Harbor-UCLA Internal Medicine Residency:
Life at Harbor-UCLA

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is located in one of the best parts of the Los Angeles Area, the "South Bay," which is well known for the quality of air and weather, excellent beaches, and more moderate temperatures and less congestion than other parts of Southern California. We’re just 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and close to the freeways. The South Bay communities of Torrance, Redondo Beach, Gardena, San Pedro, Long Beach, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Manhattan Beach, and Lomita are mostly residential, but have a mix of high-tech industry, light industry, transportation, retail sales, and other businesses. The nearby Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have the heaviest volume of cargo in the U.S. There is a notable Pacific Rim flavor to the area as the U.S. headquarters of Honda, Toyota and many other Asian-Pacific companies are located within a few miles of Harbor-UCLA.

The excellent year-round climate and proximity of mountains and ocean combine to provide Los Angeles area residents with unique recreational opportunities. The nearest beach is only 15 minutes from the hospital. Ski resorts are only two to three hours by car from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and good snow for skiing is available about four months of the year.  One can easily test their luck as a trip to Las Vegas takes approximately four hours by car. In addition brief getaways are the norm as San Diego, Santa Barbara, or Palm Springs are  approximately two hours away by car.

Facilities for sailing, golf, tennis, and diving are available. There are several internationally-famous marathon races and bicycling events every year. Major shopping complexes are minutes away, as well as restaurants of every kind. Every conceivable form of entertainment and cultural enrichment is readily available in Southern California.

The downtown Music Center provides the city with a complex of magnificent halls for opera, symphony, dance, and drama.The famous Hollywood Bowl, the largest outdoor music theater in America, offers a popular summer program of symphonies and concerts. The spectacular Getty Museum in West Los Angeles gives the area a world-class art museum. Other major collections include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Norton Simon Museum, and the Huntington Library.

There are more than 20 universities and colleges in the Los Angeles metropolitan area that provide educational, cultural and social activities of wide variety and interest.

Southern California has major professional teams in baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey, and hosts numerous major collegiate sports events, including those at UCLA and USC.

The bottom line is that when you leave the hospital there are endless opportunities for recreation.