Continue west on 41st Street across the light rail tracks. Turn left (south) on Compton Avenue. You will have to veer at the East Vernon Avenue intersection to stay on Compton Avenue.
As you travel along, note the signs that remind us we are in working-class South Los Angeles. Small neighborhood liquor stores are more common than the larger grocery stores you might find in upper income or middle class L.A. Parts of this route have even been labeled food deserts, due to the lack of healthy, affordable food options. Small neighborhood churches, coin laundromats, check-cashing, money wiring, and similar businesses suggest these are neighborhoods with struggling low-income families.
Stop # 16: Augustus F. Hawkins Park (5790 Compton Ave.):
This is another splendid example of how communities can come together to provide precious open spaces that sooth our nature deficit disorders. The park was created on industrial brownfields in a neighborhood that cried out for help and got it. Near the entrance, the Discovery Center offers educational information about southern California’s natural history and environments. You might also find classes and workshops, a library, and other programs to immerse children and adults into our natural world. If you walk farther in to the park, you will find natural plant communities and habitats that more resemble the Santa Monica Mountains than the streets of South L.A.
