Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
205
mountain bikes for about $7.50 per hour and $22 per day. Another good Santa Monica
rental shop is
Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals
(Santa Monica Pier;
&
310/393-9778
).
The rates are about the same as those at S pokes 'N Stuff. Be sure to ask for a fr ee
self-
guided tour map
(it's really handy).
In Hollywood,
Hollywood Pro Bicycles
(1273 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga)
&
310/455-2111;
www.hollywoodprobicycles.com) rents mountain bikes at $75 for a
24-hour period and $50 for each additional day. Every rental comes with a free tour map,
a safety helmet, a bike lock, and a handlebar bag for storage.
In the South Bay, bike rentals—including tandem bikes—are available 1 block fr om
The Strand at
Hermosa Cyclery,
20 13th St. (
&
310/374-7816;
www.hermosacyclery.
com). Cruisers are $7 per hour; tandems are $13 per hour. FYI, The Strand is an excellent
car-free path that's tailor-made for a leisurely bike ride.
FISHING
Del R ey S port F ishing,
13759 F iji Way, M arina del R ey (
&
800/822-
3625;
www.marinadelreysportfishing.com), has three deep-sea boats depar ting daily on
half- and full-day ocean fishing trips. O f course, it depends on what 's r unning when
you're out, but bass, barracuda, halibut, and y ellowtail are the most common catches on
these party boats. E xcursions start at $35 for half-day trips; tackle r ental is av ailable as
well. Phone for reservations.
No permit is required to cast from shore or drop a line from a pier. Local anglers will
hate me for giving away their secr et spot, but the
best saltwater fishing spot
in all of
L.A. is at the foot of Torrance Boulevard in Redondo Beach.
GOLF
The gr eater Los Angeles ar ea has mor e than 100 golf courses, which v ary in
quality from abysmal to superb. Most of the city's public courses are administered by the
Department of R ecreation and Parks, which follo ws a complicated r egistration/reserva-
tion system for tee times. While visitors cannot r eserve star t times in adv ance, y ou're
welcome to play any of the courses b y showing up and getting on the call sheet. E xpect
to wait for the most popular tee times, but tr y to use y our flexible v acationer status to
your advantage by avoiding the early morning rush.
Of the city's seven 18-hole and thr ee 9-hole courses, y ou can't get more central than
the
Rancho Park Golf Course,
10460 W. Pico Blvd. (
&
310/838-7373;
www.rpgc.
org), located smack-dab in the middle of L.A. 's Westside. The par-71 course has lots of
tall trees, but not enough to blot out the towering Century City buildings next door. For
the money it 's a r eal bargain (heck, ev en Bill Clinton golfed her e). Rancho also has a
9-hole, par-3 course, as well as a driving range.
For a genuinely woodsy experience, tr y one of the thr ee courses inside G riffith Park,
northeast of Hollywood (see “L.A. Parks, Gardens, Views & Zoos,” earlier in this chap-
ter). The courses ar e extremely well maintained, challenging without being fr ustrating,
and (despite some holes alongside I-5) a gr eat way to leav e the city behind. B ucolic
pleasures abound, particularly on the 9-hole
Roosevelt,
on Vermont Avenue across from
the G reek Theatre; early morning wildlife often includes deer , rabbits, raccoons, and
skunks (fore!).
Wilson
and
Harding
are each 18 holes and start from the main clubhouse
off Riverside Drive, the park's main entrance.
Greens fees on all city courses are $24 Monday through Friday, and $39 on weekends
and holidays; 9-hole courses cost $15 on w eekdays and $19 on w eekends and holidays.
For details on other city courses, or to contact the star ter dir ectly b y phone, call the
Department of R ecreation and Parks at
&
213/452-2489
or log on to the city 's parks
website at www.laparks.org.
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