for her company and boundless energy. I am also grateful to Molly Merkle at Menasha Ridge Press for suggesting that I write this book and to my editor, Susan Haynes, for her invaluable guidance and encouragement.

Finally, I want to thank my husband, John, and my children, Jack and Theo, for keeping me company on many of my expeditions, and for understanding when I needed my own time for quiet reflection.

Laura Randall

Los Angeles

May 2010

the authors story

T ranquil isnt the first word that comes to mind when most of us think of life in Los Angeles, especially these days. Yet when I started my research for this book, it was incredibly easy to tick off places all over the city that qualify as peaceful escapes. I started with the obvious ones: gardens, parks, beaches, and spiritual centers from Malibu to San Gabriel. I followed those with quirkier, unexpected sanctuaries: a Japanese pastry shop in Lomita, a bookshop on the Venice boardwalk, an art gallery in Altadena, and trails in La Caada Flintridge and Agoura Hills. Soon I had a list so long that I had the luxury of excluding places that didnt fully live up to my expectations of what a peaceful place should be.

The result: As different as they are from one another, every site featured in this book should leave you feeling refreshed, calm, and perhaps a bit more balanced and ready to face the freeway traffic, bright lights, and other stimuli and daily pressures that characterize life in Los Angeles. At the same time, many of these peaceful places are as unique and fascinating as the City of Angels itself. From the Moroccan-themed rooftop speakeasy in Hollywood to the working ranch deep in the San Fernando Valley, I hope they appeal to and surprise longtime Angelenos as much as first-time visitors who have stars in their eyes.

From another perspective, as much as I know and love Los Angeles, nothing prepared me for the turbulent year that marked much of my research window for this book. Sweeping city and state budget cuts, combined with a record number of housing foreclosures and job losses, were a reality for many of us Southern Californians. Even things we normally take for granted, such as free beach access and world-class museums, were drastically affected by the economic downturn. Parking fees at state beaches rose to record highs, many nature centers scaled back their hours to save on staff and maintenance costs, and several beautiful state parks faced the threat of permanent closure.

On a personal level, I found myself in strong need of some solace in the late summer of 2009 when the Station firethe largest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles Countyforced my family and hundreds of other San Gabriel Valley residents to evacuate for several days. One Sunday afternoon, my husband, two small sons, and I escaped the smoke and real threat of losing our home. We ventured to the beaches of northern Malibu, where we swam, watched pods of dolphins cavort, and felt as if we were a million miles away from the firestorm raging just over the mountain range. It was a classic L.A. moment: Chaos and ugliness dominated one corner of town while absolute tranquility could be found just around the bend. For every strip mall and smog-check garage this city has, there is an unexpected hillside garden or spectacular scenic overlook to counter it and make you want to live nowhere else on earth.

Now more than ever we all need places to escape to for a day or even just a lunch hour. Thus, in this book I offer easy getaways such as the bluffs trail at , where no one minds if you nurse an espresso and read a novel for an entire afternoon.

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles not only names many unexpected spots that even longtime residents dont know about, but it also includes tips on the quietest times or seasons to visit well-known destinations such as the on Santa Catalina Island. I hope that it will encourage you to discover new places and revisit old standbys. Most of all, I want it to help you unplug, unwind, and embrace the City of Angels and all its glorious, quirky beauty.

Laura Randall

Los Angeles

May 2010

P.S. A note about getting around Los Angeles: I include, wherever possible, information on reaching a destination by public transit. In cases where there is no easy bus route or subway stopor where multiple transfers get so complicated that it undermines the overall peaceful experienceyou will see N/A (not applicable) instead of a specific bus or metro listing. However, the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys bus and rail system, which extends across all of Los Angeles County, can get you to most of the sites in this collection. Most Metro bus lines link with all Metro rail linesGold, Red, Blue, Green, and Purpleas do other smaller bus lines from Pasadena to the South Bay. The Big Blue Bus (bigbluebus.com) serves Santa Monica, Venice, and other areas of west Los Angeles, while Culver CityBus (culvercity.org) spans the communities of Marina del Rey, Culver City, and Westwood. DASH, an acronym for Downtown Area Short Hop, is an easy and inexpensive way to get around downtown L.A. and Hollywood (ladottransit.com/dash). The Orange County Transportation Authority (octa.net) serves the Laguna and Newport Beach areas. The Pasadena ARTS (Area Rapid Transit System) buses connect with several Gold Line metro stops in Pasadena and traverse all the citys major thoroughfares (cityofpasadena.net/artsbus). Glendale Beeline (glendalebeeline.com) buses serve the city of Glendale. For more details on L.A.s plentiful and diverse public transportation choicesa surprise for many peoplevisit experiencela.com/GettingAround.