Lena, Ty, Juilenne, and Connie

“My first time at LA State Historic Park was at last year’s Kite Festival,” Lena said as her friends sat around her. “Coming from Europe there was a huge variety of parks where I spent most of my summers. Parks make me feel really connected to the city because you meet people that you normally wouldn’t get to interact with.” Her friend Juilenne added to this statement, “I also think it is important because LA is already a city that feels so difficult to get around, especially if you don’t have a car. It’s important to have easy access to parks to spend time with your friends. This part of the city is very dense and the park is the largest nearby flat sprawl of open public land.”

Ty nodded in agreement, “Most people in the city spend their time commuting in their cars. We can’t connect with someone when you are in two different cars. At the park you can see your community, see other people that you can connect with. Especially in LA where it’s so hard to make human connections, at a park you can do that, he said.” Connie made note of LA State Historic Park’s close proximity to Chinatown, “This park is a beautiful space to walk to from Chinatown to spend an afternoon.”