City Smart / How to thrive in the urban environment of Southern California

North of the Hollywood Freeway off Glendale Boulevard

Echo Park is home to the largest patch of giant pink lotus blossoms in the nation, which burst into color every July. Amid the reeds, slate-gray, duck-like coots swim to and fro with twigs and leaves in their beaks, building nests as their tiny newborns dip their furry heads in the water.