Down the Lines Blog

Introduction by Josh Gettler:  I first met Chris, where else, but on the tennis courts in Santa Monica.  I was waiting for a court with a tennis student and a bucket of balls. I recall being immediately struck by his tall stature (6'3), his retro tennis attire and silvery-blonde ponytail sticking out of his hat...and thinking this guy is truly old school "California".  I am not exactly sure what we talked about that day, but we exchanged numbers and I walked away thinking that he was really personable and friendly, unlike most people I'd met in California up to that point.  Fast forward approximately 2 years, Chris has become my number one tennis friend, a true friend and someone I can talk to about anything.  He's taught me countless drills and has helped tremendously with my tennis coaching. He is a real mensch, and anyone who's been fortunate enough to be in his presence, to learn and play tennis with him, can fully attest to this fact.  Chris has coached countless people throughout his career and continues coaching all over Los Angeles.  He also heads up his own bi-weekly publication "Tennis.  It's a Lifestyle".  Chris- thank you for contributing to our blog and being a genuine friend.       Down from my 75-year-old grandmother’s attic came a light green trash bag with 50 formerly white, but now grey tennis balls along with a wooden Tad Imperial tennis racquet wrapped in a leather cover and strapped into a press. This hand off started me on a 50 plus year trek. Tennis took me from small town Millersville, Pennsylvania to the tennis concession in Central Park - New York City, then to the Colombo Swim Club in Sri Lanka and finally to Los Angeles. There I served as Tennis Director for the Ketchum YMCA for nearly 30 years. All the while running tennis camps as well. This is the history of what I live and call: the “Tennis Lifestyle”. Ketchum YMCA, Downtown Los Angeles The high school tennis team needed players, so the Tad Imperial was dusted off.  My self-taught slice backhand and enough athleticism to keep the ball in play was enough to make the Junior Varsity team and play an occasional match. That high school team would be the beginning of a life-long love of tennis which continues to this day. I was there for the very beginning of the “Tennis Boom.” Tennis became a common bond among my friends and we played virtually every spare minute when we were not working or in school.  This base of tennis was enough to propel me into the Tennis Lifestyle though at the time I didn’t know how enveloping it would be.  Division #3 college tennis came on the scene but my refusal to cut my hair (stupid in hindsight) found me cut from the team. However, I continued to play daily and started teaching friends who wanted to learn. Tennis as a Lifestyle had not entered in as a possible means of supporting one’s self full time but between odd jobs and teaching a few tennis lessons the inevitable let’s use that college business degree and get on with things remained pushed to the future.  In a type of kismet moment, the owners of the company I was working for agreed to run an indoor tennis facility. Thanks to the “Tennis Boom”, they found themselves successful and opened a second six-court club. The company knew one of their employees was a tennis person with a business degree and at the age of 24 I was named tennis manager/director of the Quaker Valley Tennis Club.   From that point on, the Tennis Lifestyle revved full force never to really slow down.  Getting people to play tennis, play better tennis, meet others who have an interest in the sport and just enjoy a sport one can play their entire life became a mission for me.  After Quaker Valley, I managed a larger club - the Wynfield Club in York, Pennsylvania. It was a huge facility with five indoor courts, six outdoor clay, two outdoor hard courts, four squash courts and an Olympic sized pool. As the tennis boom began to wane around this time, the club moved away from tennis and into other sports. I used this opportunity to move away from Pennsylvania and explore world-wide tennis. I found an opportunity in Sri Lanka to both teach 3rd grade (a story for another time) and tennis at the Columbo Swim Club adjacent to the Indian Ocean. Two years and many tennis lessons and life experiences later, I moved to Singapore for a short stint teaching at the Singapore Island Country Club. Back in the U.S. I applied for and got the position of manager/director for Central Park’s tennis concession. New York City is not the easiest town for the tennis lifestyle but from Easter until Thanksgiving the Central Park clay courts were a tennis person’s paradise. The second winter there and the inevitable tennis lifestyle slow down made the decision to come to Los Angeles in January almost a no-brainer. If it didn’t work out, Central Park would be back open in April.  A one-week blitz of tennis clubs in Los Angeles resulted in my finding six courts on the roof of a building in downtown Los Angeles. The courts were leased to a YMCA that, at the time, didn’t have the resources to develop a tennis program. They offered me a Tennis Director position and I proudly ran that club for 28 years.  The YMCA last use of the courts on June 30, 2017 after the sale of the building.    “Tennis. It’s a Lifestyle” continues to live on to this day. I enjoy providing a mix of tennis lessons, tennis playing, adult camps, a bi-weekly tennis newsletter and always looking for opportunities to get others involved in the sport.  What started as gift of a Tad Imperial racquet has enabled me to meet the woman who became my wife and to travel around the world making a living with tennis.  Of course, tennis is not just a sport, but rather also a mechanism for making countless lifelong friends. I’m happy to report that, the life I am leading at 70 closely resembles my life at 25. Here’s to the Tennis Lifestyle! 

