# Carson

Carson is a major suburb in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. Carson is a very ethnically diverse but poorer suburb, with few sights or tourist destinations. However, it does hold Dignity Health Sports Park, a sports complex that's home to one of L.A.'s two Major League Soccer teams, the LA Galaxy. It is home to about 91,000 people (2019).

## Get in

Several freeways directly serve Carson. I-405 cuts east-west across the middle of the city, connecting to Long Beach to the east and Los Angeles International Airport to the northwest. The I-110 runs along the west side of Carson, heading north through South Central to Downtown Los Angeles, while I-710 runs along the east side of town between Long Beach and East L.A. Lastly, CA-91 runs east-west across the north side of the city, heading east to Anaheim and Orange County.

## See

* 33.856389-118.2780561 Goodyear Blimp Base, 19200 S Main St, ☏ +1-310-327-6565. Carson serves as one of the three bases nationwide for the Goodyear Blimp, where it is stored and maintained. The blimp is regularly inflated and visible from the road when it's not on the road hovering over a sports event. You can request a visit ahead of time. (updated Apr 2016)

## Do

The main stadium at Dignity Health Sports Park is home to the oldest of L.A.'s two top-level professional soccer teams, and was the temporary home of the National Football League's Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2019. It will also host the USA Sevens event in the World Rugby Sevens Series for men's national rugby sevens teams for at least 2020, and possibly beyond.
* 33.8643-118.2611 LA Galaxy, 18400 Avalon Blvd (Dignity Health Sports Park). One of the charter members of Major League Soccer, the Galaxy is best known as the former home of three major stars, American Landon Donovan, England's David Beckham, and Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović.
* LA Galaxy II, 18400 Avalon Blvd (Dignity Health Sports Park). The reserve side for the MLS Galaxy plays in the second-level USL Championship at Dignity Health Sports Park—but not in the main stadium. Galaxy II instead plays at the complex's track & field stadium.
* USA Sevens, 18400 Avalon Blvd (Dignity Health Sports Park). This annual event in rugby sevens, held in late February/early March, is returning to its original site of Dignity Health Sports Park in 2020 after stints in San Diego and Las Vegas. Sevens is a variant of rugby union played on a full-sized field but with seven players a side instead of 15, and halves of 7 minutes instead of 40. The short game duration allows many games to be played in a day, and a full tournament to be completed in a weekend. The USA Sevens is part of the World Rugby Sevens Series, an annual circuit of 10 events that feature 16 teams (including the U.S.) and strongly encourage a festival atmosphere. If you're so inclined, it can be a great opportunity to meet people from other parts of the world.
* 33.8589-118.262 VELO Sports Center, 18400 Avalon Blvd (Dignity Health Sports Park). The VELO Sports Center is a 250-meter indoor wood bicycle racing track. It is the only cycling track of its kind in the United States. It is a home track to USA Cycling's national track cycling program, hosts international competitions for elite cyclists, and also offers cycling classes for the public.

## Buy

* 33.84388-118.261091 SouthBay Pavilion (formerly Carson Mall), 20700 S Avalon Blvd. SouthBay Pavilion is a partially enclosed shopping mall that was opened in 1973. It features a 13-screen movie theater and is home to department stores operated by Burlington, IKEA, JCPenney, Ross Dress For Less, and Target.

## Eat

* 33.8276-118.27661 Ted's Burgers, 22000 S Main St (at the corner of Main and 220th), ☏ +1-310-830-4412. A beloved local burger joint. (updated Apr 2016)
* 33.8239-118.26332 Yellow Basket, 22300 Avalon Blvd (at the corner of Avalon and 223rd), ☏ +1-310-830-1103. Popular local diner serving breakfast and burgers. (updated Apr 2016)

## Sleep

* 33.8401-118.26041 Motel 6 Carson, 888 E Dominquer Street, ☏ +1 310 715-6688. (updated Apr 2016)

## Go next

* 33.835849-118.3406291 Torrance
* 33.893611-118.3077782 Gardena
* 33.896667-118.2253 Compton
* 33.758647-118.3458444 Palos Verdes
* 33.74-118.295 San Pedro
* 33.768056-118.1955566 Long Beach