Los Angeles is my home. I know this place so well, but you can never have enough of this city. Recently I went to Los Angles to see my parents. I took a long break this time, because of the lockdown. My recent tour was a little different. Los Angeles like the rest of the world has set to the new pandemic normal. I thought of writing a guide for those who plan to pay a visit. There are a lot of fun activities still doable in Los Angeles. Here’s a list of things i’ve done recently.
Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens is undoubtedly one of the best places to enjoy during the lockdown (lots of social distancing!). The gardens are blooming with beautiful yellow sunflowers that look even more gorgeous during the late afternoon/ evening hours. During the flowing season, the red roses and cherry blossoms add to the beauty of this 150-acre piece of heaven. During the fall season, it looks pretty. These days you can stay in the gardens up till 8 pm at the night. The gardens are particularly safe during these times because the social distancing norms are very well followed here.
If you are going to the gardens on any of the weekend days then you should prefer Descanso’s peaceful and serene Japanese Gardens. Enjoy a cocktail in the tranquility of these gardens. The entry tickets of these gardens can be booked online.
Build health
The long lock-down has adversely affected the health of the people. The best use of an outing would be if it could cater to your health needs. Many of the Los Angeles fitness studios and gyms that have stayed locked down for many months are now operating outdoors with all social distance measures taken care of. You can spot many yoga sessions conducted along the beaches, early morning gymnastics in public parks and gardens, etc. The evening instruction sessions at the Arboretum and the weekend classes at the Griffith Park are examples. Choose a class nearby and enjoy the fun while healing your health.
Still Life Ceramics studio at ROW DTLA
All art forms are stress busters. Pottery is perhaps is one of the best. It is one satisfying skill that most people wish to learn. What better way to utilize the time that the lockdown has given you? The Still Life Ceramics studio at ROW DTLA has taken its pottery classes outdoors, taking care of all Covid guidelines. You have options to choose from: an hour-long session where you will get to make a bowl of your own with your own hands. An instructor from the studio will help you with this, and you can get the baked form of your bowl a week later from this place. The other course that you can choose is a four-week long program where you the art of pottery in depth. During this program, you will get to make 15 different pottery pieces to keep.
Drive-in theatres
If you are a cinema lover and have missed going to a theatre during the lock-down, then go out and take a seat in one of these drive-in theatres. The theatres have come back with all new content including retro spots and pop-ups. A lot of drive-in film fests are also continuously coming up.
Forest bathing
In the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, a new health practice called forest bathing is conducted every Wednesday evening. The practice includes walking through a forest. So, you are kind of bathing/ immersing yourself in a forest. It is said that this practice is based on the Japanese ‘shinrin yoku’ practice. It allows you to communicate with nature through the forest land. The practice can help you relieve stress, which in turn improves your immunity and cognitive functioning.
What have you done?
Let us know in the comments section below what interesting things you do around LA – We’d love suggestions on what we should do next (and it will help us with future posts). 🙂
