The Great Los Angeles Walk

THE GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2011 RECAP: 19.5 Miles of Downtown, Hollywood and Beyond

2011-11-20T14:48:00.001-08:00

And they're off! (Photo by Anthony Uy)

We made it! After a semi-grueling 19.5 mile hike across Los Angeles, a few hundred passionate Angelenos successfully endured the sixth annual Great Los Angeles Walk.

More than 200 participants -- including visitors from locales such as London (at least two British visitors!) and Pennsylvania -- met at downtown's gaudy Triforium sculpture (across the street from City Hall) on Saturday. From there, they hit the sidewalks of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica on their way to the ocean.

"This has to be the most diverse number of neighborhoods we have ever walked through," Great Los Angeles Walk regular Waltarrrrr wrote on Twitter.

Along the way, this year's Walk centered on Hollywood, where Walkers took a look at classic theatres like the Pantages, the Warner Pacific, the Egyptian, the Chinese, the Henry Fonda and the El Capitan, as well as historic buildings such as the Taft Building, the Janes House (the last remaining Victorian Queen Anne house on Hollywood) and the Guaranty Building.

The morning started with a guest speaker: L.A.'s and America's favorite histo-tainer, Charles Phoenix. Charles gave a brief speech about downtown kitsch -- including the 1975 Triforium sculpture we were standing under. (In Charles' famed "Disneyland" Tour of Downtown Los Angeles, he includes the Triforium as part of "Tomorrowland.") "I thought this was a 'cake walk' to the ocean," Phoenix quipped. "Maybe you should do that next year." Sounds like a delicious idea.

At 9:15, we embarked on our journey -- and quickly experienced a wide swath of Los Angeles neighborhoods. From downtown, we continued down Temple, through Historic Filipinotown, to Beverly and Vermont. We then hiked north on Vermont, past the Los Angeles City College and past the neighborhood swap meet and plenty of street vendors. Turning west on Hollywood Boulevard, we marched through Little Armenia and Thai Town to Hollywood.

Waiting for us in the Toyota of Hollywood parking lot, the Food Truck Army had brought along three gourmet food trucks for us to enjoy lunch: Cheer Burger, Gypsy Toast and Sura Truck.

From there, it was off to Hollywood, where some Walkers took our advice to grab a martini at Musso & Franks and a jalapeno margarita at Loteria Grill. After Hollywood, we made our way down Fairfax to Santa Monica Boulevard, then hiked through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Brentwood and Santa Monica.

Swift walkers got to the end by sunset. Most made it to the end during the 5 p.m. hour, while the Walkers who did it right (i.e., stopped at Mussos, Loteria or Trader Vic's at the Beverly Hilton) made it closer to 7 p.m. In the end, we overwhelmed the waiters and cooks at Locando del Lago in Santa Monica -- but for those who got a table, we munched on $8 pizzas and finally rested our feet.

Among my highlights: The guy who screamed, "COMMUNISTAS!" at us (assuming we were part of the Occupy LA crowd). Also: The foul-mouthed, cigarette-chomping, green-wearing little person who was standing outside a Hollywood theater.

It was another successful walk -- and even the weather cooperated, as cool temps and partly sunny skies greeted the Great LA Walkers as they made their way through town. I hope to see all of you -- and even more -- at next year's event -- remember to always keep the Saturday before Thanksgiving free!

Read most of the Tweets from the day -- at least the ones with the #glaw hashtag -- here!

And post your Great Los Angeles Walk photos to our Flickr stream here.

Some pics from the day:

The crowd gathers. (Photo by Anthony Uy)

Charles Phoenix talks to the crowd

The crowd listens.

Organizer Michael Schneider (hey, that's me, identifying myself in the third person!), with Charles Phoenix, as the walk kicks off.

Occupy LA, as we "Occupy LA Sidewalks."

The walk heads down Temple.

Hands Across Temple. (Photo by Anthony Uy)

The Ukulele Bunny of Temple

The infamous headquarters from "CHiPs," on Vermont Ave.

Outside the Vermont Ave. swap meet, it's the official food of Los Angeles: Bacon-wrapped hot dogs.

The real star of Hollywood: Self-loathing.

Quite possibly the coolest mural of the walk: Michael Jackson.

Hollywood Premiere Motel.

Self-affirmation on Hollywood Boulevard.

Gateway to Thai Town.

Keeping guard on Hollywood.

Lunch with the Food Truck Army.

Museum of Death.

Capitol Records.

Warner Pacific Theatre.

Musso and Franks.

Joni poses with the cigarette-chomping, foul-mouthed, green-suited little person. What's going on?

Anthony poses with the Hollywood crew. Still not clear what's going on.

Handless Elvis.

Religious marchers attempt to educate us unwashed Hollywood masses.

Suddenly, a popular star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Charlie Sheen.

Blues on Hollywood. (Photo by Anthony Uy)

In Beverly Hills. Still not sure what this is supposed to be.

Mormon temple on Santa Monica.

Style is confidence, says Amir.

We made it to the ocean at around 5:40 a.m. -- toward the end of the pack (along with several others). Groups were pretty spread out by the end. (Photo by Anthony Uy)

Thanks to Charles Phoenix, Rocky from the Food Truck Army, and Lago in Santa Monica for participating in this year's event! And most importantly, thank you to the 200-plus die-hard Los Angeles fans who took part in the walk!

Save the date for next year -- Saturday, November 17, 2012. And yes, we'll trim a few miles off next year's walk.

Here are some links to other recaps of this year's Great Los Angeles Walk. Send us your links!

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2011 Flickr Pool

Charles Phoenix, Bullet Casings & O.J.'s Last Stop: the Great Los Angeles Walk in Photos (LAist)

Here's Where We're Meeting on Saturday

2011-11-17T16:00:00.001-08:00

Photos via the Public Art in LA website. We'll be meeting under the Triforium -- located at the Los Angeles Mall (or also known as Fletcher Borwon Square) at the corner of Temple and Main -- at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Here's how it looks from the air (also from Public Art in LA):

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2011 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

2011-11-15T00:22:00.001-08:00

We're getting excited for this year's GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK this Saturday! The good news: Rain does not appear to be in the forecast, and it looks to be a mild day -- making it perfect all-day walking weather.

A few things to note (and check both here at the Great Los Angeles Walk's Facebook event page later this week):

If you are planning on Tweeting the walk, please (a) follow @greatlawalk if you don't already, and (b) message us or respond to us on Twitter to let us know! Also, even if you won't be Tweeting, make sure to follow @greatlawalk to get updates on where we are (and where we're making pit stops) throughout the day.

Also: We've heard from a ton of people via our email address; I wish I had the time to respond to everyone, but I don't -- and Spam filters are preventing me from sending mass bulk emails. I hope this answers most of your questions.

And now, the Frequently Asked Questions:

1. WHEN/WHERE? Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving, like we do every year. We're meeting at downtown’s Triforium sculpture (at Fletcher Bowron Square – at Temple and Main -- across from City Hall). We'll probably have a speaker or two to kick things off, at around 8:45, so get there early. The Walk leaves PROMPTLY at 9.

2. WHO? We're expecting over 200 hikers this year. We're taking RSVPs at greatlawalk(at)mail(dot)com (yes, "mail," not "gmail") and on Facebook, but RSVPs are not necessary. We'll take anyone who shows up too!

3. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? C'mon, it's completely free! But you're on your own when it comes to lunch, dinner, water, etc. So don't forget to plan accordingly.

4. WHAT'S THE PATH? From downtown, we'll walk west on Temple, north on Vermont, west on Hollywood Boulevard, south on Fairfax, west on Santa Monica Boulevard to the ocean.

5. WHAT IF I CAN'T GET THERE THAT EARLY, OR DON'T WANT TO START THAT FAR EAST? Just wait for us somewhere on the path and join in once we pass by. Several hikers will be Twittering as well -- including us, at @greatlawalk. Check one of those Twitter accounts to figure out where we are.

6. HOW LONG IS THE HIKE? 19-ish miles. IMPORTANT: This is not a race. Sure, you can sprint all the way to the end, but where's the fun in that? There's no prize for who gets there first. Instead, take a breath, and join the bulk of us as we leisurely stroll toward the ocean and stop frequently to take in the sights.

7. WHEN WILL WE GET TO THE END? With so many hikers, people will eventually start to space out. Impatient, faster walkers might get there soon after lunch. But the bulk of the walkers will get there around 5.

8. WHAT ABOUT LUNCH? We'll be taking a lunch break -- probably around an hour or so -- in the heart of Hollywood. We're also in talks with a handful of food trucks to park along the route and offer special deals for Walk participants.

9. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We'll take group photos at the ocean... and then celebrate at Locando del Lago in Santa Monica. Lago Santa Monica will offer Great Los Angeles Walk participants $8 pizzas (regularly $14-15 each) and $20 “litros” (carafes, regularly $34 each) of their signature market cocktails exclusively on Saturday, November 19 -- plus, they're even reserving a portion of the outdoor patio for walkers to mingle.

10. HOW DO I GET HOME? Either plan with a friend and get to Santa Monica early morning, parking one car, then carpool to downtown (where you'll park the other car). OR: Park at downtown, walk to Santa Monica, then eventually take Metro back to downtown. OR: Park at Santa Monica at 7 a.m., allowing yourself enough time to board a Metro bus to downtown. Traffic's light that time of morning, so the bus ride is relatively quick. And that way, when you arrive in Santa Monica, your car is waiting for you.

BUSES: Thanks to Joni Yung for doing the homework on this. She recommends you visit Metro (http://www.metro.net/around/maps) for details. But here's a thumbnail:

The last BBB10 bus leaves Santa Monica for downtown at around 7pm. It's the return from downtown that's at around 8pm. so if you're going to party after the walk, your choices are the 704 (or the local 4, both via Santa Monica/Sunset), the 720 (via Wilshire), and the 733 (via Venice Blvd). some run more often than others, some will drop you off closer to City Hall than others.

11. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING? Loose, comfy clothing. I'd wear shorts, a t-shirt (and perhaps a sweatshirt, given the temperature) and bring a jacket -- it gets chilly at the beach in the evening. Also, tennis shoes... sunglasses... a hat... sunscreen... extra socks... a blister kit (optional, of course -- I haven't brought one, although Band-Aids are a good idea)... and most importantly, a camera! We'll all be documenting it and posting pics later.

Several of you have ordered Great Los Angeles Walk T-shirts, which is cool (www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue) but not mandatory.

12. HOW SHOULD I TRAIN FOR THIS? It's not a marathon, so training isn't really necessary. I suppose you should walk around your neighborhood in the days before hand... but I'd avoid any big gym routine the day before, so you're not sore the day you're hiking. But other than that... I didn't train at all for the first three walks, and came out just fine.

13. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Why not? There's no special reason, no charity, no protest, no issue we're promoting -- other than a passion for Los Angeles. In 2006, I organized our walk down Wilshire to mark my 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. But it was so much fun, and it was a chance to meet so many new people, that we did it again in 2007, down Pico; in 2008, via Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd.; and in 2009, we hit West Adams as we walked down Adams and Washington to Venice Beach. Last year, we returned to Wilshire for the fifth walk... and this year, we're hitting Hollywood.

