Secret Walks #23: Belvedere Park Lake, 2 miles.

A tip of the hat to Charles Fleming for leading Barbara and me to places in L.A. we'd never think or have the need to visit. This week we visited East L.A., an unincorporated, 96.7% Latino community east of Boyle Heights, immortalized by Cheech & Chong in a Springsteen parody. Our destination: Belvedere Park, the recreational heart of East L.A. for over 70 years. Bordered by the ELA Civic Center, a sheriff's station, a Metro station, and split in half by the Pomona Freeway. This clean and tidy park was surprising by its lack of early morning dog-walkers or joggers. We took a peaceful loop around the lake, accompanied by ducks, ducks, more ducks, and one very honking mad goose (who took a nip out of a lone jogger—yikes!) A quick jaunt across a pedestrian bridge over the Pomona Freeway led to a sports entertainment heaven: two baseball fields, basketball courts, children's play areas, fitness zones, skate park, soccer field, splash pad, tennis courts, and swimming pool. Well-kept and welcoming—an urban oasis. My pictures only tell part of the story, but I wanted to post several species of ducks we saw—none of whom seemed to care that their buddies looked different than they did. Recognize anyone?