For those of you who don't know Michelle, she is the best.  A tennis coaching friend of mine recently said to me, that out of 100 people you meet (and teach), 10 of them are going to be great people, 10 of them are going to be horrible, and the other 80 are just people.  Michelle Greco falls into the top 1% of the great people.  I was fortunate enough to have been connected with Michelle when I had just moved out to LA about 2 years ago, as I was trying to open a multi-sport racket and paddle sport club called Swyng. Looking back to the time before we met, I was a bit intimidated by her resume: a former star point guard for The UCLA Bruins, a WNBA veteran for the Seattle Storm and a champion Pop Tennis player in countless tournaments.   Then, we met and I got to know Michelle, both on and off the Pop courts. While she has lethal strokes and is a fierce competitor on the courts, she is incredibly humble, has tremendous passion for people, and is  just an absolute sweetheart with a heart of gold.  Her infectious smile, easy going demeanor and her joie de vivre makes her shine and it's no wonder everyone wants to be around her.   I sat down with Michelle to talk about the state of Pop Tennis, her bike rental company Joyride Santa Monica and her life in LA.  Here we go!   Let's talk about running a small business during Covid   Q: You are the owner of Joyride Santa Monica.You were coming off of a banner year in 2019. Covid hits and you have to shut down operations. Walk us through this time period, the trials and tribulations, and how you adapted  through these super challenging times. A: It was a difficult year. As you mentioned, we came off a record setting 2019 and then due to COVID we were forced to close the 2nd week in March of 2020. We had to remain closed until mid-May, but even after we reopened we had to close again the July 4th week due to a state wide closure of all beaches in California. Needless to say, it was a rollercoaster of a ride. Thankfully, we were able to pivot our business plan a bit. We started selling used bikes, offering monthly rentals for locals living in a 10-mile radius of Santa Monica and slowly  we started opening on weekends for regular business. Sadly, we lost staff during our business closures and of course we had a huge financial loss of revenue. Fast forward to 2021, we’ve hit the ground running better than ever. We’re now crushing numbers from 2019, I was able to hire an amazing new staff and we’re setting records every month. We couldn’t be more thankful for this huge turnaround and I credit the locals from Santa Monica and the Los Angeles area for their support of small businesses. We greatly appreciate our loyal and  amazing Joyride customers!   Q: What do you like most about running Joyride?   A: I started Joyride because I love being outside at the beach, I have a  great love for bikes and I really enjoy meeting new people. Customer service has always come natural to me and something I truly enjoy.  Also, I love the challenge of running my own business and turning a creative vision into a reality. It gives me great “joy” when I see my Joyride bikes riding along the beach path in Santa Monica and Venice.       Let's talk Pop   Q: Seriously, did you put the Pop in Pop Tennis? I have had the honor of playing some pop tennis with you over the past couple of years. I’m feeling like they named the sport after you as every time we have played together, you are pretty much a rock star down at the Venice Beach courts. But seriously, tell us how you were introduced to the sport, what hooked you in and what you enjoy most about it.  A: I was introduced to the great game of Pop Tennis in 2013 when my Uncle Bill invited me to play in a mixed doubles tournament in Palos  Verdes. At the time, I was just transitioning from playing professional basketball, so I was in dire need of a new sport to spark my interest and feed my competitive fire. Immediately, I was hooked! The game is fast, aggressive and athletic, and my skill set seemed to fit in nicely. I  also met some amazing new friends playing at the Venice Beach and Culver City courts. Before I knew it, I was playing and traveling to  tournaments in Florida, New York and Ojai. I just couldn’t get enough!   Q:I know you play a little tennis. How’s your tennis game these days and do you find playing tennis helps or hurts your Pop tennis game?  