It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving as well, so somehow I don't feel as bad gorging on sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie a few days later. And hey, it'll be a cool conversation piece at your holiday party.

14. IMPORTANT: You are walking on your own volition. The Great Los Angeles Walk is just a casual opportunity to walk with other Angelenos through the city. It's not an official organization of any sort -- and is therefore not responsible for your conduct or anything that may happen during your hike. Be careful, and be respectful of others and of your city.

This Year's After Party to Be Held at Lago Santa Monica

2011-11-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Whether you walked a block, a mile or the entire length of the Great Los Angeles Walk, join us the evening of Saturday, November 19 for our after party celebration! This year's event will take place at the northern Italian restaurant Locanda del Lago -- on Arizona Ave. between 2nd and the 3rd Street Promenade.

Lago Santa Monica will offer Great Los Angeles Walk participants $8 pizzas (regularly $14-15 each) and $20 “litros” (carafes, regularly $34 each) of their signature market cocktails exclusively on Saturday, November 19 -- plus, they're even reserving a portion of the outdoor patio for walkers to mingle.

Walkers will get up to three hours of happy hour pricing, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., which is no small feat on a Saturday night!

For more info, check out Lago's Twitter feed here and Facebook page here.

The Official Great Los Angeles Walk 2011 Press Release

2011-11-04T14:18:00.001-07:00

THE SIXTH ANNUAL GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK IS GOING HOLLYWOOD, BABY, ON NOV. 19

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 3, 2011) -- Hundreds of Angelenos will hit the sidewalks this November 19 for The Great Los Angeles Walk 2011 – the annual event that dispels the myth that “nobody walks in L.A.”

For the sixth annual event, participants of the Great Los Angeles Walk (http://www.greatlawalk.com) will once again hike from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean – but this time via Hollywood Boulevard. Participants will meet at downtown’s Triforium sculpture (at Fletcher Bowron Square – at Temple and Main -- across from City Hall) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, and proceed to walk approximately 19 miles (at a casual, all-day pace).

The Walk will run down Temple, up Vermont Ave., across Hollywood Boulevard and down Santa Monica Boulevard to the ocean. Along the way, walkers will encounter sites such as City Hall, the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, LA City College, Musso & Frank's, Grauman's Egyptian and Chinese Theatres, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Capitol Records building, Hollywood and Vine, and much more.

Walkers will pass through a diverse cross-section of the region, including Downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Great Los Angeles Walk will conclude with an afterparty at Locanda del Lago restaurant in Santa Monica.

L.A. journalist and blogger Michael Schneider launched the Great Los Angeles Walk in 2006 as a way to celebrate his tenth year in Los Angeles. Inspired by the book “Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles,” by Kevin Roderick (with research by J. Eric Lynxwiler), he decided to walk the street’s entire length.

In 2007, for an encore, he chose another downtown-to-the-ocean route: Pico Boulevard. The 2008 Walk took on Santa Monica Blvd. (via Sunset). In 2009, the event kicked off in the historic West Adams district and walked to Venice Beach via Adams and Washington. And in 2010, for its fifth edition, the Great Los Angeles Walk reprised its original Wilshire journey.

The Great Los Angeles Walk grew from dozens of participants to hundreds, and continues to expand each year as more Angelenos join in to explore their city on foot.

As always, the Walk is completely free. It is up to the participants to decide how much or how little of the walk they want to do. The Great Los Angeles Walk has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the L.A. Weekly, KABC-Channel 7, LAist.com and KNBC.com. ###

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2011 Heads to Hollywood

2011-10-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

WE'RE GOING TO HOLLYWOOD, BABY! **NOTE NEW MEETING PLACE**

For the Great Los Angeles Walk 2011, we're going to trek through the neighborhood that symbolizes L.A.'s most famous export -- Hollywood. Think Musso & Frank's; Grauman's Egyptian and Chinese Theatres; the Walk of Fame; the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Capitol Records Building; the Pantages; Hollywood and Vine; and much more.

Participants will meet downtown at the Triforium sculpture (at Fletcher Bowron Square, across from City Hall) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, and proceed to walk the approximately 19-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean.

We'll pass through a diverse cross-section of the region, including Downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood and Santa Monica.

As you know by now, I launched the Great Los Angeles Walk in 2006 as a way to celebrate my tenth year in Los Angeles. That year, inspired by the book "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles," we walked Wilshire. In 2007, for an encore, we hiked down Pico Boulevard. The 2008 Walk took on Santa Monica Blvd. (via Sunset). And in 2009, the event kicked off in the historic West Adams district and walked to Venice Beach via Adams and Washington. For its fifth edition in 2010, the Great Los Angeles Walk returned to Wilshire.

This year, we toyed with several routes, including Ventura Boulevard in the Valley. But I heard from many of you that the downtown-to-the-ocean tradition needed to be upheld. And I agree: There's something about making it to the Pacific around 5 p.m. that adds to a sense of accomplishment. We'll hit Ventura Boulevard one of these years... but for now, we decided that there was still plenty of ground to cover on this side of the hill -- including historic Hollywood.

In case you're new to what we do, here's the rundown: We walk just to walk. No money, no agenda. The Great Los Angeles Walk is a completely free event; as a matter of fact, it operates without any budget whatsoever. Participants handle their own meals along the way, via local businesses and food trucks.

The Great Los Angeles Walk is a fantastic way to see your city up close and personal. Plus, it's a fun way to burn a few calories before gorging on Thanksgiving the following week.

Keep checking out www.greatlawalk.com for details, and make sure you're on our email list by dropping a line to greatlawalk@mail.com. More info, including T-shirts, to come. ALSO, if you're interested in sponsoring a rest stop for walkers, or if you're a restaurant in Hollywood or Santa Monica willing to house our lunch and afterparty (don't worry, everyone's paying on their own dime), let us know!

Here's the tentative route -- subject to change:

View Larger Map

The Great Los Angeles Walk Returns on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011

2011-08-19T11:21:00.001-07:00

It's coming! It's coming! As always, the Great Los Angeles Walk will take place the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- which this year means Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011.

We're still figuring out which route to take -- and that's where you come in. Vote! And let us know where you'd like to urban hike this year! Take the poll below.

Video: The Great Los Angeles Walk on Channel 7

2010-11-29T23:40:00.001-08:00

It's not much, but it's still TV coverage of the Great Los Angeles Walk! KABC/Channel 7 was there at the starting gate on Nov. 20, and aired this little clip during that evening's newscast.

I do take issue, however, with their opening line: "So it wasn't a great day to go for a walk unless you like walking in the rain." For the record, it was the perfect day for our urban hike. Despite predictions of a downpour, the rain held off throughout that day.

GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2010 RECAP: We Conquer All 15.8 Miles of Wilshire

2010-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

It was going to take more than a little rain to keep a Great Walk down.

And turns out the rain was mostly an afterthought by the time we kicked off the fifth annual Great Los Angeles Walk on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Pershing Square. Besides a few sprinkles at the start of the walk, the weather cooperated just fine -- if anything, the mid-60s temps were perfect for a day-long urban hike.

At least 100 die-hard Angelenos decided to brave the weather (before the dire forecasts, we were expecting around 350) -- and were treated to some amazing sights on Wilshire Boulevard.

And after an all-day, 15.8-mile journey (with several stops along the way), we celebrated over margaritas at Border Grill Santa Monica.

The morning started with a surprise guest: Councilman Tom LaBonge, who stopped by Pershing Square to send us off and say a few words. "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler then took to the megaphone and gave us a bit of history about the street we were about to walk.

A KABC/Channel 7 Eyewitness News cameraman was also there to record the start (it later appeared on the station's 4 p.m. newscast; KNBC/Channel 4 had a camera out there as well). And thanks to the Los Angeles Conservancy, everyone grabbed a copy of "Curating the City: Wilshire Boulevard," a thorough guide to the historic buildings and sites up and down the Wilshire.

At 10 a.m., we headed West.

From there, the sights were many. Bullock's Wilshire. The Park Plaza Hotel. MacArthur Park. The "Shambassador" high school.

Los Angeles Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala met us at the mid-60s St. Basil's Catholic Church to give us a history of the structure; he then took us over to the Ahmanson Center/Wilshire Colonnade to share the background of that early-70s complex.

Surprises continued: We walked by the historic Wiltern Theatre -- the first-ever L.A. Conservancy success story -- and saw that the theater had put a welcome message for the Great L.A. Walk on its marquee. At the Los Altos Apartments, we were welcomed in by management (they happened to be holding an open house). Some lucky walkers got a chance to tour the Julia Morgan-designed Hearst apartment inside (while sipping Mimosas).

Many Walkers breaked for lunch at Black Dog Coffee in the Miracle Mile, where owner Brad Gold was offering $1 his sandwiches and hot dogs. Down the street, LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gave us a history of the museum.

Later, we passed by a wedding (a Great LA Walk tradition!) in Westwood, and even spotted another message for us -- stuck on a lamppost by a crew member on HBO's upcoming series "Luck."

Most of us made it to Santa Monica (and the Santa Monica statue at the very edge of Wilshire) around 5:30 p.m. A sliver of light remained in the distant horizon as we took photos, nursed blisters and then hobbled over to Border Grill.

It was a great day -- and my prediction that the rain wouldn't be a factor paid off.

The hot topic toward the end of The Great Los Angeles Walk: Where are we going next year? Stay tuned. And remember to keep the Saturday before Thanksgiving free. We'll see you in 2011!

And now, some pics:

I'm interviewed by KABC Channel 7. (Pic by Davey Gonzalez.)

With Councilman Tom LaBonge, who yes, called me a "great Angeleno." Don't know about that, but what the hell, I'm flattered!

Kevin Roderick speaks, as Eric Lynxwiler and Tom LaBonge look on. (Pic by Raul.)

And they're off!

Making our way up Wilshire.

The Wilshire Special.

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Below, it's a swap meet. Above, the Westlake Theatre balcony remains.

Harrison Grey Otis points us in the right direction (at MacArthur Park).

American Cement building.

Color.

Inside the Wilshire Galleria department store -- formerly I. Magnin.

LA Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala gives us some background on St. Basil's Catholic Church.

Marcello describes the Wilshire Colonnade.

A bunch of us gather under the Wiltern Theatre marquee. OK, so they didn't quite get the name of our Walk right. It's the gesture that counts. Thanks, Wiltern!

Get your MAN SUITS! MAN SUITS, everybody!

Los Altos apartments.

Inside the Hearst apartment at the Los Altos. (Pic by Will Campbell.)

Members of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council sponsor a rest stop.

LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gives a history of the museum.

View of the Variety Building from LACMA's Urban Lights installation.

Yes, we are in Beverly Hills.

Creepiest statue on Wilshire?

An HBO "Luck" crew member leaves a message on Wilshire for us Walkers.

Jesus drives by the walk, and flashes a peace sign to Will Campbell. (Pic by Will Campbell.)

A Great Los Angeles Walk tradition: Wedding (this time in Westwood)

Didn't quite work out for you, huh?

Truman Capote's grave, at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery (Pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)

This late in the walk, no one takes up this inflatable ref's hug offer.

"Walk On" -- we're trying our best!

