Ord and Yale Street Park — Attraction in Los Angeles

I went looking for this park because I recently started working from the office again and wanted to see more of the neighborhood. The first thing you see is quintessential Los Angeles: a tall fence and stairs to a "Welcome" sign with a locked door under it. (The main entrance is shown open on the ribbon-cutting video, but a security guard I talked to who patrols the area said he's never seen the gate open in normal daily use). Fortunately, a side door is kept unlocked 24/7. Hopefully as word spreads, more people will begin to use the park.

There is a very unique-to-LA mindset when it comes to designing public spaces: approach from a place of scarcity and fear, rather than abundance and strength. Build something expensive and shiny for the photo op and ribbon cutting, but design it to minimize the public benefit by adding features like fences to keep out the "other".

The park itself is excellent and provides worthwhile amenities like shaded seating, a rock climbing wall, a water feature, bathrooms, workout equipment, etc. But because of how it's situated and separated from the street by a tall fence and locked main gate poses a risk that too few people will use it. Without safety in numbers, crime and homelessness may become an issue, creating the usual downwards spiral that will simply further convince decision-makers that city residents don't deserve nice things.

I would give it five stars if the park did not have that horrible fence "protecting" it from the public it's supposed to serve. One star goes to Mayor Garcetti, the Los Angeles Parks Department and the "public process" that led to the sad outcome that this taxpayer-funded project was designed to actually...

Ord & Yale Street Park is next door to the Chinatown branch of the LAPL; a two-minute walk from the 81/94 bus lines, and about a mile walk from Union Station.

The park is gated with digital keyless locks. The gates are closed but unlocked during open hours, which can make it appear as if the park is private and requires a code to enter. However, this is not true. The park is public and the gates can be opened without a code during daylight hours.

To find the chess tables, follow the Dragon Road to the "Picnic Area" next to the Bamboo Garden Room. Behind the children's kompan area, there are four picnic tables. Two picnic tables have metal boards installed for both chess and Xiangqi 象棋 available for play. Pieces are...

This is a great pocket park right behind the LA Library in Chinatown. It recently opened in 2021. You can gather in groups. There are 2 age group play areas as well as 2 areas with exercise equipment. Along the outside of the park is a set of 147 steps you can use to get to to the top or bottom or for exercise. Also, there's a garden with a little waterfall (dry when we were there). Definitely recommend coming here to add some Zen...