Things to Do in Baldwin Park

For Urban Outdoor Skills staff Pascal Baudar and Mia Wasilevich, living sustainably is more than just talk. Baudar has been sourcing his own food since his childhood in Belgium, and Wasilevich—a self-taught chef—lives off her own urban garden. Together they run Urban Outdoor Skills, teaching their students self-reliance through classes where they pickle and can their own foods or make organic soaps from wild aromatic plants. Underlying every session is a bounty of expertise in foraging from the surrounding mountain wilderness: nettles and yucca become piquant sauces, seeds become breads and crackers, and flowers become wood-sprite birthday cakes.

The GRAMMY Museum aims to immerse guests in a historic and melodic experience with four floors devoted to American music. The 30,000-square-foot museum celebrates the American musical tradition with concerts, lectures, and exhibits on genres ranging from classical and jazz to rock and hip-hop. The Clive Davis Theater sits at the center of the museum, ready and waiting for the gold-plated performances of tiny GRAMMY trophy orchestras. A rooftop terrace hides atop the building for special programs and private events. In the interactive exhibit space, visitors can peer into musical time capsules with stage outfits that once belonged to Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Reflecting their zeal and do-it-yourself confidence, the LA. Derby Dolls zip around a 100’x60’ banked oval track that they built themselves with the help of friends and family members. The track’s customized slope and elevation enables them to hit breakneck paces normally reserved for cheetahs that can afford their own cleats. Bout attendees can wander over to the factory’s Vendor Village for apparel and jewelry, food from the likes of Garage Pizza and Hot Dog on a Stick, and brews from PBR and Schiltz. Alex’s Bar also serves Jack Daniel’s ready-to-drink bottles.

Although fans keep the air moving, the Doll Factory doesn’t have air conditioning or heating, so audience members should dress according to the season. Bout attendees can park their cars for $10 at Silver Lake Medical Center or their motorcycles and scooters for $5 at the Westlake entrance.

Recognizing the opportunities that having such a large track gives them, the Derby Dolls have expanded their community involvement by offering the venue for events such as the TwentyWonder fundraiser for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles.

On 12 sunny courts at Arcadia Tennis Center, certified instructors help students learn the fundamentals of tennis and hone their playing skills. Under new management as of June 2012, the staff is dedicated to new beginnings, organizing group lessons for both juniors and adults, each with a low student-to-teacher ratio to ensure individual improvement. In addition to the beginners' lessons, Arcadia Tennis Center hosts youth summer camps and regular leagues, which merge healthy competition with the sport's social aspects, much like a football game's halftime debutante ball.

When he looked past the flourishes of players in the majors, Dylan Gaines realized the swings of professional hitters were nearly identical. Working with pro ballplayers such as Darrell Thomas and Nez Belelo, Dylan honed those swing fundamentals during his stint on the Seattle Mariners. At All-Star Baseball School, he's broken down and distilled these basics into a potent dram of batsmanship for students since 1997. Along with Eric Fischer, a veteran of the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, Dylan teaches his pupils hitting, pitching, and fielding skills during private lessons and summer camps. After the classes let out, little leaguers can study the greats with an instructional DVD hosted by baseball legend and record holder Pete Rose, who walks viewers through pointers for hitting homers without planting baseballs in the stands beforehand.

Having honed his kitesurfing skills off the beaches of Hawaii and Southern California, both places known for gusty winds and big waves, Daniel Andersson knows all of the ins and outs of the sport. He draws on nearly a decade of teaching experience as the head instructor of Zen Athletics, which also specializes in functional fitness and jeet kune do—Bruce Lee’s combat system. Before he even got into kitesurfing, Daniel mastered several martial arts, studying muay thai and Thai-style boxing at a very early age in Thailand. He brings all of this athletic expertise to bear in his lessons, which are kept private or semiprivate with four people or less to ensure each student gets individual attention.