Harsh!

We celebrate at the Santa Monica statue - at the very end of Wilshire.

Walkers on KABC Channel 7's Eyewitness News

Thanks again to Councilman Tom LaBonge; "Wilshire Boulevard" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler; L.A. Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala; and LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan, all of whom gave great speeches and shared some history for us.

Mark your calendars: The sixth GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK takes place Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011!

Other GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK posts:

Great Los Angeles Walk photo group on Flickr

Talking the Walk: The Great LA Walk 2010 Does Wilshire Blvd. (LAist)

Wilshire walkers catch a weather break (LA Observed)

Great L.A. Walk 2010: Wilshire Blvd. (Raul is Running)

Great Los Angeles Walk: Car-free urban adventure (Siel Ju, via KPCC)

I Saw Jesus Christ on Yesterday's Great LA Walk (Will Campbell, via Blogging.la)

Send us more links!

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010: Wilshire Was Walked.

2010-11-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

A huge chunk of us at the finish line... the Santa Monica statue at the end of Wilshire.

About a hundred Angelenos joined in our 15.8-mile hike from Pershing Square to the ocean via Wilshire Boulevard. And the best part: Despite all the gloom and doom rain forecasts, the weather was perfect.

I'll have a full report tomorrow, but for now check out this report from L.A. Observed's Kevin Roderick.

Thanks to Councilman Tom LaBonge; "Wilshire Boulevard" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler; L.A. Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala; and LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan, all of whom gave great speeches and shared some history for us.

(Pic by the Atwater Village Newbie.)

Hey Walkers, post your pics here: www.flickr.com/groups/greatlawalk2010/.

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 is Tomorrow!

2010-11-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 takes place tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.! Be sure to get there early, however -- we'll have the authors of "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles," Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler, on hand to give a few words before we begin.

We then leave at 10 a.m. SHARP. If you're late, no worries -- follow us on Twitter and find us that way.

For those of you walking, a reminder: You that you should make sure you have a transportation plan in place, so you're not stranded after walking all day!

The best option for those of you without anyone picking you up is to carpool... or to PARK IN THE MORNING in Santa Monica, and take the bus (MTA 20/720 is what we've been told is the way to go) all the way to Pershing Square BEFORE the walk. (That way, your car is waiting for you when it's all done.) Alternatively, park at Pershing Square... and take the bus back (the 20 runs all evening). Hey, then you can ice skate after you're back.

Also, a reminder: This isn't a race! We're going to take our time walking down Wilshire, taking advantage of our free L.A. Conservancy "Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd." pamphlets.

Also, an L.A. Conservancy docent will be on hand at:

St. Basil's Catholic Church (Albert C. Martin and Associates, 1969), 3611 Wilshire (betw. Kingsley and Harvard)

and

Ahmanson Center/Wilshire Colonnade (Edward Durell Stone, 1970), 3701 Wilshire (betw. Serrano and Oxford)

We'll get to St. Basil's at around 11.

How fast or slow you walk is up to you -- but if you leave us all in the dust, you're gonna miss the fun of doing the Great LA Walk -- experiencing a part of the city you wouldn't usually see by foot.

It's always hard to time these things, but we'll probably hit the the La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA in the Miracle Mile around noon or 12:30. There are several spots to grab lunch, but we particularly recommend the independent BLACK DOG CAFE. Owner Brad Gold will be giving $1 all sandwiches and hot dogs to Walkers; grab a coupon at the start of the race. Other eateries around there include Mixt Greens, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, Johnnie's Pizza and much more.

(Due to the potential rain, the plan to have food trucks there has been scrapped.)

We'll pick up the walk at 1:30 -- MEET AT THE STREETLAMP INSTALLATION at 1:30. We'll depart then for the rest of the walk. We should get to the ocean by 5 p.m. at the latest -- and then, if you're interested, we'll celebrate at Border Grill Santa Monica.

WEATHER: It's not looking great. We're gonna get a little wet. Bring an umbrella and dress accordingly. This is the first ever Great Los Angeles Walk to get some rain... but thankfully, Wilshire offers much in terms of shelter in case it really rains.

A quick reminder: This is a loosely organized event. We're all coming together to have fun and walk L.A. streets -- but this is not backed by any major organization. We're all responsible for ourselves -- so make sure you have money for meals (and drinks at the afterparty!), transporation set up and... umbrellas.

I'll be updating mile by mile, as well as when we stop and start, take breaks, etc. at www.twitter.com/greatlawalk.

If you're Tweeting as well, please make sure to put the hashtag #glaw on your posts. That way people can keep up with the Walk!

Rain or Shine, the Walk is On!

2010-11-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

This could very well become the first Great Los Angeles Walk to experience rain.

What? Rain?

Yep, in our previous four urban hikes, we've never experienced the wet stuff. As a matter of fact, the weather has completely cooperated -- we've experienced mild, 70-degree all-day walks complete with clear blue skies.

Well, until potentially this year.

The forecast currently calls for a 40% chance of rain. And the high is supposed to only reach 62 degrees.

But so what. We're not going to let the rain hurt us. THE WALK IS HAPPENING, RAIN OR SHINE!

Just bring an umbrella. And perhaps wear proper clothing that will keep you warm.

Great Los Angeles Walk FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

2010-11-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

The response to this year's Great Los Angeles has so far been amazing! It's on track to be our biggest yet.

A few things to note (and check both here at the Great Los Angeles Walk's Facebook event page later this week):

If you are planning on Tweeting the walk, please send us your Twitter account name ASAP! We'll be compiling them so folks at home can follow along all day. Leave a comment below.

And now, the Frequently Asked Questions:

1. WHEN/WHERE? Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving, like we do every year. We're meeting at Pershing Square. We'll probably have a speaker or two to kick things off, at around 9:30, so get there early. The Walk leaves PROMPTLY at 10.

2. WHO? We're expecting over 250 hikers this year. We're still taking RSVPs at greatlawalk(at)mail(dot)com...(yes, "mail," not "gmail") but we'll take anyone who shows up too!

3. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? C'mon, it's completely free! But you're on your own when it comes to lunch, dinner, water, etc. So don't forget to plan accordingly.

4. WHAT'S THE PATH? A straight shot once we get to the start of Wilshire -- ONE WILSHIRE, natch -- all the way to the ocean.

5. WHAT IF I CAN'T GET THERE THAT EARLY, OR DON'T WANT TO START THAT FAR EAST? Just wait for us somewhere on the path and join in once we pass by. Several hikers will be Twittering as well -- including us, at @greatlawalk. Check one of those Twitter accounts to figure out where we are.

6. HOW LONG IS THE HIKE? 15.6 miles. IMPORTANT: This is not a race. Sure, you can sprint all the way to the end, but where's the fun in that? There's no prize for who gets there first. Instead, take a breath, and join the bulk of us as we leisurely stroll toward the ocean and stop frequently to take in the sights.

The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council is sponsoring a mid-morning snack and water stop, while O.N.E. Coconut Water will be passing out water on the afternoon side.

7. WHEN WILL WE GET TO THE END? With so many hikers, people will eventually start to space out. Impatient, faster walkers might get there soon after lunch. But the bulk of the walkers will get there around 5.

8. WHAT ABOUT LUNCH? We'll be taking a lunch break -- probably around an hour or so -- at LACMA. (Approximately 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.) We've got four food trucks lined up to feed you, but LACMA also has a cafeteria, and other eateries (Black Dog Cafe, Johnnie's Pizza, Baja Fresh) are nearby.

9. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We'll take group photos at the ocean... and then celebrate at Border Grill Santa Monica.

10. HOW DO I GET HOME? Either plan with a friend and get to Santa Monica early morning, parking one car, then carpool to Pershing Square (where you'll park the other car). OR: Park at Pershing Square, walk to Santa Monica, then eventually take Metro back to Pershing Square. OR: Park at Santa Monica at 8 a.m., allowing yourself enough time to board a Metro bus to Pershing Square. Traffic's light that time of morning, so the bus ride is relatively quick. And that way, when you arrive in Santa Monica, your car is waiting for you.

BUSES: The Big Blue Bus #10 stops near Pershing Square, and MTA's 20/720 bus also gets you back to Pershing Square, even late at night.

11. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING? Loose, comfy clothing. I'd wear shorts, a t-shirt and then bring a jacket -- it gets chilly at the beach in the evening. Also, tennis shoes... sunglasses... a hat... sunscreen... extra socks... a blister kit (optional, of course -- I haven't brought one, although Band-Aids are a good idea)... and most importantly, a camera! We'll all be documenting it and posting pics later.

Several of you have ordered Great Los Angeles Walk T-shirts, which is cool (www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue) but not mandatory. For the rest of you, I suggest white T-shirts -- so we can all recognize each other as Great LA Walk walkers!

12. HOW SHOULD I TRAIN FOR THIS? It's not a marathon, so training isn't really necessary. I suppose you should walk around your neighborhood in the days before hand... but I'd avoid any big gym routine the day before, so you're not sore the day you're hiking. But other than that... I didn't train at all for the first three walks, and came out just fine.

13. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Why not? There's no special reason, no charity, no protest, no issue we're promoting -- other than a passion for Los Angeles. In 2006, I organized our walk down Wilshire to mark my 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. But it was so much fun, and it was a chance to meet so many new people, that we did it again in 2007, down Pico; in 2008, via Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd.; and in 2009, we hit West Adams as we walked down Adams and Washington to Venice Beach.

It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving as well, so somehow I don't feel as bad gorging on sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie a few days later. And hey, it'll be a cool conversation piece at your holiday party.

14. IMPORTANT: You are walking on your own volition. The Great Los Angeles Walk is just a casual opportunity to walk with other Angelenos through the city. It's not an official organization of any sort -- and is therefore not responsible for your conduct or anything that may happen during your hike. Be careful, and be respectful of others and of your city.

Curating the City: L.A. Conservancy Gives Us a Comprehensive View of Wilshire

2010-11-12T10:31:00.001-08:00

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 is timed to the long-awaited update of the L.A. Conservancy's extensive Curating the City site all about Wilshire.

As we mention in the Great Los Angeles Walk press release, the award-winning site offers a virtual tour of Wilshire with descriptions of eight neighborhoods and 160 structures, accompanied by more than a thousand images. The recent update added nearly sixty buildings and hundreds of photos.

Everyone on the Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 will receive a copy of the Conservancy booklet from 2005 that describes dozens of landmarks along the boulevard.

That way, not only will you be walking down Wilshire, but you also have the ability to take a self-guided tour and really get to know the street up close and personal.

Great Los Angeles Walk After Party at the Border Grill Santa Monica!

2010-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's official: BORDER GRILL will help us celebrate post-Great Los Angeles Walk 2010!

The restaurant is setting aside space for us to gather and toast our 15.6-mile hike. As always, you're responsible for your own food and drink (so make sure you've got money/credit cards on you).

We'll head to Border Grill after taking group photos at the end of Wilshire, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. My guess? Around 4:30 to 5 p.m. ish. See you there!

The Official Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 Press Release

2010-11-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

FOR ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, THE GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK RETURNS TO WILSHIRE BOULEVARD ON NOV. 20

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 9, 2010) -- Hundreds of Angelenos will hit the sidewalks this November for The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 – the annual event that dispels the myth that “nobody walks in L.A.”

