Lupita and Juan

At last year’s kite festival Lupita was pregnant with her and Juan’s son. This year she held him in her arms as they watched the kites together. “Now as a parent, parks mean more to me than they previously did,” said Juan. Juan grew up across from Echo Park Lake which he considered his playground. “It is important to create memories at the park together for personal reasons, it allows me to revisit my own childhood memories, but it’s also important for my son to have a space where he can run around and play with other kids. It’s something that’s hard to come by in a safe way in the city. So I think public parks, as long as they are kept well, offer a safe place for kids to just be kids.”