Community Corner
Rodeo Jive: Life's a Beach at Roxbury Park
With the 405 Freeway closure looming and gas prices still high, the easiest way to have a "beach day" is to visit Roxbury Park, right here in Beverly Hills.
Many of us Beverly Hills citizens could use a day at the beach. Beautiful summer weather is here, the aroma of barbecue is in the air and you can't help but imagine having a nice cold Cactus Cooler to remind you of simpler times.
Life is complicated these days. The economy is still flagging, gas prices are sky high and traffic seems to be getting worse and worse. Is it just me, or is it time to "check out" and get to the beach?
Well, I have a solution for those of you that feel the need to escape to a sunny oasis without the hassle of driving westward. If you want to relax, but don't want to get stressed out getting from Point A to Point Beach, the solution is to stay right here in Beverly Hills, grab your Coppertone and a large blanket, and head over to .
You can avoid crossing the dreaded 405 zone on Olympic, Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards by simply putting your coins (and now ) in the parking meters on Roxbury Drive, adjacent to the park. If you're lucky, you can snag a parking spot in the lot just South of the park. Join the many other people who lay out on the grassy hillsides or flat areas of this gorgeous public space, surely one of the city's most scenic vistas. Better yet, walk there or ride a bike.
It's not necessary to waste gas driving to Santa Monica or Malibu and spending the whole day on the excursion, not to mention the high parking prices along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Find out what's happening in Beverly Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Roxbury Park offers you the chance to meet new people, read trashy summer paperbacks like Valley of the Dolls (if you never got around to it) and play volleyball on real sand. There's even a skyscraper skyline view of Century City. All this and you haven't left town!
I would recommend bringing a picnic lunch along. Make it a nostalgic one, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Include some of the recently revived taco-flavored Doritos. Fill a canteen with water, throw in some apples and carrots for a healthy balance, and you're all set.
Have a stack of magazines that need reading? Pack those for your day out, then donate them to the park's Senior Center on your way home.
Roxbury Park is a true oasis in our city and one that should not be missed this summer as a close-by beach alternative. What are you waiting for?