For the fifth annual event, the Great Los Angeles Walk (www.greatlawalk.com) will return to where it all began: Wilshire Blvd. (the site of the first Walk in 2006). Participants will meet at downtown’s Pershing Square at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, and proceed to walk the entire 15.6 mile length of Wilshire.

Along the way, as they hike down L.A.’s grand boulevard, walkers will encounter historic buildings like Bullocks Wilshire and the Wiltern Theatre; attractions such as MacArthur Park and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the remains of L.A. icons that fell to the wrecking ball, such as the Ambassador Hotel and Perino’s.

Walkers will pass through a diverse cross-section of the region, including Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Westwood and Santa Monica.

L.A. journalist and blogger Michael Schneider launched the Great Los Angeles Walk in 2006 as a way to celebrate his tenth year in Los Angeles. Inspired by the book “Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles,” by Kevin Roderick (with research by J. Eric Lynxwiler), he decided to walk the street’s entire length.

In 2007, for an encore, he chose another downtown-to-the-ocean route: Pico Boulevard. The 2008 Walk took on Santa Monica Blvd. (via Sunset). And in 2009, the event kicked off in the historic West Adams district and walked to Venice Beach via Adams and Washington.

The Great Los Angeles Walk grew from dozens of participants to hundreds, and continues to expand each year as more Angelenos join in to explore their city on foot.

As always, the Walk is completely free. It is up to the participants to decide how much or how little of the walk they want to do. Walkers are responsible for their own meals, although a selection of gourmet food trucks will be parked to feed hungry Walkers during the lunchtime break near LACMA.

The Walk coincides with a major update of the Los Angeles Conservancy's website devoted to Wilshire, Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd., at www.curatingthecity.org Launched in 2005 as part of a much broader educational program, the award-winning site offers a virtual tour of Wilshire with descriptions of eight neighborhoods and 160 structures, accompanied by more than a thousand images. The recent update added nearly sixty buildings and hundreds of photos.

Everyone on the (actual) Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 will receive a copy of the Conservancy booklet from 2005 that describes dozens of landmarks along the boulevard.
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Check Out Our Official Facebook Page

2010-10-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our Facebook event page for the Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 is up -- access it here.

One Month Until the Great Los Angeles Walk -- Shirts Now Available!

2010-10-22T14:26:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, we're now less than a month out from the annual Great Los Angeles Walk -- our annual urban hike from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean.

This year, as we previously announced, we're heading BACK TO WILSHIRE.

**OFFICIAL T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE! ORDER YOURS SOON, SO YOU CAN WEAR IT TO THE WALK!**

The walk takes place on SATURDAY, NOV. 20, 2010. MEET AT 10 A.M. AT PERSHING SQUARE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.

In 2006, we hiked down Wilshire. In 2007, it was Pico. In 2008, we started at Sunset before walking the entire length of Santa Monica Blvd. And in 2009, we explored L.A.'s historic West Adams district, walking a mix of Adams and Washington all the way to Venice.

The route will take us past some of L.A.'s most iconic and historic features -- MacArthur Park, Bullocks Wilshire, the sites of the late great Ambassador Hotel and Brown Derby, and much much more.

We're working with the L.A. Conservancy, which is updating its guide to all things Wilshire in time for the occasion.

And as usual, we'll celebrate afterward at a location to be named later. If you'd like to host the post-walk event, or at least help organize it, please contact us at our franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com email address.

For those of you new to our annual event, it's quite simple: We walk. No agenda, no cause, no special reason -- just for love of Los Angeles. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which means you can work off some pounds in preparation for the following Thursday's pigout. And this year's walk is just 15.6 miles -- the shortest of the ones we've done.

Anyone can join in... just email us at greatlawalk@mail.com. (YES, that's "@mail" -- not Gmail.)

T-SHIRT INFO:Time to order your GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK shirt! Like the last few years, we're going through Cafe Press for the shirts. And like always, we're not making a dime. The price you pay is the price that Cafe Press charges.

Shirts, of course, aren't necessary for the walk. But show your Great Los Angeles Walk pride! Go to www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue to order!

And keep checking out the official Great Los Angeles Walk website -- GreatLAWalk.com -- for more details! We'll see you on Nov. 20.

THE WALK IS BACK FOR 2010!

2010-09-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

In 2006, to celebrate my tenth year in Los Angeles, I decided to walk the entire length of Wilshire Blvd. I spread the word via this blog, and many of you showed up to hike the 15.6 miles with me. I dubbed it "The Great Wilshire Walk."

In 2007, for an encore, the redubbed "Great Los Angeles Walk" marched down Pico Blvd. The crowd grew.

In 2008, we took on Santa Monica Blvd. (via Sunset). The crowd grew.

In 2009, we went a touch South and did a mix of Adams and Washington. The crowd grew.

As a matter of fact, the number of Great Los Angeles Walkers has grown so large that the majority weren't a part of that very first hike. I hear all the time from GLAW participants, "when are you going to do Wilshire again?"

For this year's walk, I considered Venice, I considered Olympic and I considered switching it up and not doing a downtown-to-the-ocean urban hike.

There's time for all of that in the years to come. But before we start changing the Great Los Angeles Walk, I decided that we oughta visit the thoroughfare where it all began for our fifth edition.

That's right: We're going BACK TO WILSHIRE.

And this time, we've got the support of the L.A. Conservancy, which plans to help us get the word out and is also putting together a new Wilshire guide to make this a chance to really see Los Angeles' main drag up close and personal.

As always, the GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- this year, that means SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010.

It's still nearly two months away, so we're still working how the details on *what time* the Walk will start and *where* that starting line will be.

But for now we're starting to track how many people are interested, so send an email to greatlawalk@mail.com and let us know if you're coming! And keep checking GreatLAWalk.com for more info!

Right now, we're looking for:

-- Food trucks interested in setting up shop at our half way, lunchtime stop.

-- Santa Monica spots interested in setting aside some room for our after party.

Stay tuned for more details in the weeks to come... but for now, save the date, read "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles" and start stretching! (And read about our original 2006 walk here.)

And here's a video one of the Wilshire Walkers took that day:

GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2009: Eight Hours and 17.4 Miles Later, We Did It!

2009-11-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

OK, so it was a tad longer than expected. I had promised 13.5 miles, but walker Will Campbell's mileage counter said 17.4 miles. That sounds a lot more impressive, so let's go with it!

For the fourth annual Great Los Angeles Walk, we decided to make it more about just walking down a major Los Angeles boulevard. With so many amazing homes, buildings, mansions and churches in the West Adams district, it made sense to do Adams.

But I also wanted to start the walk at some place grand -- and the Shrine Auditorium fit the bill. (Plus, we were able to walk by the always cool Felix Chevrolet.) But with Adams' interesting sights petering out by Mid-City, the solution was obvious: Let's finish the walk on Washington -- and for the first time, wind up in Los Angeles City Limits (Venice Beach) rather than Santa Monica.

So approximately 250 of us gathered early in the day (some had been up super early, parking in Venice and then taking the bus out east) for the event. We started at the Shrine at about 9:30 in the morning (accounting for stragglers, and folks spinning the Yelp wheel), and after I smartly eliminated a plan to walk down to the Coliseum, we headed north on Figueroa.

It was at the St. Vincent de Paul church that West Adams Heritage Association member Laura Meyers told us about the history of West Adams -- including the endangered Woolen Mills Zanja, the last evidence of the concrete irrigation system that brought water to folks down there more than a century ago.

We then headed West on Adams, through Mount St. Mary's campus (where the amazing Doheny Mansion stands), through St. James Park (Stearns/Dockweiler mansion) and back down to Adams (Second Church of Christ Scientist, now closed). Another detour took us down Hoover, to see beautiful Victorians like the Cockins House, the Salisbury House and the Forthmann House. Back to Adams again by way of 27th and Magnolia, we saw the Roger Williams Baptist Church, the Menlo Ave. National Register Historic District, the First AME-Zion church and the Van Buren Place Historic District.

It was then up Normandie to hit the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery at Washington, and later the Ray Charles RPM International recording studios. Back down Gramercy, we saw the Marvin Gaye house (right smack next to the 10!). We walked through the Kinney Heights and Gramercy Park neighborhoods and got back to Adams, where we saw the Britt Mansion (now home to LA84) and the Fitzgerald mansion.

It was then another detour, on Arlington to see the Six Feet Under house and the South Seas house. Back down 4th, we saw the Gray Residence (used on "Numb3rs") and then on Adams gaped at the Guasti Villa/Busby Berkeley estate and the MacGowan mansion. We walked to the McCarty Memorial Christian Church, then turned around and headed up 10th to Washington -- and through Mid-City (spotting Magic Johnson at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center!) to our midway point, the Atomic Cafe.

Whew! The second half of the walk wasn't nearly as eventful, but we took Washington through Culver City, past Marina del Rey and finally to the Venice Beach pier.

And then we celebrated at Venice's Baja Cantina.

It was cool to hear from a number of USC grads who noted that they lived around there for four years -- yet had never ventured out into the neighborhood. (It's definitely a much safer and gentrified area than it once was -- but I know several of you were warned by cops to be careful!)

I've uploaded a ton of photos at our Flickr group site: www.flickr.com/groups/glaw09/. If you were on the walk, feel free to add your pics to the group as well!

And please send me the web addresses to your blog posts and photo collections, we'll post all the links here, for easy access.

THANKS to the West Adams Heritage Association (especially Laura!) and the Mid-City Neighborhood Council (especially Bruce Durbin) for making this walk extra special.

Now, some shots from my camera:

Will and Joni, ready to go!

And they're off!

Thomas Stinson mansion

The crowd gathers in the St. Vincent de Paul parking lot for a talk from WAHA's Laura Mink

Marching down Adams

Doheny Mansion

Cockins House

Forthmann House

First AME-Zion Church

I'm not sure what's going on here, or whether it makes me want to cash more checks.

The imprisoned trees of Washington Blvd.

Ray Charles' RPM recording studio

Marvin Gaye house

"Six Feet Under" house

House used in "Numb3rs"

South Seas house

McCarty Memorial church

You hear that, 10 Freeway? No stopping at any time!

Crossing over the 10

We're on camera!

The Great LA Walk's big celeb sighting: Magic Johnson, at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.

Cool "GEM" sign on Washington

Walkers take a break at the Atomic Cafe

The Mid-City Neighborhood Council provides a rest stop at the Atomic Cafe for walkers

Pooped!

The youngest walker -- 4 mos. old! (Blogger Baby 2.0 was in the car, so he doesn't count.)

Apparently you can put a price on romantic notions -- and they're half-off!

Wedding at the Culver City City Hall.

Winner for sketchiest business on this year's route. A few walkers poked their head in and asked what he sells -- and he couldn't tell them!

Now that's a wash that went horribly wrong.

One of several groups to make it to the very end.

We'll see you again next year, on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 for the fifth annual Great Los Angeles Walk!

OTHER ACCOUNTS OF THIS YEAR'S WALK:

e*starLA

Green LA Girl

Frenchy But Chic

And check out the Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 Flickr photo pool for pics from the event!

