For serenity, try Lake Balboa

I enjoyed the article about peaceful places to visit in Los Angeles [“Getaway, in the City,” Sept. 22], but the article left out a beautiful serene setting: Lake Balboa in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys.

This 30-acre site is one of the more beautiful areas of the San Fernando Valley. Joggers use it in the early morning, couples take boat rides in the afternoon. It is always clean and used extensively on the weekends by families. The Lake Balboa recreation area should have been on Steven Barrie-Anthony’s list. Better yet, drive from downtown to the lake, visit with the guests, see the ducks and the cherry trees, when they are in bloom.

JACK MCGRATH

Valley Village