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Outside Magazine November 2004

Destinations: 100 Urban Adventures
City Without Limits
Los Angeles

By Lisa Anne Auerbach

Intro | How to Go Metro | New York City | New York City (Cont.) | Chicago | Los Angeles | Los Angeles (Cont.) | Denver | San Francisco | San Francisco (Cont.) | Washington, D.C. | Seattle | Boston | Urban Outfitted

Los Angeles
Santa Monica Pier at night (Larry Brownstein/PhotoDisc)
29. CRUISE THE COAST on the paved, 22-mile South Bay Bicycle Trail, which hugs the Pacific from Will Rogers State Beach to Palos Verdes. Rent wheels at Blazing Saddles, in Santa Monica (310-393-9778).

30. PRAY FOR SWELLS with Orthodox rabbi Nachum Shifren, who converts landlubbers to surfers while preaching the awesome power of nature during his nondenominational rip-curl lessons on Venice Beach. (310-877-1482, www.surfingrabbi.com)

31. DOMINATE THE RING (and sculpt your delts) at the L.A. Boxing Club, a serious downtown gym and temple of testosterone, where local champions like "Chicanito" Hernandez and Laila Ali (Muhammad Ali's daughter) trade jabs alongside beginners who come for the killer workout. (213-748-1957)

32. SADDLE UP an Appaloosa and ride overland through the Hollywood Hills. The pine-studded landscape may look familiar: It's served as a location in hundreds of movies, from Rebel Without a Cause to Terminator 3. (323-469-5450, www.sunsetranchhollywood.com)

33. SAY NAMA-STAY! in Crunch Fitness's alfresco dog-and-master yoga class (free), in Runyon Canyon on alternating Saturday mornings. No pet? Try a dodgeball or circus-sports workout at Crunch's indoor gym on Sunset. (323-654-4550, www.crunch.com)

34. SEE FOR MILES AND MILES—or at least to Burbank—from the summit of 1,625-foot Mount Hollywood, a 3.5-mile round-trip hike that starts near the Bird Sanctuary at Griffith Park. (323-913-4688)

35. SOAK IT OFF at Beverly Hot Springs, a luxurious Asian bathhouse built around the only natural hot springs inside L.A.'s city limits. Afterwards, stretch out for a stress-melting Japanese shiatsu massage. (323-734-7000, beverlyhotsprings.com)

36. SATISFY YOUR NEED FOR SPEED at the only indoor velodrome in North America. The 250-meter track inside the ADT Event Center—at the Home Depot Center in Carson—offers track-riding instruction, bike rental, and daily open training sessions. (310-630-2072, www.homedepotcenter.com)

37. DINE WITH THE YOGA SET at Real Food Daily, a gourmet hot spot in West Hollywood that serves healthy vegan cuisine even a meat lover can crave. Try a tasty tempeh Reuben and a thick slice of the chocolate cake du jour. (310-289-9910, www.realfood.com)

38. PERFECT YOUR SPIKE—and your tan—on one of 190 oceanside courts at beach volleyball's epicenter, Manhattan Beach. Get your game in show-off form with lessons from the local parks-and-rec. (310-802-5413)

39. GO FOR PAR at the Los Verdes Golf Course, in Rancho Palos Verdes, an 18-hole public layout with rolling greens overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. (Reservations recommended; 310-377-7370)

Next Page: Los Angeles (Cont.)

Intro | How to Go Metro | New York City | New York City (Cont.) | Chicago | Los Angeles | Los Angeles (Cont.) | Denver | San Francisco | San Francisco (Cont.) | Washington, D.C. | Seattle | Boston | Urban Outfitted


LISA ANNE AUERBACH's Outside article "Pope on a Rope Tow" was included in The Best American Travel Writing 2003.
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