One Walker's Great Los Angeles Walk Video

2009-11-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Great Los Angeles Walk participant Prints Charmn for uploading this video, which includes a few highlights from this year's event.

New Map of This Year's Great Los Angeles Walk Route

2009-11-20T17:33:00.001-08:00

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 is Tomorrow!

2009-11-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 takes place tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.! For those of you walking, a reminder: You that you should make sure you have a transportation plan in place, so you're not stranded after walking all day!

The best option for those of you without anyone picking you up is to carpool... or to PARK IN THE MORNING in Venice, and take the bus all the way to USC/Shrine Auditorium BEFORE the walk. (That way, your car is waiting for you when it's all done.)

Also, a reminder: This isn't a race! We're going to take our time zig-zagging through West Adams to take in some of the best-loved historic homes in Los Angeles. We'll see the house from "Six Feet Under," the house from "Numb3rs," the home where Marvin Gaye died, Ray Charles' music studio, classic mansions and so much more. How fast or slow you walk is up to you -- but if you leave us all in the dust, you're gonna miss the fun of doing the Great LA Walk -- experiencing a part of the city you wouldn't usually see by foot.

It's always hard to time these things, but we'll probably hit the Atomic Cafe in Mid-City -- the official half-way mark of the walk -- at noon or so. Atomic can accomodate a lot of us, but there are other restaurants around the same area too -- we'll have the details tomorrow. The walk will start back up again around 1:30 from Atomic Cafe.

WEATHER: It's looking good for a walk! Weather Channel says to expect partly cloudy skies and a high of 66 degrees. You know how temps fluctuate here, especially at the coast -- so be prepared to be hot at mid-day and then chilly at the afterparty.

A quick reminder: This is a loosely organized event. We're all coming together to have fun and walk L.A. streets -- but this is not backed by any major organization. We're all responsible for ourselves -- so make sure you have money for meals (and drinks at the afterparty!), transporation set up and... sunscreen.

I'll be updating mile by mile, as well as when we stop and start, take breaks, etc. at www.twitter.com/greatlawalk.

Here are a few more people who plan to Twitter:

@meekorouse
@Waltarrrrr
@maxually
@wildbell
@melanieo
@SilverLaker
@xaxamaca
@McInuit
@toddgrif
@cambriacombusts
@Nannette13
@missmartini
@themstreet
@Mylani1974
@Purple_Stilleto
@estarLA

We'll see you on Saturday!

Great Los Angeles Walk Afterparty To Be Held At Venice's Baja Cantina

2009-11-19T02:18:00.000-08:00

We have a GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK afterparty venue!

Venice's Baja Cantina restaurant is on board to help us celebrate, and has plenty of room for walkers to hang out after our 13 mile urban hike!

The room will be roped off from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (make sure to get your own tab, so you're not stuck paying for someone else's food and drink!)

Baja Cantina is at 311 Washington Blvd, Venice 90292; (At Sanborn Ave).

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009: TENTATIVE Route Map

2009-11-19T01:52:00.000-08:00

Unlike past Walks, this year we're going to take a bit of a zig zag in the beginning in order to take in and really appreciate the homes and architecture of West Adams. This is a rare opportunity to see the sights up close!

Here's the Map, Part 1:

View Larger Map

Here's the alternate Part 1 map, if we decide to include a detour through USC and by the Coliseum:

View Larger Map

And here's the rest of the route -- Map Part 2:

View Larger Map

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 FAQs

2009-11-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

The response to this year's Great Los Angeles has so far been amazing! It's on track to be our biggest yet.

A few things to note (and there will be more emails later this week):

If you are planning on Tweeting the walk, please send us your Twitter account name ASAP! We'll be compiling them so folks at home can follow along all day. Send 'em to this email.

Also, we're still looking for a venue for the afterparty in Venice Beach. We'll be ending up at Washington and Speedway (aka the beach), so spots around there would be great. If you have any suggestions, please let me know ASAP.

And now, the Frequently Asked Questions:

1. WHEN/WHERE? Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving, like we do every year. We're meeting on the side of the Shrine Auditorium, on Jefferson (across the street from USC Parking lot D); people will start to gather in the front of the historic auditorium around 8:30 or so. Just look for the crowd of people who look like they're about to embark on an urban hike. This year, we'll have a speaker or two to kick things off; we'll probably leave the Shrine at about 9:30.

2. WHO? We're expecting over 150 hikers this year. We're still taking RSVPs at franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com... but we'll take anyone who shows up too!

3. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? C'mon, it's completely free! But you're on your own when it comes to lunch, dinner, water, etc. So don't forget to plan accordingly.

4. WHAT'S THE PATH? From the Shrine, we'll hike up Figueroa until we get to Adams. From there we start to head west on Adams -- but we'll also be taking a few detours onto side streets north and south of Adams in order to take a look at classic Los Angeles architecture and homes. Later, we'll make our way up to Washington and walk through the Mid-City district. We keep on walking down Washington, and through Culver City, before eventually finding our way to Venice Beach and the ocean.

5. WHAT IF I CAN'T GET THERE THAT EARLY, OR DON'T WANT TO START THAT FAR EAST? Just wait for us somewhere on the path and join in once we pass by. Several hikers will be Twittering as well -- including us, at @greatlawalk. Check one of those Twitter accounts to figure out where we are.

6. HOW LONG IS THE HIKE? 13.5 miles. That's five miles less than last year's, which is why we'll be taking more time this year to explore side streets. IMPORTANT: This is not a race. Sure, you can sprint all the way to the end, but where's the fun in that? There's no prize for who gets there first. Instead, take a breath, and join the bulk of us as we leisurely stroll toward the ocean and stop frequently to take in the sights.

7. WHEN WILL WE GET TO THE END? With so many hikers, people will eventually start to space out. Impatient, faster walkers might get there soon after lunch. But the bulk of the walkers will get there around 4.

8. WHAT ABOUT LUNCH? We'll be taking a lunch break -- probably around 90 minutes or so -- in the Mid-City area. The Atomic Cafe is preparing a Great Los Angeles Walk special for participants, and the Mid-City Neighborhood Council will be on hand to pass out water and goodies. There are more hikers than the Atomic can handle, but there will be other eateries in the vicinity as well. We'll have a list of many of them to pass out during the walk. We'll then alert everyone via Twitter when we're set to restart the hike again.

9. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We'll take a group photo at the ocean... and then celebrate in Venice at a destination to be announced later this week.

10. HOW DO I GET HOME? We've tried in the past to arrange for a bus to take stranded walkers back downtown -- but didn't get enough takers.

My advice: Either plan with a friend and get to Venice Beach around 8 a.m., parking one car, then carpooling to USC (where you'll park the other car). OR: Park at USC, walk to Venice, then eventually take Metro back to USC. OR: Park at Venice Beach at 7 a.m., allowing yourself enough time to board a Metro bus to USC. Traffic's light that time of morning, so the bus ride is relatively quick. And that way, when you arrive in Venice, your car is waiting for you.

Head to GreatLAWalk.com for more info on Metro options, including a link to the Metro's Source blog, in which several bus options are given.

11. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING? Loose, comfy clothing. I'd wear shorts, a t-shirt and then bring a jacket -- it gets chilly at the beach in the evening. Also, tennis shoes... sunglasses... a hat... sunscreen... extra socks... a blister kit (optional, of course -- I haven't brought one, although Band-Aids are a good idea)... and most importantly, a camera! We'll all be documenting it and posting pics later.

Several of you have ordered Great Los Angeles Walk T-shirts, which is cool (www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue) but not mandatory. For the rest of you, I suggest white T-shirts -- so we can all recognize each other as Great LA Walk walkers!

12. HOW SHOULD I TRAIN FOR THIS? It's not a marathon, so training isn't really necessary. I suppose you should walk around your neighborhood in the days before hand... but I'd avoid any big gym routine the day before, so you're not sore the day you're hiking. But other than that... I didn't train at all for the first three walks, and came out just fine.

13. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Why not? There's no special reason, no charity, no protest, no issue we're promoting -- other than a passion for Los Angeles. In 2006, I organized our walk down Wilshire to mark my 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. But it was so much fun, and it was a chance to meet so many new people, that we did it again in 2007, down Pico, and in 2008, via Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving as well, so somehow I don't feel as bad gorging on sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie a few days later. And hey, it'll be a cool conversation piece at your holiday party.

Mid City Gets Into the Great Los Angeles Walk

2009-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

GREAT NEWS from the Mid-City Neighborhood Council! They'll be sponsoring a water and supply station for this year's Great LA Walk! Here are the details, from Bruce Durbin of the Mid City Neighborhood Council:

The Mid City Neighborhood Council is going to sponsor a "Water & Supply Station" for the Great LA Walk. We will be setting up a table outside the Atomic Cafe, located at 5001 W. Washington Blvd. (on Washington, a block west of La Brea).

We will have free bottled water, snacks, sunscreen/band-aids, and also a limited number of token items to show our appreciation for this year's walk participants.

The Water & Supply Station will be set up between 10:30 and 2:30 - that should be enough time for participants to get to and out of Mid City. Also, Tony Shibatta, owner/proprietor of the Atomic Cafe, will also be offering a lunch special to GLAW participants.

Our particular stretch of Washington (between Crenshaw & Fairfax) has seen some positive changes in the last 5-10 years. The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center is finally beginning to regularly book mid-size theater, music and dance events, and business facade & sign improvements as well as landscaped medians were completed on the strip as part of a CRA grant.

New Korean & Salvadoran restaurants have been doing brisk business and although the economy has put a strain on financing, we think that the Midtown Crossing Shopping Center located at the junction of Venice/San Vicente/Pico) will eventually finish Phase II.

Atomic Cafe opened about two years ago and it was a total "game-changer" in that it finally brought out all the people in the neighborhood who were previously not interested in eating within their neighborhood. It has become an ad-hoc community gathering spot. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are making concerted efforts to attract some of the galleries/studios and other small businessess which may be getting priced out of the Culver City Arts District. We hope you enjoy our neighborhood!

For more on NHPAC (it replaced the old Ebony Showcase Theater): Click here.

Thanks to Bruce and the Mid City Neighborhood Council! More details to come over the weekend!

Tips From Metro On How To Take Public Transportation To And From the Walk

2009-10-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Fred Camino, who has put together an extensive post on how to take Metro buses to and from this year's event.

My advice: Either plan with a friend and get to Venice Beach around 8 a.m., parking one car, then carpooling to USC (where you'll park the other car).

OR: Park at USC, walk to Venice, then eventually take Metro back to USC.

OR: Park at Venice Beach at 7 a.m., allowing yourself enough time to board a Metro bus to USC. That way, your car is waiting for you when you arrive.

We've tried and failed in the past to drum up enough interest to rent a bus to transport people back to the start line. But if any of you would like to take the lead, I can publicize your plans and hopefully get enough participants for you.

LINKS:
Go Metro to The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 (Metro's The Source blog)

Google Transit

Metro Trip Planner

Great Los Angeles Walk T-Shirts Are Here -- Order Now!

2009-10-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Time to order your GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK shirt! Like last year, we're going through Cafe Press for the shirts. And like last year, we're not making a dime. The price you pay is the price that Cafe Press charges.