A: I don’t play much tennis these days but the last time I was on a court was just before the start of COVID. To my great delight I felt like my tennis game was actually better. I couldn’t get over how big the court was! Since I’m used to the smaller Pop court, everything I hit seemed to stay in and it was amazing. Getting used to the overhand serve as oppose to underhand was a change but I definitely felt like Pop improved my overall tennis game.   Competition & Training   Q: You have competed in countless tournaments and have won  something like (a dozen of them?). For starters, Do you prefer doubles or singles?  A: I prefer doubles for competition and singles for a great workout, and to improve my overall game.   Q: When you train, you train hard! Walk us through your typical training day. How many hours on the courts, off the courts?  A: Depending on how busy my week is, I try to get in at least 3 to 4 pop tennis sessions in the morning. Normally when I get to the courts, I have a scheduled opponent for singles or doubles. Ideally, I try to play for at least 2 hours with at least 30-45 minutes of drilling and then over an hour of competing in sets. I also try to sneak in 1 sand workout or a stair/walk workout to mix up my routine.   Q: I know you are not so into tennis skirts. What do you like to wear on the courts and are there any brands you gravitate towards?  A: This question made me laugh. I played high school tennis and my freshman year I was forced to wear a skirt because that was the team uniform. After putting up a stink the entire season I got the “okay” to wear my basketball shorts while playing. Phew! Such a relief not having to wear that skirt. I felt so free to compete harder with my shorts on. Ha. Now, I love to wear my Lululemon, 2xU tights when I  play. The material has to be the thicker, stretchy type (not the yoga pant material). I’m very picky with my tights and I also have to have a  cool, flowy tank top to go with my pants. Let’s not forget my signature  trucker hat to go with those items. ☺  Q: What are you eating pre and post workouts?   A: I have a consistent breakfast every morning before I play or workout. I first start with a banana, walnuts, blueberries, Cocoyo yogurt and a glass of pineapple/ginger juice. After letting that settle for about 20 minutes I then have either oatmeal or cereal depending on  what I feel like. For hydration I’ll bring 1 smart water and 1 Health-Ade ginger Kombucha to the courts.  When I finish playing, depending on how much time I have, I’ll either have a yellow diamond smoothie with maca protein powder from Kreation or I’ll make a veggie filled salad with albacore tuna.  Q: Speaking of food, I know we both enjoy a great meal after we play hard. It has become our thing to meet up at Kreation and get their $20 Prosperity smoothies. I am craving one right now. As a Santa Monica resident and lover of our little City by the Sea, tell us about some of your favorite local spots to dine, perhaps some that you frequent while training and others on more "cheat days".  A: Ahhh, those Kreation smoothies are so good aren’t they? The $20 Prosperity smoothie is worth every penny and I also have a new favorite from a friend who just started a mobile smoothie/juice shop on Ocean Ave and Montana. It’s called The Juice Shop and William is the owner. My favorite smoothie is The Grateful and I like to add Kale and Bananas. I’ve joked that the smoothie should be renamed "The Greco" since I’m his best customer and I get it all the time. Ha! A few other favorite lunch/dinner/ice cream spots I love to frequent are below:   Back On The Beach Café at The Annenberg. Get the veggie power  bowl and add chicken if you’re really hungry.   Rosti’s on Montana. I love the beef meatballs as an appetizer, the  spinach/cheese ravioli’s and the chicken marsala.  Dagwood's on Wilshire. Can’t go wrong with this local Italian spot. I  love the house salad, spaghetti with meat sauce and pizza with pepperoni, olives, mushrooms and basil. Yum! Prima Cocina on Montana. Get the veggie bowl and prima  burrito with steak. Don’t forget the guacamole!   For those of you who love burgers like I do please go immediately to HiHo Cheeseburger and The Win-dow. Two amazing burger spots  with great fries, milkshakes and salads.  Yes, I love ice cream and I don’t believe anyone who says they don’t.  Ha! My favorites are Sweet Rose on 26th near San Vicente, Rori’s on Montana and McConnell’s in the Palisades.   