Flickr Photo via Steven D'Antoni

Another way to keep cool this summer and enjoy some family-friendly activities is actually not too far from Echo Park in nearby Chinatown. Summer Nights in Chinatown starts this weekend, August 7, and will continue every Saturday throughout the month. The event showcases food trucks, neighborhood shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries, along with cooking demonstrations and other cultural activities. You can get some great discounts at the restaurants and shops during Summer Nights, just be sure to click here and print out the coupons for your discounts.

It’s a pretty easy bicycle commute from where I live in Echo Park, and they even offer free bike valet courtesy of Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. This weekend, there’s a cooking demonstration, family workshop with Chinese calligraphy, food trucks (non-Chinese, like Nom Nom Truck, India Jones Chow Truck, Spring Street Smoke House, The Patty Wagon, Papas Tapas and Fry Smith), dancing and DJs.

Click here for the Chinatown Summer Nights website to view the event map and full schedule.