Shirts, of course, aren't necessary for the walk. But show your Great Los Angeles Walk pride! Go to www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue to order!

ONE MONTH FROM TODAY: The Great Los Angeles Walk 4

2009-10-21T01:34:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, we're now just a month out from the annual Great Los Angeles Walk -- our annual urban hike from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean. The walk takes place on SATURDAY, NOV. 21, 2009

MEET AT 9 A.M. ON THE SIDE OF THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM -- on JEFFERSON, ACROSS THE STREET FROM USC PARKING LOT D (where you can park all day for just $8).

In 2006, we hiked down Wilshire. In 2007, it was Pico. And in 2008, we started at Sunset before walking the entire length of Santa Monica Blvd.

This year, we're heading south -- and once again diving into the history of Los Angeles. This year, we hit the ex-presidents: Washington and Adams.

The route will take us past some of L.A.'s most beautiful historic places -- such as the Automobile Club of Southern California headquarters, the Golden State Mutual Life headquarters, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Roman Catholic church and much more. There's even Ray Charles' old recording studio.

And then there's the collection of historic homes. Wikipedia writes:

The West Adams area was developed between 1880 and 1925, and contains many diverse architectural styles of the era. Architectural styles seen in West Adams include the Queen Anne, Shingle, Gothic Revival, Transitional Arts and Crafts, American Craftsman/Ultimate Bungalow, Craftsman Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, Egyptian Revival, Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical styles. West Adams boasts the only Greene and Greene house in Los Angeles. Its historic homes are frequently used as locations for movies and TV shows including CSI, Six Feet Under, The Shield, Monk, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Of Mice and Men.

We're working with several organizations in putting together a guide for us to walk and enjoy the architecture -- and also help figure out the best route.

We'll be walking a mix of Adams and Washington -- until we get to Culver City, where we'll have lunch and then exclusively hike the rest of Washington Blvd. all the way to Venice Beach.

As usual, we'll celebrate afterward at a location to be named later. If you'd like to host the post-walk event, or at least help organize it, please contact us at our franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com email address.

For those of you new to our annual event, it's quite simple: We walk. No agenda, no cause, no special reason -- just for love of Los Angeles. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which means you can work off some pounds in preparation for the following Thursday's pigout. And this year's walk promises to be shorter than last year's longer hike -- so no complaints! (People run 26-mile marathons in a few hours all the time; you can easily walk 14 miles over the course of eight hours, with plenty of stops along the way.)

Anyone can join in... just email us at greatlawalk@mail.com.

And keep checking out the official Great Los Angeles Walk website -- GreatLAWalk.com -- for more details! We'll see you on Nov. 21.

Above, a YouTube video taken by a participant from last year's GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK -- SANTA MONICA.

The Great Los Angeles Walk 4: Help Us Choose a Street

2009-09-13T00:12:00.001-07:00

Now that Summer's pretty much over, fall's gonna go by fast -- and before you know it, it's gonna be the holidays again. For the last three years, we've kicked off the holiday season by throwing our annual Great Los Angeles Walk on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

It's the perfect day to do it: The temps are cool, but not too cool; there are few other events going on that day; and everyone's looking to burn a few calories in preparation for the Thanksgiving gorge-fest they're about to embark on. So this year, count on the fourth annual Great L.A. Walk to take place on Saturday, November 21.

Mark your calendars. In the meantime, help us pick another street to hold this year's hike. As you know, we marched down Wilshire Blvd. in year one (2006), Pico in year two (2007) and Santa Monica Blvd. (with a touch of Sunset) in year three (2008).

All great streets. The best streets for the Great L.A. Walk include some interesting architecture and a lively environment. It gets a little harder from here: Olympic, for example, has long stretches of dull residential. Ditto Venice.

Eventually, we might consider altering the geography of the walk. But for now, I'd still like to stick to our 14-16 mile theme: Start in Downtown and work our way to the ocean.

So what are some of your suggestions? Sell me on Olympic. Dazzle me with why Venice or Washington make sense. Perhaps this is the year for a North-South street? All recommendations gladly taken.

One Final Take: The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 on YouTube

2008-11-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

Great Los Angeles Walker Dru writes:

Just wanted to say thanks. This was my first time doing the walk and I really enjoyed it. It was lots of fun. I can't wait to do it next year!

I put together a video of the walk that I would like to share with you... Unfortunately the camera battery started running low around mile 4... Next year I'll be better prepared. Hope you like it.

It's pretty cool to see people give their take on how they heard about the race -- and why they're doing it.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We'll see you next year -- as usual, the Saturday before Thanksgiving: Nov. 21, 2009.

GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2008: 18.3 Miles Later, We Did It!

2008-11-23T15:45:00.001-08:00

And you thought we were all crazy! We did it, we hiked 18.3 miles from Union Station to the ocean on a beautiful Southern California Saturday.

For the third annual Great Los Angeles Walk, I chose the longest course yet. And yet we attracted the biggest crowd yet too.

Approximately 150 of us (some say more, some say less, several of us settled at the 150 estimate) gathered early in the day (some had been up super early, parking in Santa Monica and then taking the bus out east) for the event. We started at Union Station at 9 in the morning, and after a quick detour through Olvera Street, made it on to Cesar Chavez Blvd. From there, Cesar Chavez quickly turned into Sunset, and we hiked on, through Echo Park, past Dodger Stadium and on to Silver Lake.

At Sunset Junction, we peeled off onto the start of Santa Monica Blvd. We continued, onward past the Hollywood Freeway (and the former Hollywood Star Lanes site, RIP), and into Hollywood. We scored some free water from the Jackson Hewitt tax prep company, walked past Hollywood Forever cemetery, and into West Hollywood. Groups broke for lunch at several Weho spots... and many of us reconvened right at the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills border at 2 p.m.

From there, we walked the dirt sidewalk of Bev Hills (apparently they're resurfacing the bike path) and made it to the intersection of Santa Monica and Wilshire (home to the first walk in 2006!). Several of us walked into the old Trader Vic's restaurant at the Beverly Hilton, where an auction was taking place -- the famed Pickford estate. Furniture, clothes, photos... some reasonably priced (including a menu from a 1930 William Randolph Hearst dinner!). Onward, we passed by Century City and the Mormon temple... and then under the 405, and soon, as we hit Santa Monica, we began to feel the cool ocean breeze.

Santa Monica is always a snap, as the numbered streets help count down to the finish line.

Here's the crazy part: Some walkers sprinted so fast, they got to the finish by 3:15 (I worry that they didn't get a real sense of the route, having sped by so fast!) The bulk of us, including me, got to the end between 5 and 5:30 -- still faster than last year, when we walked 2.5 miles less, yet got there at the same time. (We were pacing around 20 minutes a mile -- check out my Great LA Walk Twitter feed to see.)

A handful of walkers did it right: They got to the end at around 6:30, having taken their time to explore sites along the way. Whatever the pace, most made it to the Britannia Pub after all to toast their feat. And rest their feet.

I've uploaded a ton of photos at our Flickr group site: www.flickr.com/groups/greatlawalk. If you were on the walk, feel free to add your pics to the group as well!

And please send me the web addresses to your blog posts and photo collections, we'll post all the links here, for easy access.

PHOTO STREAMS:

:: Check out the Franklin Avenue shots here.

:: Anthony's got some great shots here.

:: The Atwater Village Newbies' shots here, and blog post here.

:: Scott Lowe of Tropico Station fame has some pics here, and a post on the day here.

:: Will Campbell's shots here.

:: Pamela "Meekorouse" put her pics here.

:: Jeremy Miles ("Beautiful Freaks") took these shots. He blogs about the adventure here.

:: Sean "Ztainment"'s shots are here.

:: El Daybeh's shots are here.

:: Follow Raul's pics here. He also recaps the day at his blog here. Raul's crew also gets points for being most creative -- re-enacting the number for each mile marker (above, they do "8"s for mile 8 -- Martel).

:: Sha in LA's shots are here.

:: Melanie's pics are here.

:: See Todd's shots here. Todd has his blog recap here. He definitely took full advantage of modern technology with the walk!

:: David Johnson's shots can be found here.

::LA_OC_Foodie has put his pics here.

:: Abby Phoenix has posted her pics here.

:: Pics here by Miss Martini.

:: Three-time Walker WALT! has his pics here.

:: Caroline on Crack's pics are here, and her blog post here.

:: Scott's shots are here. These are some of Maria's faves; Scott has a good eye of details that a lot of us missed!

:: Justin Canada's pics are here.

:: Joni, the Accidental Yogist, has her recap here.

:: Frenchy But Chic's blog post is here.

Now, some of my shots from this year's event:

Part of the crowd gathers in the Union Station courtyard

Signing in

I brief the crowd

Eric Lynxwiler opens with a pep talk

On our way

Leaving Union Station

Passing through Olvera Street

Crossing the 110

It's Dodger country

Guava for sale

Sounds good to me...

The friendly nun (photo by Anthony)

Super Barack!

Cool old neon sign

Andrea models one of the spiffy Great Los Angeles walk t-shirts -- still available at Cafe Press.

The Beautification Team has its work cut out for it

Jimi!

Jackson Hewitt tax folks pass out water

Ask for "Rico"

Hamburglar?

Will Campbell has a message for one of those LAPD spy cameras.

We were tempted, but ultimately decided a Formosa pit stop would steer us off course.

Required Great L.A. Walk wear (photo by Anthony)

Excited to be at the Beverly Hills border

Heading back out for the afternoon portion of the walk -- only 8 miles to go!

Beverly Hills City Hall (photo by Anthony)

R.I.P., Trader Vic's! (photo by Anthony)

Live webcast hosts monitor the Pickford auction at the old Trader Vic's. Sad to see the old bar, now empty!

Autographed Mary Pickford photo at the auction

Hey, yo, that's cheating! (Don't worry, he promises via the comments that he did, indeed, retrace his steps!)

Stereotypes 'R' Us

Scott fixes his feet

Historic Route 66

Walking to the finish line

One of the several groups to hit the finish line

Sunset at the end

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 Happens Tomorrow!

2008-11-21T00:32:00.001-08:00

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 takes place tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.! For those of you walking, a reminder: You that you should make sure you have a transportation plan in place, so you're not stranded after walking all day!

I've heard from several of you, and it seems like a consensus is brewing that the best option for those of you without anyone picking you up is to PARK IN THE MORNING in Santa Monica, and take the bus all the way to Union Station BEFORE the walk. (That way, your car is waiting for you when it's all done.)

Veteran walker Joni was the first to give this tip:

For those choosing to leave their cars at the end of the walk route (or for those who live in Santa Monica like I do), the Big Blue Bus #10 is a freeway flyer that goes from Santa Monica and 4th (near the Britannia Pub, our after party location) to Downtown's Union Station.

It runs less often than the 704, but it gets there much faster:

http://bigbluebus.com/busroutes/schedule.asp?bus_route=10&dayofweek=saturday.

The 7:17 am bus arrives at 8 am, 7:47 am at 8:30 am, and 8:17 am at 9:03 am; one-way fare is $1.75. (I would strongly suggest taking that 7:17 am bus so you're not late... if you arrive early, you can always have breakfast while waiting for the walk to begin.)

