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Don't count the days, make the days count! #wellnessOn

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The LA Colisium New Layer Return To Map The LA Coliseum
Return To Map Jet Propulsion Lab Northwest of the Huntington Library eight miles is the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As stated by its site, it’s a “national research facility that carries out robotic space and Earth science missions”. The research was involved in developing America’s first Earth-orbiting science satellite among other achievements. Their work continues to work on planetary exploration and technology development.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers tours, team competitions, lecture series, and other public events. For more information, visit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/. Welcome to the Wellness Challenge! We will begin the journey at the Engineering Quad on USC’s University Park Campus. Today we will be travelling approximately nine miles to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. In a city, it is often rare to find patches of greenery and wildlife. This history park offers a quick get away from the bustling city with trails, picnic areas, exhibits and more! The park even offers a variety of programming. More information can be found at: lashp.com.
Download the Zoom background Back to Map Los Angeles State Historic Park From the Los Angeles State Historic Park, we will be venturing northwest eight miles to Hollywood Boulevard. This strip celebrates the rich film and entertainment culture in Los Angeles. There are several opportunities to check out a show at the multitude of theaters. Maybe you are interested in celebrities? Take a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame or visit the wax museums! You never know who you might run into!
Hollywood Boulevard Back to Map Hollywood Sign For a shorter trip of five miles to the east, we can find another iconic LA location: the Hollywood sign! Originally reading “Hollywoodland”, the sign was created as a real estate advertisement by the housing development company of the same name. When the City of Los Angeles Park Department was contracted to repair the deteriorating sign, the “land” was removed. Now anyone can use any of the three trails from Griffith Observatory to get to the sign. For more information about the hiking trails, visit: https://hollywoodsign.org/hiking-to-the-sign/. Back to Map Back to Map Los Angeles Zoo From the Los Angeles State Historic Park, we will be venturing northwest eight miles to Hollywood Boulevard. This strip celebrates the rich film and entertainment culture in Los Angeles. There are several opportunities to check out a show at the multitude of theaters. Maybe you are interested in celebrities? Take a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame or visit the wax museums! You never know who you might run into!
Back to Map Descanso Garden Take a trip eight miles northeast of the Los Angeles Zoo and we will reach Descanso Gardens. The longer trip will be worth it! There are beautiful events held throughout the year that amplify its natural beauty. Because of the diversity, there is always something to see in the gardens. You can check out the bloom schedule at: https://www.descansogardens.org/visit/whats-in-bloom/ Back to Map La Tuna Canyon Park An even longer trek of eight miles to the west and you will reach the La Tuna Canyon Trail of La Tuna Canyon Park. The trials allow you to visit the canyons and mountains in the park.
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Back to Map Flappers Comedy Club Head south nine miles to return to the action! Here we arrive at the Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant. There are virtual comedy shows and open mics every night of the week! Check out this week’s schedule at: https://www.flapperscomedy.com/ Back to Map Universal Studios Five miles southwest of Flappers is Universal Studios!
If you’re a fan of Jurassic World, Transformers, Harry Potter, or any other Warner Brothers production, a visit to Universal is a must! They offer rides, shows and other attractions to bring these worlds to life! Near Universal Studio is the Warner Brothers Studio, a place where all the filming magic happens! While the tour of the studio is currently closed, most TV show tapings are accepting virtual audiences. Whether virtual or live, these audience seats are free!
Back to Map Urban Light A nine mile trip directly south of Universal Studios is the Urban Light, a sculpture by Chris Burden located at the entrance of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. There are a total of 16 different types of lamps. These street lamps are solar powered and light from dusk to dawn.
While the museum is temporarily closed, these lights can still be viewed by visitors. Once the museum is reopened, tickets can be obtained from: https://www.lacma.org/. (Free admission on the second Tuesday of each month.) Back to Map Santa Monica Pier Ten miles southwest of the Urban Lights is the Santa Monica Pier. With street performers, rides, and restaurants, there is something for everyone! The pier sits on the Santa Monica beach, which stretches over three miles.