Q: Where do you see Joyride going in the next 3-5 years?  A: I’m not exactly sure. I’ve looked into expanding to new locations, acquiring store fronts and offering new services but for now I really like where we’re at. We’re just coming off a great summer and we’re hoping to continue with a decent fall and winter. Fingers crossed that nothing changes with Covid, our country and the world can continue to heal.   Q: Do you think the bike riding craze will last?  A: For the time being, yes! I think Covid has changed the way people think and how they exercise. Fresh air, exercise and amazing scenery can’t be replaced by being inside a gym with a mask on. There is a freedom that is associated with bike riding outside, especially at the  beach.   Let’s talk basketball Q: We've got a series of questions here for you: Is basketball your favorite sport and talk to us about the similarities between playing basketball and Pop Tennis. How often are you playing basketball these days? I know you also do some private coaching. Tell us about that a bit and how fulfilling it is for you. How  good are the youngsters these days? UCLA men’s and women’s team predictions for this season. Top 5 NBA and WNBA players.  Current and former. A: Growing up, soccer and basketball were my two favorite sports with tennis being a close second. I played mostly organized soccer with basketball and tennis being sports that I played with family and friends at the park or at home. By the time I got to middle school, it became  evident that basketball was my ticket to college and possibly a dream  of playing professionally. So I focused on basketball, and from the age of 15 to 33 it became my passion and obsession. Competing at the highest level in college at UCLA, the WNBA for the Seattle Storm and in the EuroLeague for Cras Basket Taranto in the south of Italy were  absolute highlights and experiences that I’ll never forget. It’s crazy when I think about where the game of basketball took me. I played for international professional teams in Israel, Greece, Turkey and Italy.  During my seasons playing overseas we’d travel for games to Russia,  Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, France, Croatia, Romania.. the list goes on and on. I literally have to pinch myself sometimes when I  think about all the amazing places I got to visit because of basketball.  Being able to experience different cultures, eat amazing foods, hear  new languages and just see the day to day life in new locations was  such a blessing.   Now, I rarely play, but I coach a lot of basketball. I currently coach the 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls basketball teams at The Village School in the Palisades. I also coach a free basketball clinic every Wednesday at the Boys & Girls club in Santa Monica. Additionally, I do private  basketball coaching in the Brentwood, Palisades area. Coaching is something I love and it’s a great feeling being able to transfer my knowledge of the game to the youth. Some of the kids I coach are ballers! I’m super excited to see some of them continue to grow and progress through the years.   Speaking of exciting... my UCLA Bruins are going to be tough this year. Both the men and women are going to be at the top of the Pac 12! I’m predicting Elite 8 appearances from both the men and women this year. Watch out for Johnny Juzang on the men’s team and Charisma Osborne on the women’s squad. They’re both incredible players and I’m predicting more record breaking seasons for them!   The WNBA has been really cool to watch recently. The playoffs are always the best time to tune in and right now I’m loving seeing Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker both one win away from taking their teams to the Finals! I’d love to see a Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky Finals. If that happens I’m rooting for Diana, So Cal native from Chino  and amazing person and mother!   I can’t wait for the NBA season to start! Anyone who knows me well knows how big of a Laker fan I am. Growing up in the Los Angeles area during the 80’s I got to witness Laker championships during the  Showtime Era with Magic and Kareem. Gosh how spoiled are we  Laker fans?! We then got to welcome the greatest Laker of all time Kobe Bryant (RIP Kobe, still doesn’t feel real) and Shaquille O’Neal.  