Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA

Exposition Park is the South Los Angeles neighborhood named for the park at its eastern edge, where the Coliseum, BMO Stadium, the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center and CAAM, the African American history museum, share one campus. The park has hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and is set for the 2028 Games. Homes west of the park are mostly older single-family houses, duplexes and modest apartment blocks on a tight grid, with most units rented. Bungalows from the early decades of the 1900s mix with postwar stucco buildings, and the blocks closer to USC hold newer apartment and mixed-use projects. The Exposition Park Rose Garden is the neighborhood's formal green, with beds of roses and lawns that are free to walk. The Science Center houses the Space Shuttle Endeavour, and the museum lawns are open for a stroll. Park on Western Avenue and Denker Recreation Center on 35th Place serve as the everyday parks. For food, Mercado La Paloma on Grand Avenue is the local anchor, a community marketplace where Holbox serves inventive seafood and Chichen Itza cooks Yucatecan cochinita pibil. Western Avenue has a run of Caribbean kitchens, including Jerk Lab and Tracey's. Urbnmrkt on Grand Avenue near USC works as a cafe and study spot. Errands mostly happen along Western and Vermont, with Food 4 Less on Jefferson for groceries. The Exposition Park Regional Library sits on Western. Three E Line stations serve the neighborhood, so downtown and Santa Monica are a straight train ride, and the 110 Freeway runs just east. The tradeoff is event traffic. Football Saturdays, soccer matches and big concerts pack the streets, and parking near the park fills early. On quiet weekdays in Exposition Park, though, a rose garden, a space shuttle and a natural history museum are all within an easy walk of home.