Why We Love LA

It started at 8:30am at Belmont Shores with Nike Top 20*, a local running group that is very active in the community. They were in Long Beach that morning to help an organization called 30 Minute Beach Cleanup.

After pounding a couple miles of pavement and coming back in the sand, it was time to grab some gloves, garbage bags, and as much trash as we could manage. And we wonder why the rest of the country thinks California is full of environmentalist health nuts?

Post-cleanup we headed to the VA (Veterans Administration, for non Westsiders), where 24th ranked UCLA was playing a doubleheader against Cal State Northridge's baseball team at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Little kids ran amok in pursuit of foul balls and all fans were close enough to hear the benches yell "Back!" when an opposing pitcher tried for a pickoff.

Even thought the scoreboard flashed "1st Inning" midway through the sixth, the 405 (just past the right field fence) was still moving at a slower pace than the game. That's how baseball should be.

A few hours later we were knocking back beers at an LAist contributor's house near Silver Lake (what could be trendier in LA right now?) in preparation for a walk through Elysian Park to Chavez Ravine. Yep, what LA day would be complete without a Dodger Dog, rowdy seventh inning stretch, or a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the tenth? We had it all.

And the cherry on top of our sundae Saturday? Sunset Strip, of course. Ignoring phone calls about The Game, Snoop, and Xibit performing a free concert at USC and another buddy who was at a party with a bunch of car models, we rushed over to Key Club where some drum and bass show was going down in the main room while a friend pulled a birthday blackout in a private room. Of course, we couldn't provide any photos of that.

Oh, we showed up late to pretty much everything. What could be more LA?

* In the interests of full disclosure, this LAist contibutor works for the Nike Top 20 program

Beach photos by Gareth Mackay. All others by Adam Rose.