North Hollywood Park

Today we were running an errand around North Hollywood so we decided to stop at the North Hollywood Park! We had been to this park a couples times before but only for festivals or farmers markets, never just to play.

This park is a great park! It is big, has a lot of activities such as a skate park (unfortunately not pictured), basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball diamonds and a pool! There is also a lot of green space just to run and play.

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A few things we talk about in the video, there is a free lunch program (I think just for kids) from 12:00 - 12:30 where underprivileged kids can come and grab a healthy free meal. What a great idea! There are also camps and swim lessons going on around the park which is a great way to spend the summer. The only downfalls are homeless people seem to like the free bathrooms, (which are pretty gross and there is no soap in the soap dispenser), and there is not much shade on the playground, which gets really hot during the NoHo Summers.

Other than that, we really liked this park!

Pros and Cons

Pros:
Easy Free Parking
Lots of activities (basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming, playground)
Free restrooms
Safe (Playground is away from street)
Kids and Teens promoted activities

Cons:
HOT! Not very much shade
Girls complained that the equipment (swings and bars) were hot
Dirty dirty bathrooms
No soap

From a Parent's Perspective this is a good park. The homeless walking from the street through the playground to the bathrooms is a little unsettling, but these are North Hollywood homeless people, not Skid Row homeless, ya know what I mean? There isn't much shade to sit and watch your kids, so bring plenty of sunscreen. And only use the bathrooms if you have to!

From a Kid's Perspective other than the hot playground equipment what is not to love? It's a park! There's a seat and table area under the playground that is shaded that my girls seemed to love, they loved running around the empty baseball diamond and exploring the grassy fields. If we had more time and had brought our suits we would've gone in the pool!

Address: 11430 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Hours:

Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday: Closed

Phone:(818) 763-7651

Studio City Recreation Center (AKA Beeman Park)

Today we packed a lunch and headed down the street to Studio City Recreation Center (AKA Beeman Park). We love this park and have frequently visited over the past couple of years. It's a great place for birthday parties or to escape the heat of the Valley thanks to the huge shady trees.

Nice new foamy cushiony ground.

Sand for sand play!

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Love that this is an Inclusive Playground. I've seen a few of these around and we'll definitely hit more of them up during the Summer, but check out www.shaneinspiration.org. They build playgrounds and design programs for children of all abilities to provide a bias-free world for children with disabilities. How cool is that?

Huge trees to read books by.

Heck yeah Zip Line!

The "Circle Spinny Thing" as my kids call it. 

Pros and Cons

Pros:
Close, semi clean bathrooms available

Lots of shade

Wheelchair accessible

Recently Updated Playground Equipment

Gated from the street

Picnic Tables

Plenty of benches

Not too crowded on a Monday Afternoon

Sand for Sand Play

Nearby Ice Cream Truck

Plenty of free, close street parking

Cons:

I can't really think of any negatives about this park...

From a parent's perspective this park is an A+. It's safe, fun, physically demanding for the kids and provides plenty of places to sit and chill while watching your kids play. 

From a kid's perspective this park rocks their socks off. Sand, sometimes water play (see video), tons of cool different activities. This park rocks some different options on the playground such as the spinning circle thingy (my daughters definition) and the zip line.

12621 Rye St., Studio City, CA 91604

Phone: (818) 769-4415
Fax: (818) 769-4724
Facility E -mail: STUDIOCITY.RECREATIONCENTER@LACITY.ORG
Facility Hours of Operation:
Monday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Tuesday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Wednesday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Thursday: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Friday: 10:00 am - 8:00pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday: Closed

LA Park Review Intro

The video says it all! Welcome to Los Angeles Park Reviews! A fun little summer project for the Blackwell Family. Follow along as we explore all that Los Angeles Parks have to offer and give our kid and adult perspectives on each park!

Cheers!

-marc