LA Fitness is conveniently located on Hollywood Boulevard. It is the perfect gym to feel comfortable and at ease while working out. With a friendly, dedicated staff, LA Fitness prides itself on providing you with all the fitness knowledge you desire. The gym features a wide variety of fitness amenities, as well as basketball courts, swimming pools, free weights, elliptical machines, fitness classes and much, much more. There is a free parking lot with validation.
Hollywood Gym & Fitness occupies a four-story building and offers a variety of fitness programs, with group classes including yoga, pilates, aerobics, spinning, Hip-Hop, kickboxing and weight training. It also features a tanning salon, a juice bar, saunas, a boxing facility, a Treadwall and a massage therapy department, including a chiropractor. Underground parking available.
Seido Karate Los Angeles is the place where kids and adults can learn and compete in one of the most effective martial arts programs in the world. More than a gym, it's a place where people can lose weight, earn a black belt and get into great shape. And for kids it's a place to learn confidence, self discipline and respect. Each class (limited to 12 students with no exceptions) features Seido Karate, a traditional Japanese style of karate founded by Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura.
Optimist Youth Homes and Family is located near the 110 freeway in Highland Park, on Figueroa Street. Optimist Youth Homes serves more than 500 youth in need of rehabilitation and reform and helps to teach the children core values of respect, dignity and independence. The home offers many mental health programs, such as Day Rehabilitation, Aftercare and Adjunctive Therapies for their clients. The residences on campus provide homes for about 100 adolescent boys while they are enrolled, and there are also four group homes throughout the Los Angeles area that house both girls and boys.
Dance Village Studio 1 and 2 is located on west Temple Street in Echo Park Avenue in Echo Park near the 101 freeway making its studio easily accessible. It offers a variety of dances from ballroom, waltz, tango, fox trot to free style. Its staff is courteous and professional and two have come from the Arthur Murray studios in Santa Monica. It offers great training at affordable rates.
LA Fitness is located on Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood. It offers personalized fitness classes and fitness instructors. With a host of cardio and weight training equipment, it has everything you need to get yourself into shape.
With some of the best views in Los Angeles, Runyon Canyon Park is not only this sprawling city's premier urban hiking destination, but is also a dog, people and celeb-watching paradise. Hundreds of fast-moving hikers, selfie-taking hipsters, models in full makeup, serious dog walkers and personal trainers barking at their well-outfitted clients show up daily for a sweat-inducing workout. And while Runyon is a family-friendly place, babies and toddlers in strollers are not recommended as paths are rocky, narrow and steep. Dogs seem to own Runyon as their masters bring them along for both on- and off-leash activities. At the top, out-of-breath hikers are rewarded with sweeping views of the Hollywood sign, downtown L.A., Griffith Observatory, The Sunset Strip and even the Pacific Ocean (on clear days). Tip: Wear sneakers, bring water, slather on sunscreen and/or wear a hat and watch out for dog droppings.
How to get to Runyon Canyon Park
Runyon Canyon Park sprawls over 130 acres with five different entrances. The most popular entrance is at the very north end of L.A.'s Fuller Avenue with the nearby Vista Street gates as a secondary opening. With no parking lot per se, hikers are dependent on this quiet neighborhood's street parking, which is very limited and highly regulated (follow the signs to avoid tickets!). Smart tourists take Uber, Lyft or a taxi to either the Fuller or (the more remote) Mulholland Drive entrances. Taking the bus? Metro Bus 217 rides along Hollywood Boulevard with stops at Fuller and Gardner (for Vista entrance).
Best times to visit Runyon Canyon Park
Weekend mornings are the busiest times with hundreds of people flooding into Runyon, especially at the Fuller entrance, although weekday mornings can be just as congested. The best times to visit are at sunset when the crowds abate and the sun goes down. Runyon Canyon provides little shade, so be sure to be extra cautious on hot and sunny days when it comes to overheating.
Admission to Runyon Canyon Park
Runyon Canyon Park is a city park, so admission is free. Don't miss the honor-style snack cart just to the left of the Fuller Avenue gates.
Must see and do at Runyon Canyon Park
Five trails wind through Runyon Canyon and have varying degrees of difficulty with a three-mile full loop. The most popular trails start at the Fuller entrance including the most easy and paved "central fire road," the more difficult "inspiration point" and "clouds rest" and the most treacherous "western trail," which has the best views at the park's highest point, Indian Rock. Remnants of a house and pool built by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright can be seen on the lower canyon trail just south of Indian Rock.
Other places to visit near Runyon Canyon Park
Skip the expensive and snooty Aroma Café at the intersection of Fuller and Sunset Boulevard and head to local watering holes in L.A.'s 90046 such as El Compadre (Mexican), TOI (Thai), Cheebo (California casual), John Kelly Chocolates (a real chocolatier), Elderberries (vegan), Vintage Wine Bar (wines and apps), The Pikey (modern pub grub), Chipotle (corner of Stanley and Sunset) and Griddle Cafe (best pancakes in L.A.). Also don't miss the world-famous actor's book store, Samuel French Bookshop, and rocker's heaven, Guitar Center.
Insider tip
Worried about parking? Come right after noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (street sweeping days) at the Fuller and Vista entrances when spots are plentiful. Alternatively, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are the worst days and times for Vista and Fuller street parking.
Author's bio; Sheryll Alexander is loving life in the heart of L.A.'s 90046. She has been published in Travel+Leisure, AOL, and Gayot and runs a social media-based content and publicity business.
Curves is a nationwide gym and fitness center chain. Its fitness goal is very specific: It was created for women's health. The first location was opened in 1992, and now there are hundreds throughout the country. This location is in a busy and lively part of town, on the corner of Eagle Rock Boulevard between Yosemite Drive and Addison Way. The gym's experienced staff can offer training, classes, advisement and encouragement to members working on their particular goals. Curve's equipment is primarily cardio and strength training machines that can accomplish its 30-minute workout system. Members can also purchase vitamins, supplements and books at this location.
Pilates Eagle Rock is a studio offering private Pilates lessons and classes, as well as classes in yoga, Gyrotonics and Gyrokinesis. There is also a chiropractic practice located here that offers chiropractic and massage services to the studio's patrons. For more information, please visit the website or call the number provided.
Silver Lake Recreation Center is a community resource which provides recreational facilities to members of the public in Silver Lake. Features include a full-sized adult basketball court, an indoor kids basketball court and gym, two outdoor play sets for kids, a large grassy field, two dog parks and a trail around the lake used for running and jogging.
Ballroom Blitz is an independently owned family dancing service in the town of Eagle Rock which provides community members with ballroom and Latin Dancing. Ballroom Blitz also offers private and group classes at affordable prices and gift certificates. According to Anthony, one of the owners, Ballroom Blitz is "proud to bring ballroom dancing to Eagle Rock. We live in the community, and we're proud that Eagle Rock is not a manufactured community, but a neighborhood which has its own identity and characteristics." For more information on class schedules, be sure to call the telephone number or visit the Web address provided.