The #10 makes a number of stops along Santa Monica Blvd before it hops on the freeway at bundy, so you don't have to drive all the way to the Promenade to catch it (and you can always catch the big blue #1 to get back to where you left your car from the after-walk party).

GOOD ADVICE, JONI! Thanks.

For those of you who nonetheless decide to park at Union Station, that Big Blue Bus #10 heads back to Union Station from 4th & Santa Monica at 5:44 pm, 6:15 pm, and 7:16 pm (the last trip of the evening), each scheduled to take about 55 minutes.

ESCAPE ROUTE: Along the route, if you're exhausted and want to take the bus either to Santa Monica or Union Station, you've got a couple of bus or rail options (thanks to David for this info):

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/704.pdf
The 704 Metro Rapid line runs eastbound from 2nd & SM Blvd in Santa Monica to Union Station but last Saturday bus leaves at 7:01pm and takes 80 minutes.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/004.pdf
The #4 regular line runs eastbound every 15-20 minutes from 2nd & SM Blvd in Santa Monica to Metro Rail stations at Vermont and Civic Center downtown. The Red Line subway terminates at Union Station.

I'll be updating mile by mile, as well as when we stop and start, take breaks, etc. at www.twitter.com/greatlawalk.

Here are a few more people who plan to Twitter:

twitter.com/justin_canada
twitter.com/meekorouse
twitter.com/la_oc_foodie
twitter.com/maxually
twitter.com/drtiki
twitter.com/neverlost
twitter.com/anotorias
twitter.com/nay63
twitter.com/melanieo
twitter.com/zentertainment
twitter.com/jc_losangeles
twitter.com/Carolineoncrack
twitter.com/wildbell

If you plan to, let me know, so I can compile a master list.

Meanwhile, we'll see you on Saturday! The crowd will be gathering in the courtyard outside (on the right of the main hall, if you're facing the entrance) of Union Station. We'll then head through Olvera Street and make our way to Cesar Chavez... and we're off!

Two Days Until the Great Los Angeles Walk 2008!

2008-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

We're just two days away from our annual urban hike! If you haven't yet, please take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions, located here.

A few notes:

-- Several of you have inquired about transportation back to Union Station. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough interest early on in renting a bus, so everyone's pretty much on their own to find a way back home -- either via the Metro Rapid bus (which heads back to Union Station straight back on Santa Monica Blvd.) or via a friend or family member. Here's a piece of advice: Last year, several walkers parked in Santa Monica at around 7 a.m. and then took the bus EAST in order to get to the starting line. Traffic's light that time of morning, so the bus ride is relatively quick. And that way, when you arrive in Santa Monica, your car is waiting for you.

-- The Great Los Angeles Walk is open to everyone, and people can do as much or as little walking as they want, at the pace they choose. If you're interested in joining along the way, you can keep up with our progress via Twitter. I'll be updating, and I'm sure others will be too. Be sure to check updates throughout the day at

www.twitter.com/greatlawalk.

I'll be updating our progress at every mile. ALSO, if you're on the walk, you'll be able to keep up with where everyone is (just in case you fall behind, or somehow pace far ahead of us). You'll especially want to keep track of when we're stopping for lunch, etc.

BTW, if you plan on Twittering the walk, let me know -- I'll include your Twitter address in our final email, so others can follow your progress as well.

-- We'll be making a handful of stops on the walk: Once at the intersection of Santa Monica and Sunset, once in West Hollywood for lunch, and potentially a few others. That way we'll be able to bunch back up and eventually arrive at the end of the walk as close together as possible.

-- Speaking of lunch: When we do break, walkers will choose where they want to eat on their own (we'll make sure to break close to several eating options, at the west end of West Hollywood). We'll break for at least an hour, then pick up the walk where we left off.

-- In case you haven't seen, the afterparty will be held at Britannia Pub in Santa Monica. They're expecting us around 6 p.m.

-- Don't forget the basics: Water, sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, cell phone, and of course, a camera to document your walk! If you don't have a Great LA Walk T-shirt, no worries; but try to wear a white T-shirt -- if we're all in white shirts, it will more easily identify us.

Any more questions, feel free to email. We'll see you Saturday morning at 9!

Great Los Angeles Walk's Afterparty to Be Held At Santa Monica's Britannia Pub

2008-11-17T13:34:00.001-08:00

(Pic via the Los Angeles Times.)

Thanks to the fine people at Yelp, we've found a spot to celebrate on Saturday!

After our 18 mile hike down Santa Monica Blvd. (and more), we'll be heading over to Britannia Pub for our afterparty.

We'll probably make it to the ocean by 6 p.m., and then we'll head to the Britannia, where we've reserved the upper floor.

See you all on Saturday!

Great Los Angeles 2008 FAQ

2008-11-09T23:14:00.001-08:00

Last chance to get your Great Los Angeles Walk T-shirt in order to wear it while hiking on Nov. 22! Several different T-shirt styles available, all with the cool logo designed by Maria. We're not making a dime off these things; the prices you see are exactly what Cafe Press charges. Check out our Cafe Press site to order.

Now, the Walk FAQ:

1. WHEN/WHERE? Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We're meeting at Union Station; people will start to gather in the front of the historic train station in the 8 a.m. hour. Just look for the crowd of people who look like they're about to embark on an urban hike. We leave at 9 a.m. sharp.

2. WHO? We're expecting over 100 hikers this year. We're still taking RSVPs at franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com... but we'll take anyone who shows up too!

3. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? C'mon, it's completely free! But you're on your own when it comes to lunch, dinner, water, etc. So don't forget to plan accordingly.

4. WHAT'S THE PATH? From Union Station, we'll hike down Cesar Chavez, which turns into Sunset. Near Sunset Junction, we'll switch over to Santa Monica Blvd. After that, it's Santa Monica all the way to the ocean.

5. WHAT IF I CAN'T GET THERE THAT EARLY, OR DON'T WANT TO START THAT FAR EAST? Just wait for us somewhere on the path and join in once we pass by. Several hikers will likely be Twittering as well; if you're interested in sending Tweets throughout the day, let us know.

6. HOW LONG IS THE HIKE? 18 miles. That's two miles more than last year's; but we're also hiking down a much more lively (and, dare I say, pedestrian-friendly) route this year.

7. WHEN WILL WE GET TO THE END? With so many hikers, people will eventually start to space out. Faster walkers will get to the end sometime after 5; others will get there closer to 6. We'll stop midway for lunch, likely in West Hollywood.

8. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We'll take a group photo at the ocean... and then celebrate at Britannia Pub in Santa Monica. The fine folks at Yelp are helping us throw the party; you'll want to at least stop by for a special souvenir that's being planned.

9. HOW DO I GET HOME? Last year, we arranged for a bus to take stranded walkers back downtown -- but didn't get enough takers. We'll throw it out again this year: The bus costs $300 -- and we need to hear from enough people to make it worthwhile (and make sense cost-wise). I figure we'd need at least 10 people (at $30 a pop) to make it reasonable. If you want to join in, email franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com by Friday.

But as Great Los Angeles Walk vet Will Campbell notes, MTA's No. 704 line runs regularly from 2nd and Santa Monica Blvd all the way to Vignes and Cesar Chavez beside Union Station. That obviously would be a lot cheaper... and would also make your return a little more flexible (allowing you the chance to stay longer at the after party).

10. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING? Loose, comfy clothing. I'd wear shorts, a t-shirt and then bring a jacket -- it gets chilly in Santa Monica. Also, tennis shoes... sunglasses... a hat... sunscreen... extra socks... a blister kit (optional, of course -- I haven't brought one, although Band-Aids are a good idea)... and most importantly, a camera! We'll all be documenting it and posting pics later.

11. HOW SHOULD I TRAIN FOR THIS? It's not a marathon, so training isn't really necessary. I suppose you should walk around your neighborhood in the days before hand... but I'd avoid any big gym routine the day before, so you're not sore the day you're hiking. But other than that... I didn't train at all for the last two walks, and came out just fine.

12. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Why not? There's no special reason, no charity, no protest, no issue we're promoting -- other than a passion for Los Angeles. In 2006, I organized our walk down Wilshire to mark my 10th anniversary in Los Angeles. But it was so much fun, and it was a chance to meet so many new people, that we did it again last year, down Pico. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving as well, so somehow I don't feel as bad gorging on sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie a few days later. And hey, it'll be a cool conversation piece at your holiday party.

Update: Shirts, Facebook and Lunch/Afterparty Recommendations

2008-10-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

The response has been great so far -- I'm expecting the biggest turn out yet for our third annual Great Los Angeles Walk. There's still plenty of time to join in -- just email us to let us know you're coming!

To answer the two most frequently asked questions: Is it free? Of course. And is this a fundraiser of some sorts? Nope. The only cause here is "just 'cause." We walk because we love Los Angeles, and there's no better way to see the city up close than on foot, along with other fellow Angelenos.

Now, two notes:

-- Time's running out to order a shirt, if you want to wear it during the walk. According to Cafe Press, it takes 7-9 business days for the shirts to arrive via the cheapest shipping method. Check out our Franklin Avenue Cafe Press store to order. Again, we don't make any money off these; as a matter of fact, we're doing this through Cafe Press so that we don't have to deal with money, period.

-- Our Facebook event page is up. Feel free to head over there and join the list.

-- We're taking recommendations (or even better, looking for eateries that might be willing to partner with us) on where to hold the after party in Santa Monica, and where to gather for lunch in West Hollywood. Suggestions? Email or comment below.

THE GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK: Hike Santa Monica Blvd. With Us on Nov. 22

2008-10-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's official: For our third annual Great Los Angeles Walk, we'll be pounding the pavement from Union Station to the ocean.

All told, that's 18.3 miles -- including portions of Cesar Chavez and Sunset, before marching down Santa Monica Blvd. in its entirety.

This year's Great Los Angeles Walk takes place on Saturday, Nov. 22 -- we'll meet at Union Station and leave at 9 a.m. sharp. We'll spend the day walking, before celebrating over food and drink in Santa Monica. (Details for the after party still to come.)

In 2006, we walked the length of Wilshire Boulevard. Last year, we walked -- and ate -- our way through Pico Boulevard.

This time out, we're sticking with our downtown-to-the-ocean theme (that ocean breeze helps pick us up in the afternoon as we inch closer to the water), and sticking with the Saturday before Thanksgiving (there's something about walking this much a few days before stuffing your face that makes you feel better about that Thanksgiving gluttony).

This time out, Sunset and Santa Monica promise plenty of interesting sights -- and we'll even hop off the path once or twice to check out sights like the Angelino Heights Victorians.

Santa Monica Blvd. also cuts through four cities -- L.A., West Hollywood, Beverly Hills (then L.A. again) and Santa Monica.

Above, in a pic from Will Campbell, Great Los Angeles Walkers kick things off at the start of the 2007 walk.

Wanna take part? Simply email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com. Leave us your name and email address... and we'll keep you informed of details.

Meanwhile, we've already got several different Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 shirts ready for purchase via Cafe Press. (We don't make a dime on these, we only uploaded the image just in case you wanna show off your feat.) Check out our Franklin Avenue shop here. You've got a week or so to order if you want to wear the shirt to the walk.

