Home to trendy restaurants/bars and indie music venues, the Echo Park neighborhood is just down the road from Dodger Stadium.

A few Saturdays ago, I spent some quality time in Los Angeles for a Dodgers game in Echo Park. I’d hadn’t been to one of their games in quite some time, but with my friend offering me a place to stay, I couldn’t refuse. Normally driving three hours from La Jolla to Echo Park just for the day would be too much for a guy like me, but having a place to stay for the night really sweetened the deal.

The traffic wasn’t too bad as I pulled onto the I-5 North. The highway takes you along the coast, so it makes for a pleasant drive. I got to my friend’s in the neighborhood around 3 p.m. and we headed to the game soon after. It was a busy day at Dodger Stadium before the holiday week — I’m not sure I could’ve faced the crowds alone! We had some classic baseball food, a hot dog with spicy mustard and nachos, which made the trip more than worth it. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost that night to the Colorado Rockies. You can’t win them all, but they put up a good fight.

That was about all we could handle on Saturday. We got back to his place late at night and I went right to bed.

Echo Park stroll

The next day, we spent some time walking around Echo Park Lake early in the morning. It’s so peaceful on a Sunday without all the traffic. We even decided to take a ride on the swan boats. And, yes, they’re actually shaped like swans.

Afterward, we spent some time hanging out in the community. We had breakfast at this trendy little café called Ostrich Farm. I ordered the brioche cinnamon french toast sticks with maple syrup. Delicious. We walked around some of the shops nearby, including the Time Travel Mart and the Stories Book Store. I was amazed at how much the neighborhood had changed since I’d last visited; kids hanging out on every street near the cafes and record stores.

We had lunch at Sage Vegan Bistro, which might have been the most delicious vegan meal I’d ever had; We shared the buffalo cauliflower to start, and I tried my hand with the festival burrito. Highly recommend. After, I was ready to drive back home to La Jolla. It was an easy commute on a Sunday afternoon and I was home by 4 p.m. Not bad!

Overall, it was a lot of fun to be back in Echo Park and I can’t wait to do it again.