Now, we have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook (Go  Bruins!) and Carmelo Anthony… gosh we really are spoiled as Laker fans! I’m expecting a great season and another Championship banner!  Let’s go Lakers!!   State of Pop Tennis  Q: I have heard rumblings that Pop Tennis may become an Olympic sport. Thoughts on this? A: Similar to how there was 3on3 basketball as a spinoff from the regular game of 5on5 in the Tokyo Olympics, I think it’s time to add a new version to Tennis. The world is looking for new fresh and exciting sports. Everyone loves tennis but it’s time to mix it up… my vote is for Pop!   Q: So, not into Pickleball yet/ever?  A: I can honestly say that I have never played Pickleball. Kudos to those who love Pickleball and are obsessed with playing like I am with Pop. For me, I’m still trying to understand the kitchen and how to keep score. Ha! I’m not a hater though. Racquet sports are so much fun and if you’re routinely exercising, enjoying the game with friends and  competing I applaud you.   State of Michelle Greco Q: I have gotten to know you pretty well over the past couple of years.  You are kind, sensitive, a good listener and a good friend. "The People" also love you. As we just witnessed the recall election, have you thought about getting into politics?  A: Political Science was my major at UCLA but no, I don’t see myself running for Mayor or the local city council anytime soon. Ha Love the  question though! ☺ 

With Lanny Grossman as a co-writer/contributor   So everyone has been asking. What is up with that bagel shirt? Okay, maybe this one is a little out of the bagel box, so to speak. Here is the backstory: Earlier this year, there was a NY Times editorial, written by Tehal Rao, that proclaimed California had a better bagel than New York.  That is a very BOLD proclamation, and one that as a longtime NYC resident, and a recent transplant to LA, got my attention. My phone was blowing up. Seriously, all 4 of my friends texted me this article, asking if I had been to the two LA bagel shops featured in the article, Courage Bagels & Pop’s Bagels.  I had not. I had just moved to LA from New York City, and was still digesting all those delicious New York City bagels and pizzas.  I knew that LA had an incredible food scene.  It’s sushi, Mexican and “California” cuisines are THE best. But the bagels? Don’t they have to, like, import the water from New York or something? Now, I love bagels so much, but I try to only eat them after a great workout.  Let’s call it a post-tennis reward or treat. I just googled this...They say you burn about 600-800 calories playing an hour of tennis, depending on how hard you are hitting (Note: I hit the ball very hard).  An everything bagel with cream cheese is about 500 calories. If you add some lox, capers and onions (my go-to order), you are still winning, or at very least breaking even. So mathematically speaking, we are all good, man!  Along with playing tennis and eating bagels, I am also a big music guy and I am used to spending my summers going to a bunch of concerts. Since live performances have mostly been on hiatus, especially here in LA, I went on a slightly different tour this summer, dubbing it The LA Summer Tennis Bagel Tour 6.0. Taking some tennis and bagel loving friends along for the ride, we hit the forehand freeways in search for some cream cheese and chives in Culver City, and lox love in Los Feliz. Then we made a tee shirt out of it. But before we make that left turn up Wilshire and get stuck on the 405, I wanted to take you back to the bagel baseline...back to my New York City days.    My New York Tennis and Bagel Days For years, I had played tennis with a group of guys every Sunday morning at Midtown Tennis in West Chelsea. I wanted to give a big shout out to the pros there. Basil, Byron-  I hope you guys are doing amazingly and you got through Covid okay.  Come to think of it, I always used to see you guys at the bagel shop I am about to tell y’all about, down the block from the club.   Midtown Tennis- Manhattan: Basil (left) Byron (right) https://www.midtowntennis.com/  So, it pretty much became a ritual, that after our matches, we would walk down a couple of blocks on Eighth Avenue to Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Co. (https://bkbagel.com/). You would think any business in this neighborhood would use the name of the actual neighborhood? Anyway, let me tell you, we discovered that place before it was really on the NYC bagel map.  