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July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.
Put your blinders on and you might just miss this gem of a park while en route to pick up foodstuffs at the WeHo location of Trader Joe's. Located officially at 7341 Willoughby Ave, Poinsettia Park and Recreation Center is nestled in an almost perfect square between Romaine Street, Willoughby Avenue, Martel Street, and Poinsettia Place (to the north, south, west, and east, respectively).
Discovered years ago while looking for courts to host an indie rock tennis league (i.e. a busted iPod playing Pavement b-sides and a cooler of beer; tennis skills not required), this combination park and recreation center is home to a bevy of useful facilities well beyond the open grassy spaces for the neighborhood locals to bring their dogs. Featuring a lighted baseball diamond, indoor/outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, handball courts, and an indoor gym, they also offer a variety of activities for all ages, which can be found by browsing their online catalog.
An excellent choice if you're located in (West) Hollywood, growing bored of Pan Pacific, and want to get your game on. Tennis, anyone?
