Where should I park in Philly?

Where should my friends and I party in Elysian Park, Los Angeles.

• Where should I go in Elysian Park, Los Angeles to celebrate my birthday? I'm turning 30 this week and thought it would be fun to just ring it in on Saturday with a little party in Elysian Park, near downtown Los Angeles. (Note I am referring to the city park itself, not looking for establishments in the surrounding neighborhood.) What's the best spot in that park to do the following? * Hang out with up to 20 people. * Possibly drink disguised alcohol. * Possibly play some sort of game like kickball or dodgeball or something. * Possibly cook food, though not as much of a requirement, we could just bring pizza. * Maybe not a ton of other people, though obviously April in Los Angeles is going to bring folks to the park, I get that. * Open from 2 o'clock onward. Basically I'm looking for flat grassy or dirt area where a bunch of people fit, with tables. Thanks!

• Answer:

  My friend usually has his birthday party/bbq somewhere around the intersection of Academy and Stadium Way. The best one was on the east side of Stadium Way, about 200 ft southerly from Academy. Tables, BBQ, shade trees. There's room across Academy to play games. You gotta make sure you start early though, maybe even before noonish. Elysian Park can get pretty crowded. The only other area to really do this kind of thing is northish a ways on Stadium Way after the jog with Academy. Out past the Arboretum are some relatively well-shielded fields. Not sure what amenities are available out that way though. That whole park is known to authorities and patrolled, you should know. The police academy is just over the hill.