Our doubles game would end at 11AM and we’d be online (yea, not “inline”) by 11:15. There would only be a handful of other people waiting. Then, maybe there was one of those Eater articles or something, and the place absolutely blew up. By the time we would show up, there’d be 100 + people stretching out along the avenue, eagerly awaiting a deliciously crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside circle of heaven. They had a million different types of cream cheese...A bit overwhelming for the inexperienced bagel nosher.  There are so many amazing bagel shops in New York. Ess-A-Bagel, Tal, Absolute on the Upper Westside. Some of the newer spots, like Montreal-style Blackseed (https://www.blackseedbagels.com/ ) and Sadelle's in Soho (https://www.sadelles.com/) were just sprouting up as I was packing my Patagonia's for palm trees. I didn’t get to try Blackseed but I had eaten at Sadelle’s once and let me tell you, it was an absolutely divine experience. So, between all the legendary bagel spots and the newcomers, New York’s bagel scene was a pretty high bar to surpass. I was a little skeptical LA can even come close.  But like true bagel ballers, we went into each point with a fresh out of the oven set of eyes. Our first tennis and bagel experience was around the corner from my apartment in Santa Monica. As much as I was ready to leave New York City, it was comforting to find some very New York-style places within a few block stretch of my Westside place. Fromin’s, Izzy’s (https://frominsdeli.com/,  http://izzysdelitogo.com/), The Bagel Nosh and NY Bagel Dept. are all within walking distance. As for playing tennis, Reed Park and Douglas Park are the closest courts to me.   Playing tennis in Santa Monica  There are really a lot of places to play tennis in Santa Monica. From Ocean View Park and Marine Park on the south side of Santa Monica, to SaMo High School, Clover, Douglas, Memorial and Reed Parks scattered about this dynamic enclave of Los Angeles. Reed Park, located on Wilshire Ave between 7th and 8th Streets, is, in my opinion, one of the best places to play. There are six hard courts. They cost $4 per hour/person for Santa Monica Residents and $5 per hour per person if you don’t reside in SaMo. They are kept in great shape and well worth trying to book a court there (Note: they book up quickly; link to system at the bottom of this blog).  The online system goes live daily every morning at 8:15AM, and you can book a court up to 3 days in advance. What’s also nice about these courts, like many of the public courts in LA, they are fenced in. This way you don’t have to worry about balls constantly flying onto your court or vice versa.  Douglas Park, literally a long tennis ball throw away from my humble abode, has 2 hard courts. These are free to play on, though a little trickier, as they are permitted for coaching lessons most mornings. Don’t tell anyone, but after about 11AM and most evenings, it’s relatively quiet and the court lights stay on until late. Did I mention they are free? As a New Yorker who is approaching 2 years in LA, it still shocks me how most of the outdoor activities here are sans dinero. I guess we pay for them one way or another. Anyway!  Our Post-Tennis Bagel New York Bagel & Deli sits right in between Reed and Douglas Parks. Walking into the bagel shop, it really feels like I’m stepping back into Pick A Bagel on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside.  New York Bagel & Deli has a solid and very reasonably priced bagel. My go-to lox sandwich and a coffee is about $10. The bagels are constantly being baked on premise and are served hot, though out of habit, I still get mine toasted. Their staff is always so nice and consistent and has worked so hard through Covid. This has become my neighborhood go-to bagel spot.  Backhands and Bagels in Brentwood  Our next stop was a 7 minute drive up the road to Brentwood. The bus barely made it there but guzzled into the Barrington Rec Center parking lot. The park has 4 great hard courts, also fenced in. They are totally freeee! There is usually a wait for them during the more peak times, but I have played there a dozen or so times and have never had to wait longer than 20-30 minutes.   We played so hard that morning, we deserved an amazing bagel afterwards. Luckily, Yeastie Boys parks it’s truck around the corner every Sunday, right along San Vicente, close to Alfred (https://alfred.la/blogs/los-angeles/brentwood-1).  