Water looms large in the California mind. Here are 6 ways to make the most of it - Los Angeles Times
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Water (and its absence) looms large in the California mind. Here are 6 ways to make the most of it

An image showing water flowing through different pipes.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
By Alyssa BereznakWellness Editor 
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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Saturday, July 27. I’m Alyssa Bereznak, the wellness editor at The Times. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

    Water rules everything around us

    There are three go-to topics of conversation for Angelenos: weather, traffic and water. Our city is perpetually trying to rid itself of H20 or thirsting for it. Those opposing needs shaped L.A.’s topography and made a mythic king out of a self-taught engineer from Belfast. And recent drought has forced us to confront the reality of climate change, rethink our water sources and dig up our lawns.

    Given how large water supply looms in the minds of Californians, our access to it in L.A. feels especially miraculous, and — during the relentless radiating heat of summer — uniquely enlivening.

    I would not trade the cool relief that comes with a sip of water on a sweltering sidewalk for an entire summer’s worth of air-conditioned movie theaters. The hum of complaints I tab through in my mind on a weekly basis all seem to quiet when I watch or weave under a powerful ocean wave. And even the strongest of iced Americanos is no match for the frigid shock of a good flash-dunking, whether it’s on a lake front or in the presence of a plastic T. Rex at Universal Studios.

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    If there were ever a summer mantra, it’d be: just add water.

    An image showing water flowing through different pipes.
    (Photography by Henry Hargreaves; prop styling by Victoria Granof.)

    Here are 6 ways you can make the most of this essential resource in L.A.

    • Up your filtering game. I’ve always run my water through a Brita filter and then gulped it down without another thought. But Times reporter Deborah Vankin showed me that where water comes from and what contaminates it can differ by ZIP Code. As self-proclaimed Water Filter Guru Brian Campbell says, “there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all water treatment solution.†(Even so, that may not be true for the Angelenos who shell out $384 for this cult-favorite water filter.)
    • Choose the right water supplement. Many of the colorfully packaged hydration powders lined up along your grocery store’s checkout counter can contain so much sugar that UCLA professor Dr. Vijaya Surampudi likens consuming them to “drinking a soda.†Not to worry, Vankin consulted a dietitian to evaluate the top 8 water supplement brands, and separate the winners from the losers.
    • Drink nutrient-rich bottled water. In Germany, there are waters that contain more calcium than a glass of milk. That’s according to local water sommelier (yes, that’s a thing) Martin Riese, who gave Times contributor Alana Hope Levinson a tour of what he says is the best under-the-radar grocery store to buy bottled water in L.A..
    • Walk up a staircase with an ocean view. One of the best ways to traverse L.A.’s peaks and valleys is through its many secret staircases. Those treks are that much more rewarding when they lead you to an ocean view. Our intrepid outdoors reporter Jaclyn Cosgrove mapped out directions to the 10 best in L.A. County.
    • Get splashed at a theme park. Southern California is home to four world-class theme or amusement parks, all of which offer inventive ways to get soaked. Our aficionado Todd Martens ranked the best water rides by splash factor, so you can choose based on how high the temperature is on any given day.
    • Build a DIY water feature for your yard. Creating a burbling water fountain for butterflies to sip from and birds to bathe in may seem intimidating, but our garden reporter Jeanette Marantos managed to pull it off with help from local experts, YouTube and a half-inch titanium drill bit. Learn the step-by-step instructions for how to create one here.

    I will end my ode to water with an appreciation of its lesser-known utility: as a sleeping surface. Many Californians still haven’t given up their waterbeds. “I tell people I have a waterbed, and everyone laughs,†financial planner Nancy Gerrish, 78, told Times reporter Deborah Netburn. “But it’s a very comfortable bed to sleep in.†(For those that don’t know, waterbeds were a competitive, sex-fueled industry in the 1970s).

    Be sure to drink plenty of H20, folks! It’s hot out there.

    Read more: Californians’ water usage is down 9% and other takeaways from The Times’ updated water tracker

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    Column One

    Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

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    (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

    The psychic, the sex workers and the scam that reportedly spread from coast to coast. While waiting to be sentenced for a crime across the country, authorities say, Gina Russell convinced a Los Angeles woman that she had psychic powers, helped defraud the woman’s father out of money and persuaded her to raise funds through sex work.

    More great reads

    How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

    For your weekend

    Guests at Midsummer Scream
    (Scott Feinblatt)
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    Going out

    Staying in

    How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.

    A collection of photos from this week's news quiz
    (Times staff and wire photos)

    Which NBA player was selected to be one of the two Team USA flag bearers at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.

    Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

    Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

    California
    Alyssa Bereznak

    Alyssa Bereznak is the wellness editor for the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered media and culture for the Ringer, and consumer technology and politics for Yahoo News. She’s the author, reporter and host of two narrative podcasts about social media: “This Blew Up,†and “Boom/Bust: HQ Trivia†— the latter of which was named one of the best podcasts of 2020 by The Atlantic. She has written for publications such as Vanity Fair, New York Magazine and NYLON.

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