Bowling While Cooling Off? Alternate Cooling Centers in SoCal To Help You Dodge The Heat

As the heat wave continues, you need to keep yourself cool and make sure your friends and neighbors — especially seniors — have AC or are someplace cool, like one of the many cooling centers across Southern California.

But if you're able-bodied and either don't want to stay at home in front of the AC or don't have AC in your place (sorry!), we've come up with a list of alternate cooling centers — spots to cool you down and help you explore Southern California

The Thirteenth Frame at La Habral 300 Bowl, rated one of the OC's best dive bars.

La Habra 300 Bowl

Family-owned and operated since 1960, the La Habra 300 Bowl is one of the last of the great Googie bowling palaces, with a full-service restaurant, and The Thirteenth Frame, rated one of the OC's best dive bars, although it's not really divey at all. Ask for your beer with a pickle juice back, and remember, Mookie Betts loves bowling. Coincidence? We think not.

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"Twilight Garden Strolls" at the Huntington Library

It's pretty much a state law that when relatives come from out of town, you are required to bring them to The Huntington museum and gardens in San Marino. But there's nothing keeping you from visiting on your own. On the evenings of Fri., Aug. 4; Sun., Aug. 13; and Sun., Aug. 20, they're keeping the gardens open for Twilight Garden Strolls, so that you can saunter through the luxurious shaded gardens and think cool thoughts as the sun goes down. (Fun fact: You won't see garbage cans in front of people's houses in San Marino because it's against the law!)

St. Basil's Catholic Church

The LA Conservancy calls St. Basil's Catholic Church, at Wilshire and Kingsley, a "bristling fortress." And says it was built in 1969 to "evoke the feel of a very early Christian church or a monastery." There's lots of concrete, abstract stained glass windows, and attenuated statuary, all in the Brutalist style. Lean against the exposed aggregate in the concrete, and let it greedily suck the heat from your body.

The HMS Bounty

After cool quiet contemplation in St. Basil's, head further down Wilshire to The HMS Bounty, across from the old Ambassador Hotel. The restaurant, which opened in 1962, is in the basement of the venerable Gaylord apartment building, with a street entrance. As the name implies, the decor is nautical (but nice), with cheap drinks and a full menu, including one of the city's most underrated hamburgers.

The Beverly Center

The mall -- the ultimate cooling center

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Courtesy of Beverly Center

)

If you’ve got a sweaty teenager moping around the house, send them to The Beverly Center to cool off. The mall opened in 1982 on the site of what used to be a small amusement park that featured a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, mini roller coaster and pony ride (Ponyland). The unusually shaped building sits on top of the Salt Lake Oil Field. The current mall features high-end shopping (including Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci and Prada). Fun fact — the mall shows up in “Eraserhead,” “Scenes from a Mall,” “Selena,” SNL and the video game Grand Theft Auto V.