Every Park Has a Story.

Running Barefoot on the Grass

“My family has always celebrated holidays at our local parks. On those hot summer days, nothing is quite as relaxing as laying under the shade of a big, beautiful tree. Now that I have a little family of my very own, I get to bestow the gift of our local parks unto my daughter. She already enjoys running barefoot on the grass, climbing the playground equipment, and staring in amazement at the wildlife. Parks have been, and will continue to be, a vital part of the development of our daughter.”
Jose B.

A Place to Remember

“Years ago, my cousin came to Los Angeles shopping for her wedding dresses. We took her to the Rosemead Park where my nephews and nieces were taking their swimming lesson on the weekend.

After walking on the rubberized pathway for a while, we decided to take a picture and all of us were lying on the grass. At that moment, the sky was blue and the grass smelled so fresh. We smiled, so enjoyable and exciting, for the picture!

After that, every time we’re lying on the grass, I remember my cousin.”

Tammy L.

Touch the Sky

“After dinner during those good old days, our big sister would take my two younger sisters, younger brother and me down the empty street in a small town to a little neighborhood park where there stood a few swings. One of us would get on the swing while another one of us pushed it until it flew very high in the air. We took turns to play until the sun set and the sky turned dark, then we happily walked back home.”

Sok T.

Shark Park

“When I was young, my mom used to take me to a park that had a big shark on the playground for climbing. We all called it “Shark Park”. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned the park was actually named after someone and it wasn’t really called “Shark Park”. Twenty years later when discussing the weekend with a friends’ 10-year-old daughter they told me about the afternoon they spent at “Shark Park”. I just thought it was so great that the nickname for the park has lived on.”

Sara K.

From Water Fights to BBQ

“When I was young, my family used to celebrate almost every occasion at a park near our house. We would find any excuse to go there really because it was by far the coolest park we had seen, they had everything from swings to barbecue areas to a recreation center with free activities for kids. This park is also where we all learned to skate. There was a bit of a hill near the barbecue area and all the kids (me and all my cousins) would roller blade down to see who’s the fastest. We would then go have a water fight, eat some barbeque, run up to the swing sets and take turns swinging each other and finally take turns rolling down the grassy hill on the other side of the park. It was the best childhood memory of the whole family gathering together and kids just being kids.”

Ani Y.

Who said you can’t still be a child again!

“Zion Canyon was one of my favorite. I remembered it was about 107o degree on the hottest Summer’s day. A group of 20 (my good friends, their kids and ours roughly about 4-9 years old) of us embarked on a 3-day road trip to stay at a friend’s house in Las Vegas.

We visited Zion for a day trip. The bonus of getting to Zion Canyon is not only looking at the beautiful red/orange rock formation, but having an opportunity to get soaked in a refreshing stream of water. Of course, we had to hike about an hour to get to the stream. The kids loved it! And that was so memorable to me because I never had that opportunity as a child. Then again, who said you can’t still be a child again!!!!”

Steven C.

Great memories of my whole family

“I grew up at the park and have a lot of fond memories. I loved playing softball and basketball season after season at Salazar Park. During the summer my siblings and I would take swim lessons and then head over to the nearby donut shop for root beer floats. I used to go fishing with my cousins at Hollenbeck Park and we would catch cat fish that my aunt would then cook for us. Also, on really hot summer nights I have great memories of my whole family, including the dog, going to the park and rolling around in the grass.”

Rocio D.

We couldn’t wait to get in the pool

“Growing up my sisters and I spent our summers at Granada Park Pool taking swim lessons and recreation swim. We couldn’t wait to get in the pool. Once I fell asleep while floating in the water and lifeguards had to wake me up. When I grew up, I became a lifeguard and had an opportunity to lead a lifeguard operation for the County of Los Angeles”

Suzie H.