OMG Yeastie Boys. I represent Connecticut, and was definitely not raised out in Brooklyn, but you guys truly have it goin’ on. These boys, and the fine ladies who served us, are maybe best known for their cheese and meat filled breakfast sandwiches like the “Game Over” and “Cheddy Wap”.  So what’cha, what’cha what did I want? Being the purist that I am, I went with the “Lox Deluxe ''- Lox, tomato, red onion, capers with scallion cream cheese on an everything bagel. The bagel just melts in your mouth. An important factor for me, the bagel size, was just right, and I was definitely full afterwards. Every ingredient was super fresh and can taste the deliciousness in every bite. Prices range here from $6-$13, the Lox Deluxe being on the higher end of that range. You have to fight for your right to find these guys the next time you are in LA.  Awesome stuff.   Poppy Seeds in Pali The tour continued a little further on up the road. The bagel bus was approaching the PCH, but we took a right turn off of West Channel Road and up the picturesque hills of Rustic Canyon in the Pacific Palisades. Surrounded by sheer nature and really cool multi-million dollar tree houses, Rustic Canyon Rec Center is a true (and somewhat of a hidden/local) gem. Most people know that green is my favorite color and Rustic Canyon does not disappoint us “greenophiles”. The lush and huge green trees, ivy-covered walls and crisp ocean air make Rustic Canyon a truly amazing tennis playing experience.   There are 6 hard courts and are all in solid condition. You might just see a familiar face from that show you were just watching. Oh, and guess what? They are freeee. The one caveat I would say here is that there are no lights, so be sure to come early in the Winter months. I have now played at Rustic dozens of times, and have never had to wait longer than 20-30 minutes as well.  We headed back on the bus and over to downtown Pacific Palisades. I know Noah’s is a chain, and perhaps shouldn’t get a mention amongst LA’s bagel scene. I do have to say they make a solid bagel, and the coffee is always hot and fresh. The Nova Lox Sandwich on an everything bagel doesn’t disappoint, and with a coffee is also a reasonable $10ish dollars. Plus, they throw in a bag of chips, so that is pretty nice of them! Over the hill and forehands away One of the pluses through Covid was the lack of traffic around LA, and I am just now getting a taste of the bumper to bumper bagels. Getting over the hill (and back) into the San Fernando Valley has been super easy and I have loved playing at a bunch of the Valley’s public and private courts. Driving out from Santa Monica on a weekend morning, we were in Sherman Oaks in 20 minutes. The largest public park in the area is the Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys Park. It is a vast park, with huge ball fields, an aquatics center, basketball, pickleball/paddle and tennis courts. There are 8 courts and costs $11 an hour. It is always a fun scene here and a lot of friendly people playing out in the Valley. My recommendation- book an early court or an evening session as the day time hours get hot out there, especially in the summer months.   So, everyone was asking...Have we checked out Hank’s yet? You gotta see Hank's baby! With its original outpost in Burbank, Hank’s was busy building out their second spot in Sherman Oaks.  Every time we drove past the location on Ventura Blvd, they weren’t quite ready to open yet. We finally got there last week and it was incredible. The #3 was an easy choice for me. Decked with lox, scallion cream cheese, capers, pickled onions, radish, salted cucumber and sprouts...this bagel sandwich is an absolute delicacy. Every ingredient was super fresh. The radishes and sprouts were so pretty to look at, it was almost tough to eat them.  The $15 price tag was well worth it as the sandwich has a heavy handle to it and I could barely finish it. Other bagel sandwiches at Hanks range from $10.50-$13.  I will definitely be back there soon.   Courage Bagels with Lanny Saving the two bagel spots the NY Times article featured for last-Courage and Pop’s Bagels, I took my most particular and discerning friend along for the ride, Lanny Grossman. Lanny has an opinion on just about everything, and just so happens to be a much better writer than me. We both live in Santa Monica, but in true LA fashion, we drove separately, and met out in the Los Feliz/Virgil Village neighborhood of East LA. This neighborhood, historically a bit edgier, is sort of like Manhattan's East Village back in the day. Carniceria's and auto repair shops mix in with newer and trendy places. It is a very cool area.   