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Best Parks And Play In Los Angeles

PHOTOS: The Best Parks and Places To Play In Los Angeles
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By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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Los Angeles Magazine has just released their annual Best of LA list, and here's a sample of their picks for the best Parks & Play for 2010. Bring the kids to the Best Aquarium, take some time out for yourself on the Best Long-Distance Running Trail, or take someone on a date without breaking the bank with the Best Way To Get Cheap Dudamel Tickets. For the rest of the list and more of the Best of LA, check out Los Angeles Magazine.

Caption text courtesy of Los Angeles Magazine.

Best Of LA 2010: Parks + Play
Best Celebrity Workout(01 of08)
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Barry's Bootcamp1106 N. La Cienega Blvd., West HollywoodAt the top of the heap is Barry’s Bootcamp, which has a high-energy class that combines calorie-burning cardio with strength training. Disciples, including Kim Kardashian and Jessica Alba, flood in for Barry Jay’s take-no-prisoners class, which starts at 5 a.m. The instructors, wearing microphones, are playful drill sergeants who, with personalized attention that encourages rather than embarrasses, push newbies and chiseled vets alike to improve. The philosophy? It always hurts to get to the next level.
Best Japanese Garden(02 of08)
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The Japanese Garden: Suiho En6100 Woodley Ave., Van NuysThink of this place as a striptease. "It reveals itself gradually," says docent Dori Kyle, “so everything is a surprise.” At The Japanese Garden: Suiho En, stones, plants, and water are precisely integrated, offering six-and-a-half acres of refuge. The only intruder on a recent visit was a Canada goose who laid her eggs in marigolds around a fountain.
Best Aquarium(03 of08)
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Best Aquarium100 Aquarium Way, Long BeachAt Aquarium of the Pacific, you can lose yourself in the tropical reef exhibit that arches overhead; with 350,000 gallons of water, it’s the largest indoor exploration of ocean habitats in the world. Get to the sea lion-seal show a half hour early or miss scoring a seat on the concrete bleachers. Photo via Flickr: Kingdom Animalia.
Best Neighborhood Amusement Park(04 of08)
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Pacific Park380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa MonicaSplendid seaside pleasure parks once dotted Los Angeles County. The sole remaining site, Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, is a time-warp combination of beach-town grit and childlike escapism. The Ferris wheel, the only one in the country to run on solar power, affords a spectacular view of the coastline. Rides range from barely scary (for the littlest kids) to sorta frightening (the swinging Sea Dragon). Carny-style games abound for those who desire to toss, shoot, and squirt their way to winning any number of vibrantly colored stuffed animals.
Best way To Get Cheap Tix For Dudamel At WDCH(05 of08)
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Walt Disney Concert Hall box office111 S. Grand Ave., downtownDon’t assume that hysteria over Gustavo Dudamel has made it impossible to nail inexpensive single tickets to the young conductor’s performances with the L.A. Phil at Disney Hall. Sure, season subscribers buy up the majority of choice seats each year, but tickets as low as $18 were available for every one of the Dude’s shows last season, and 20 percent or more of the seats for performances Thursday through Sunday went for less than $50. There’s every indication it will be the same this coming season, which starts October 7. Photo by Sandra Bracho via gustavodudamel.com.
Best Miniature Golf(06 of08)
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Arroyo Seco1055 Lohman Ln., South PasadenaSouth Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco miniature golf course is not big or elaborate like those theme-parky installations you see from the freeway. There are no rides or video games to sate Fun Dip-stained partygoers. Built in 1955, it is a teeny, tattered nine-hole pocket that sits at the bottom of the Arroyo between a putting green and a driving range. And it is perfect.
Best Dog Adoption(07 of08)
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Karma RescueShelter shopper may be better known for saving dogs from imminent euthanasia—the service helps people navigate the city’s overcrowded and often unfriendly shelters. But for adoptions plus assistance before and after, Karma Rescue is tops. The nonprofit, which has placed more than 1,000 purebreds and mutts in permanent homes since opening in 2004, offers standard services like behavioral evaluation, microchipping, vaccinating, and spaying and neutering.Photo via Flickr: >>>WonderMike
Best Long-Distance Running Trail(08 of08)
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Franklin Canyon Ranch2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills For more gradual undulating inclines, a sense of seclusion, and free parking, try Franklin Canyon Ranch in the hills between Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills. One loop takes you from the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom and Botanical Garden parking lot, past lakes and ponds, up to a peak overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains and Century City, then down an abandoned fire road lined with wildflowers. It’s about five-and-a-half miles.Photo by Karin Mueller via LAMountains.com.

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