Hidden Gem! Two courts are sunken down below street level. You’re in your private tennis universe on a public court. Really, only one court is available since the other is reserved for lessons, but it’s worth swinging by to see if you can hop on. The meticulously tended courts are ringed by ginko and palms, wreathed by blue trumpet vine. The cement retaining wall produces crisp courtside acoustics and a big bounce when you clobber a ball to the back fence. Sometimes, from the street, you will hear the wobbling wheels of an unhoused person’s shopping cart. Often, you will hear good bird-chirp. Today, I heard a passer-by whistling “Heartbreak Hotel.”

Address: Broadway and 26th Street, Santa Monica

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