Every large metropolitan area needs a park, a little oasis of nature to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. New York City has Central Park, Tokyo has Yoyogi Park (among others), and Berlin has it’s own Tiergarten. But what does Los Angeles have? In LA, there is not really one centralized park, but rather a series of smaller parks and surrounding hiking areas in the hills to provide the much needed nature escape for it’s 4 million residents.
These pics were taken early in the morning at Echo Park. The area around the lake offers some of the best views of downtown LA. It was actually somewhat overcast the morning I visited which is a rare contrast from the blue skies more typically seen around the city.
If you’re looking to find this bench at Echo Park, good luck. You will search for hours and come up empty handed. This is because the bench is not actually located at Echo park, but rather at neighboring Vista Hermosa natural park. The scenic backdrop to this bench makes it an attractive site for engagement and portrait photographers. If you’re here at sunset, expect to see a couple with a well choreographed kiss or perfectly timed eye-to-eye stare for the camera.
Here’s some trivia: Why do all the buildings in downtown LA have flat rooftops? Why don’t you see any decorative pointy rooftops like the Chrysler Building in NYC? The reason is that all skyscrapers in this city are mandated to have helicopter pads at the top in case evacuation via helicopter is needed.