Elizabeth L.
Yelp
It is really sad that MacArthur Park is such a dump, but it is. Stay away unless there is a music festival or something you just must see. It was a total mess 10 years ago and the City is trying to clean it up, but it is taking a long time, too long. It can be dangerous. I would never go there at night.
It has a lake which has been cleaned. There are little boats that you can rent for the small lake. You can bring lunch and picnic under a tree. It all sounds so lovely.
While you are there you can also get meth, coke, crack, fake IDs, stolen property, mugged, harassed by the locals that hang out there because they have no where else to go. There are people there that sadly belong in a care facility, but we have little here in Los Angeles, so you get a mix of the mentally ill and junkies.
I have lived here all my life. Trust me. Stay away. I will let you know when it is safe. I have been there for a festival or two and when there is a lot of police presence it is okay, but then you are not too happy seeing the homeless picked on by the police. It is a very hard situation, but your visit will help nothing.
Stepping on a dirty needle and getting a disease is not my idea of a fun vacation.