In the center of downtown, Pershing Square was a historic park that became a prime cruising ground in the mid-20th century, inspiring John Rechy's classic "City of the Night." In the mid-1960s, a three-level underground parking lot covered with grass replaced it. Redesigned 30 years later, it is today part of the downtown regeneration with an outdoor ice skating ring and festival in winter, a concert series and special events in the summer and benches for lunch-hour picnics.

laparks.org