The heat wave facing Southern California continues into Monday, bringing temperatures nearing 100 degrees in some areas of Los Angeles, forecasters said.
Many residents across Los Angeles sought relief from the blazing temperatures at beaches this past weekend while others stayed indoors to take advantage of the AC at malls and local cooling centers in the region.
We asked our Boyle Heights Beat youth reporters to share how they beat an L.A. heat wave. Here’s what they said:
Cool down with some ice cream from local shops
Destiny Ramirez, a senior at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School, recommends cooling down with cookies and cream ice cream at J&F Ice Cream Shop. She likes that “it’s a small and affordable shop at Mariachi Plaza that serves smoothies, raspados and aguas frescas.”
Roosevelt High School senior Chichuei Ehecatl says Fosters Freeze on Whittier Boulevard is another spot to check out. Here you can find the shop’s signature chocolate-coated soft serve, as well as different candy-flavored cold drinks.
If paletas are more your style, Oscar de la Hoya junior Esther Gomez says the fresas con crema one from La Michoacana on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue is her usual go-to.
Take a dip in the Roosevelt High School Pool
“I recommend going to Roosevelt High School pool because you can cool off and then go get a snack nearby, like at Arctic HotSpot or Raspados Don Manuel,” said Joan Cordova, a senior at MSTMA Theodore Roosevelt High School. “It’s convenient because it’s right next to my school so I can go after classes. I usually go with some friends that are on the school’s water polo and swim team.”
Get your morning run in early
“The heat was so unbearable that if I ever want to go out for runs, I wake up early in the morning around 5 a.m. to avoid the heat,” said David Garcia, senior at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez. He said some of his favorite spots include the Evergreen Cemetery jogging path and looping around his school. “I enjoy running because when I’m on a run it gives me time to just be along with my thoughts and relax. It helps me destress myself and also helps me stay in shape.”
Find cooling centers
Violet Rodriguez-Aceves, freshman at Anawakalmekak, and her family cool off by going to the Alhambra Regal Movie Theater. “We like to go to eat a ton of popcorn, drink ICEEs and get away from the heat. After we always love to go eat tacos in the street.”
“I honestly did my best to be out of the house. I spent a lot of time with my friends going to cooler areas around LA and just ending the day with ice cream,” said Adriana Valencia, a senior at MSTMA Theodore Roosevelt High School. “My friends and I went to the Los Angeles Public Library in DTLA to work on some of our homework and then walked around the Fig @ 7th shopping center to window shop since all those stores have AC.”
Stay indoors
“I spend all day in my bedroom blasting the air conditioner. There isn’t much to do, I couldn’t even bring myself to ride the bus somewhere cooler or even for a raspado,” said Stephanie Perez, a senior at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School.
“During this heat wave I spent my time in my air-conditioned living room relaxing. To cool off even further I took cold baths for 15 minutes. In the night time it was difficult to sleep as I had no air conditioning so I’d hardly get any sleep,” said Jaret Chavez, a senior at MSTMA Theodore Roosevelt High School.
I’m not in BH but I grew up there. Wish we had a pool when I was at RHS. LOL. On hot days like this we would turn on the water hose and have a hose down in the neighborhood.