Just a little east of the pier is 3rd Street and Promenade Street. These several blocks are car-free and filled with a variety of shops. Download the Zoom background here.
Back to Map Ballona Wetlands To return back to nature, head southeast to the Ballona Wetlands. Here there are over eight hundred native plants restored and over two hundred bird species observed. In the 1970’s, the land was considered for development but a grassroots movement advocated for the preservation of the wetlands. Since this, reservation events have been held to clean the site. Unfortunately, construction of the Marina Del Rey destroyed a large portion of the land and the restoration is very much in progress. To find out more about a visit or how to be involved with their efforts, visit: https://www.ballonafriends.org/visit-ballona. Download the zoom background by clicking here. Back to Map Museum of Jurassic Technology Six miles northeast of the Ballona Wetlands is the Museum of Jurassic Technology. The museum contains items of scientific, artistic, and historic sort. It follows the traditional museum presentation of material yet conveys a chaotic and uncertain element with the strange objects on display.
Due to COVID-19, the museum will be closed until further notice. To check for updates, visit: https://www.mjt.org/covid-19.html. Back to Map The Original Farmers Market For some food, head another seven miles northeast to the Original Farmer’s Market. Opening in 1934, the market had food stalls and sit down eateries. Now the Original Farmer’s Market has over a 100 vendors which now includes grocers and tourist shops. For more information, see: https://farmersmarketla.com.
Back to Map Koreatown
Directly five miles east of the Original Farmer’s Market to Koreatown. Koreatown is just north of the USC University Park campus. The Korean Cultural Center and Korean American National Museum are some notable locations. In addition, there are many asian supermarkets and authentic restaurants! Back to Map California Science Center
Five miles south of Koreatown is the California Science Center! Here in the center, you can visit Endeavor, the space shuttle that replaced the Challenger. During the course of its 25 missions to space, the shuttle has spent nearly 300 days in space! Unfortunately, the center is currently closed due to the pandemic, but if you have children, they offer resources to help children explore science at home. To keep up to date about its reopening or to access its resources, visit: https://californiasciencecenter.org/visit/coronavirus-information. Back to Map Smorgasburg From the California Science Center, head downtown five miles to Smorgasburg! Open on Sundays during pre-COVID-19 times, the open air food market hosted many local vendors. The in-person market remains closed, but some select vendors are offering delivery via Grubhub on Saturdays and Sundays! For more information on how to order, visit https://la.smorgasburg.com/. Back to Map Vincent Price Museum Travel seven miles west of Smorgaburg to the Vincent Price Art Museum. The museum is named after Vincent Price, an American actor who donated parts of his personal collection. The venue has been used to showcase work from underrepresented Los Angeles artists. They hold live virtual events on Instagram! To learn more about upcoming events, visit @vpam_arts on Instagram. Back to Map Turnbull Canyon Moving another nine miles east of the art museum we reach the Turnbull Canyon. It is a canyon that runs east-west located in the Puente Hills Preserve. There is a four mile loop trail that one can take for a scenic view! The weather is somewhat controlled by its proximity to the ocean so in the winter months there may be frost on the ground and in the summer it rarely gets hotter than ninety-five degrees. Back to Map Whittier Narrows Recreation Area If you are more of a park person, then head seven miles north of the Turnbull Canyon to the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area! They don’t just offer trails for hikes and horseback riding, but also have boat rentals, fields (soccer, tennis, baseball, .etc), community gardens, fishing, and picnic shelters - just to name a few. It is a great space to safely socialize with others. Note that there is a $6 entrance fee per vehicle on weekends and holidays. For more information, visit: https://parks.lacounty.gov/whittier-narrows-recreation-area/. Back to Map The Original In-n-Out Replica North of the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area seven miles is the replica of the original In-N-Out. When it was reconstructed, the aesthetics and design of the original were reserved. When visiting, you will notice the pricing signage maintains the original prices and there is even a cigarette machine because fast food chains used to sell cigarettes! Also note the potato dicer and cash drawer are from the original first location!
