The more innocent, guileless part of our mind wants to describe Ernest E. Debs Regional Park as an amazingly underused place, a wild, hilly gem about 10 minutes north of downtown off the 110 freeway, and the third largest public park in Los Angeles. The more jaded part of our mind wants to describe it as a vantage point from which diagonally mobile hipsters can look out and point to a plethora of “next Silver Lakes.” There's Highland Park, and Eagle Rock — already done, we know — and Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights and Glassell Park, still edgy and new. But forget all that for a minute and enjoy the hiking paths, dramatic city views, peaceful pond, plentiful trees, flower-filled fields, baseball diamonds, soccer pitch and architecturally cool-modernist Audubon Center. Observant hikers have spotted rare plants, owls, coyotes and the occasional sideburns-wearing indie-band dude prowling the area for organic coffee. 4235 Monterey Road, Montecito Heights. (213) 847-3989, laparks.org/dos/parks/facility/ernestEDebsPk.htm.

—Adam Gropman

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