We didn’t make it to the tennis courts that morning, but Riverside Tennis at Griffith Park is very close by (A ten minute drive north) and I have played there a couple of times. These are paid courts at $11 per hour.  The courts are older, but still in pretty good shape, and always get a fun east side crowd playing.   Back to the bagels!  I will let Sir Lanny take it over with his review of Courage from here:  Lanny: It didn’t take much courage to drive to Los Feliz to try the bagels that everybody’s been talking about. After living in NYC for 20 years, bagels have become a way of life; albeit one that’s mostly missing here in LA. Courage’s menu is pretty small, handwritten on a piece of paper in the window. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, it was my turn to order without asking too many questions, so the line could keep moving. My “Run it through the Garden” on an everything bagel came out shortly thereafter.   Pop’s Bagels with Lanny, By Lanny Our next stop was at Pop's Bagels. They have two locations, with the OG spot in Culver City within The Platform (https://platformlosangeles.com/) and the newly minted location in Brentwood. Lanny, take this over for me.     Lanny: Like any other addict, after getting my Courage fix, we had to try out Pop’s Bagels, another talked about spot with two locations in Culver City and Brentwood. This time we were smart enough to order ahead so it was ready when we arrived allowing us to skip the long line.  An everything bagel topped with lox and veggie cream cheese greeted me on this Sunday morning. This bagel was more evenly texturized. Although a slightly crisp outside and doughy inside, it was easy to rate Courage’s bagel ahead of this one immediately. I realized that Courage’s secret is the topping of lemon juice which adds to the moistness and offers a slight acidity to compliment the saltiness of the fish and capers. Pop’s bagels were smaller in diameter and thicker but nicely stacked as well. Although perfectly delicious, I did not walk away from Pop’s with the same fervor I had the day before at Courage.   Thank you Sir Lanny.   In summarizing this very salmon and slice filled blog, there are a ton of great tennis and bagel options in our amazing city of Los Angeles. LA’s bagel influences are as vast as the city, stretching from New York, to Montreal to east of the 101. We loved every bagel place we ate at, and will definitely be back at all of them.  As much as I love and miss the guys at Midtown Tennis in Manhattan, tennis in LA just pales in comparison. The year-round great weather, the access to very cheap or free public courts are just very hard to compete with. It's also relatively easy to find someone who knows someone with a private court, so there's that too.   Our Verdicts Breaking this down in a couple of fun ways, here is where we are at.  Most likely place to drive an hour and wait another hour for a bagel: Courage Bagels. A truly special place and a must try when visiting LA, or if you are living here but have yet to try.   Best everyday bagel, if we were to eat one every day: New York Bagel & Deli.  Best overall tennis experience: Rustic Canyon   The Tour (with Links):  Reed and Douglas Park to NY Bagel & Deli https://apm.activecommunities.com/santamonicarecreation/Home https://www.yelp.com/biz/new-york-bagel-and-deli-santa-monica  Barrington Rec Center to Yeastie Boys Food Truck https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/barrington https://www.yeastieboysbagels.com/  Rustic Canyon Rec Center to Noah’s Bagels https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/rustic-canyon https://www.noahs.com/  Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys Courts to Hank’s Bagels  https://www.laparks.org/reccenter/vnso https://www.hanksbagels.com/ Riverside Tennis to Courage Bagels  https://www.laparks.org/sports/tennis/facility/riverside https://couragebagels.com/  NY Times & The Infatuation Links: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/dining/best-bagels.html https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/la-best-bagels

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