The place is open Thursday through Sunday from 11:00AM-2:00PM at 13766 Francisquito Ave, Baldwin Park, CA. There is a fully-operational In-N-Out if you are feeling one of their hamburgers after your visit!
Back to Map Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area Five miles north of the In-N-Out replica is the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area. It is a flood-control dam on the San Gabriel River, but remains dry for most of the year. It sits in a region of gravel quarries, as the San Gabriel Mountains produce an above average amount of gravel.The park nearby is maintained by the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and contains a seventy acre lake that is worthy of a visit if the dam is dry. The lake allows for fishing and the use of non-motorized watercrafts.
In addition to the water activities, there are hikes to great views of the San Gabriel Mountains!
Back to Map 626 Night Market A trek ten miles west of the dam will get you to the 626 Night Market! Inspired by the night markets in Asia, this is the original and largest night market in the United States. It gets its name from the 626 area code for the San Gabriel Valley. While all events for the 2020 year have been cancelled, be on the lookout for 2021 dates!
For more information, visit: https://www.626nightmarket.com/. Back to Map Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens Five miles west of the 626 Night Market is the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. It is a collections-based research and educational institution with an extensive art collection in addition to the library. Specialized gardens span the 120 acre property, the most notable being the “Japanese Garden”, the “Desert Garden”, and the “Chinese Garden”.
Due to COVID, only the gardens are open and advanced reservations are required. For more information, visit: https://www.huntington.org/. Back to Map Verdugo Mountains A long journey ten miles west of the NASA laboratory is the Verdugo Mountains. They are completely surrounded by urban development and offer recreational hiking and mountain biking. The point on this map takes you directly to the entrance of one of the trails! Back to Map Museum of Neon Art Heading back toward downtown Los Angeles, we head south ten miles to the Museum of Neon Art, also called the MONA. It is the first museum dedicated to art that incorporates neon lighting. Its collection includes historic neon signs. In addition to the exhibits, the museum also offers classes in glass bending in its studio space!
Due to COVID, the physical museum is closed, but there are free downloadable walking guides that can be found on the website (https://www.neonmona.org/). Back to Map Galco's Soda Pop Stop For a rather unique stop, we will head southeast five miles to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. It began as a small Italian grocery and has been standing for over a hundred years! Much of the space has shifted into a soda pop and beer space, but an Italian deli still remains in the back. Now people visit from all over to see the 600+ sodas and wide selection of craft beers! They have made appearances on PBS, the Food Channel, and magazines. Back to Map HSC Campus From the Los Angeles State Historic Park, we will be venturing northwest eight miles to Hollywood Boulevard. This strip celebrates the rich film and entertainment culture in Los Angeles. There are several opportunities to check out a show at the multitude of theaters. Maybe you are interested in celebrities? Take a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame or visit the wax museums! You never know who you might run into!
Back to Map The Last Bookstore For our second to last stop on this Tour de LA, five miles southwest of the Health Science campus, is The Last Bookstore. It is housed in the space of an abandoned bank. Its creative use of books for unique displays attracts a lot of bookworms and Instagram users.
The second floor also contains space for local artist works. The works are for sale and the artists can sometimes be seen in the space!
Back to Map Viterbi Engineering Quad Welcome to the Wellness Challenge! We will begin the journey at USC’s University Park Campus. Formally known as the Epstein Family Engineering Plaza, but in Viterbi, we call it the Engineering Quad or E-Quad for short. It's a favorite among the Viterbi Community for its green grass, fountain, and umbrella seating with charging stations. Today we will be travelling approximately nine miles to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. Download the zoom background.

Published on September 9th, 2021

Last updated on October 31st, 2021