A SPECIAL REPORT: WINTERTIME RECREATION

Baja Fresh

Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays in Westlake Village has been sending folks to Hawaii since 1959. But the recession, hurricanes and Caribbean resorts have meant tougher times. In ’89 the firm shipped a record 350,000 vacationers; by ’92 that had plunged to 150,000. So the company started trips to a second destination: Mexico. Last year, 12,000 customers crossed the border.

Blue Line

When Wayne Gretzky left, some hockey magic left too. But the crowds keep coming at Van Nuys Iceland, including a group of men in their 30s who pay $180 to rent the rink for amateur hockey games. The games average one fight per match, says Andre Jagunro, who drives the rink’s Zamboni to resurface the ice every three hours. “It’s almost like driving a car. The slower you drive it, the better the ice is.”

Green Monster

Winter is downtime at Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies in Woodland Hills. Most customers keep their pool full, but covered. For owners who stop cleaning, though, when the cover comes off “the whole pool is green and looks like a swamp,” says Scott Strahle. Then comes a week of shock therapy: chlorine and algae killers to clean it up.