SAVE THE DATE: The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 Is Saturday, November 22

2008-09-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to hear from a lot of you, wondering if the Great Los Angeles Walk will return for a third year. The answer, of course, is YES.

As usual, we're throwing it the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- it's a great way to get some exercise in before gorging on turkey or other fixings the next week -- so clear the day now. It's Saturday, November 22, 2009.

We're still hammering out which street to hike this year, following up on Wilshire (year one) and Pico (year two). But like past years, it will be an all-day event, leading to an afterparty at (or near) the beach.

Stay tuned for details!

One Last Word: "Pico and Sepulveda"

2007-11-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

A number of Great Los Angeles Walkers have referenced this song, by Felix Figueroa and His Orchestra, from the film "Forbidden Zone." One group of walkers even paused at the intersection last Saturday to view this video off YouTube. Here ya go... one more Pico mention, in song!

Pico Boulevard, Conquered!

2007-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

(UPDATED Monday morning with new links to more recaps and pics! If you've written something up or posted pics, let me know, and I'll add you to the roster!)

My legs are sore. Blisters are forming on a few toes. I could use more sleep.

Yet I can't wait for next year.

The Second Annual Great Los Angeles Walk took on Pico Boulevard on Saturday. More than 70 people joined me as we hiked nearly 16 miles, from the historic Coca Cola Bottling Plant (at the corner of Pico and Central) straight to the ocean in Santa Monica.

Not all 70 walked the entire way... but at least 40 did. (Others joined late, left early, or had some help along the way.) Great Los Angeles Walkers who made it from end-to-end got to experience, along the way, the bustling (even at 9 in the morning) fashion district; the Convention Center (currently home to the Auto Show); the Central American-dominated Byzantine-Latino Quarter; the city's shortest street (Powers Place); the beautiful old homes of Alvarado Terrace; a slice of Koreatown; the gut-busting food of spots like Oki-Dog and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles; the sight of a massive crane that tipped over (smashing the roof of a yoga studio) in Mid-City; the closed (for the Sabbath) Jewish shops and restaurants west of Fairfax; the Fox lot; dodging golf balls next to the Rancho Park golf course; the cool ocean breeze once we hit Santa Monica; and much more. One group even stood by to help as a homeless man fell and required an ambulance.

Some pics of sights on Pico:

And they're off!

The shortest street in Los Angeles: Powers Place. Yes, that cobblestone stretch is the entire street. And yes, that's next year's Great Los Angeles Walk, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Beautiful homes on Alvarado Terrace -- at least the ones, like this, that weren't stuccoed at some point.

Scarface watches over Pico

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Exist. Poofy.

"Sorry, no physicians are currently on duty. Consume this pastrami burrito at your own risk."

There it is -- the grease bomb known as Oki-Dog's pastrami burrito.

Oops. Pico was shut down between La Brea and Fairfax because of this mishap, but the cops still let us hike on the sidewalk.

"City of Los Angeles -- Made in Mexico"

Winner, worst pun on Pico

One group of walkers, hitting the ocean around 5:10. (Another group made it earlier, while a third group made it there around 5:30.)

The walk began around 9:15 a.m.; we broke for lunch around noon and hit back up at 1:30 (although some had resumed by 1); and the first crowd made it to the end by 4:45, which the majority arriving by 5:10. Victory jerk chicken enchiladas (not to mention booze purchased on the way at the Santa Monica Trader Joe's) was consumed at Cha Cha Chicken, near the finish line.

I'll be posting walker accounts (and their photos) as they hit online. An early list of recaps:

Will Campbell's recap and his 165 pics (including the one above, of the crowd taking off at the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant).

Scott Trimble's recap and his photo gallery (including the one above, of the Byzantine-Latino Quarter).

Atwater Village Newbie's take on Favorite Pico guy here and his large collection of photos (including the one above, of a crazy row of mannequins in the garment district) here.

Check out Don Hosek's amazingly detailed post about the walk; Don has a lot of info especially about Pico on the west side. And check out some of his pics (including that shot of the ocean at 5:30) here.

N at Pico and the Man has a nice wrap up here (including the pic above).

Raul says the walk reminded him "that there are innumerable wonderful people who make up this city who truly and proudly call themselves Angelenos." Check out his recap here and his pics (including the one above) here.

Great recap here by Davey G., who, I'm jealous to say, stopped at El Parian to try one of the birria tacos (something I'll have to do on another trek to Pico!). Check out his full photo set (including the shot of a tortilla worker at El Parian, above) here.

Meeko and SeanYoda have some great pics here, and have also started a Great Los Angeles Flickr pool for everyone to deposit their pics here.

Check out Graham -- G12 The Outsider -- and his writeup here and some pics (including the cool B&W shot above, of someone filling up their stationwagon with junk from a recycling bin) here.

Joni had a lot to do on Saturday... but decided to chuck it all and join us instead! Glad she did; here's her post from the day.

Yeah, not so sure I'm ready to do it again next week, but I may just join other walks being planned for the future. And don't forget to clear the Saturday before Thanksgiving next year, for the third Great Los Angeles Walk!

One more note: I'm still figuring out why the Great LA Walk T-shirts aren't appearing on Cafe Press. I'll let you know when that issue is resolved.

Now, head over to Franklin Avenue, where we've got a great recap by walker Margaret Cherry! And more to come.

The Great LA Walk Happens Tomorrow!

2007-11-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't yet, check out the FAQ here.

Some additional info:

Unfortunately, I didn't hear from enough interested bus riders for it to make financial sense; ultimately, only about 10 or so of you could firmly say yes, but that would have made it $30 each -- and that was too steep for some of the 10. So I've had to scrap plans for a return bus... but I know several of you are researching MTA options; hopefully carpooling, friends, etc. can also help with return trips. Now, if I suddenly hear from 30 of you that you still are interested in a bus at $10/pop, I can still see Friday if I can rent one (no guarantees).

OK, now the fun stuff. You've probably seen the list of recommended Pico eateries from Jonathan Gold on the blog; obviously, we can't eat at 'em all... but we'll try to hit a few of them. (Or, hell, you're welcome to try 'em all! You're gonna be walking it all off anyway.)

Also, if you're interested in walking just half way, in joining us along the way, in dropping in and out as you explore Pico at your own pace, it's totally cool. This is a very loosely-organized walk, you can do as much or as little as you want.

Lunch: Because we can't judge how fast/slow the pack of walkers will be going, it's tough to tell where we'll be around noon. When we do break, walkers will choose where they want to eat on their own (we'll make sure to break close to several eating options). We'll break for 90 minutes, then pick up the walk where we left off.

Be sure to bring your cell phone, in case you lose the group. Or if you're joining late.

Finally, a word to the wise: We're gonna be out there a big portion of the day. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and white T-shirts (not to mention tennis shoes) will keep you from regretting it later. Plus, if we're all in white shirts, it will more easily identify us.

Any more questions, feel free to email. We'll see you Saturday morning at 9!

Two Days Until the Walk: Eating Down Pico

2007-11-15T01:18:00.001-08:00

(Flickr pic of birria taco at El Parian by larryleenyc.)

Before we all embark on the Great Los Angeles Walk this Saturday, here's some required reading: Jonathan Gold's recap of he year he ate down Pico Boulevard.

He writes:

Sunset may have more famous restaurants, La Brea better restaurants and Melrose more restaurants whose chairs have nestled Mira Sorvino’s gently rounded flanks. No glossy magazine has ever suggested Pico as an emerging hot street; no real estate ad has ever described a house as Pico-adjacent. The street plays host to the unglamorous bits of Los Angeles, the row of one-stops that supply records to local jukeboxes, the kosher-pizza district, the auto-body shops that speckle its length the way giant churches speckle Wilshire. And while Pico may divide neighborhoods more than it creates them — Koreatown from Harvard Heights, Wilshire Center from Midtown, Beverly Hills–adjacent from not-all-that-Beverly-Hills-adjacent, neighborhoods your cousin Martha lives in from neighborhoods she wouldn’t step into after dark — there isn’t even a Pico-identified gang.

But precisely because Pico is so unremarked, because it is left alone like old lawn furniture moldering away in the side yard of a suburban house, it is at the center of entry-level capitalism in central Los Angeles, and one of the most vital food streets in the world.

Indeed. It was partly Gold's gradual eating trek down Pico in his 20s that inspired me to pick Pico for this year's walk.

So, of course, I had to contact the Pulitzer Prize-winning scrbe. To my pleasant surprise, he emailed back quickly, and even said he read Franklin Avenue! I managed to pick his brain on a few spots we should all consider trying once everyone's bellies start growling. A selection:

El Salvador Cafe. 575 E. Pico

El Parian. 1528 W. Pico ("I went on record in 1990 claiming that El Parian’s birria was the single best Mexican dish in Los Angeles, and nothing in the thousand L.A. Mexican meals I have eaten since then has done anything to sway me from that belief," Gold wrote in 2006)

La 27th Restaurante Familar. 1830 W. Pico (Nicaraguan food -- Gold suggests "nacatamals and fritanga").

El Colmao. 2328 W. Pico (Cuban food -- Gold suggests "fried pork leg with onions).

Las 7 Regiones de Oaxaca. 2648 W. Pico. ("It is Las 7 Regiones’ coloradito, its version of one of the famous seven moles of Oaxaca, that is a really remarkable concoction — thick and dense and sweet-hot and unctuous, the product of hours of labor and probably 20-odd toasted seeds and chiles and spices," Gold writes.)

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. 5006 W. Pico. ("Roscoe’s is the Carnegie Deli of L.A.’s R&B scene," Gold wrote in an old review.)

Oki-Dog. 5056 W. Pico. (Go for the pastrami burritos, Gold says.)

Magic Carpet. 8566 W. Pico. (Gold once wrote that he used to live close by: " if I had tasted Magic Carpet's melawach back then, I might never have moved - a bronzed, pizza-size fried Yemenite pancake that seems to have a hundred levels of wheatiness, a thousand layers of crunch and the taste of clean oil, melawach is one of the greatest dishes in Los Angeles.")

Twin Dragon. 8597 W. Pico. (Gold admits that he likes some of the Shanghaiese dishes here, writing a few years back: "Although the kitchen is perfectly capable of turning out dishes stunning only in their mediocrity, some of the truly Shanghainese dishes -- smoked fish, round steamed dumplings, shredded pork sautéed with salted vegetables -- are fine.")

Pico Kosher Deli. 8826 W. Pico. (Gold recommends the pastrami sandwiches, and wrote in 2004 about its "PLT" -- like a BLT, but with pastrami.)

John O'Groats. 10516 W. Pico. ("Smoked pork chops," Gold recommends.)

Pico Teriyaki House. 10610 W. Pico. (Gold notes it's nearly impossible to get in, so it's not a spot to visit during our hike. But for future reference, he says try the robatayaki.)

Torafuku. 10914 W. Pico. (Their izakaya dishes are a little too pricy for he hike, but Gold named it one of L.A.'s 99 essential restaurants in 2005.)

That's it for now-- "Man, it's a long street. I'll try and think of some others," he writes. Thanks to Jonathan Gold for sharing his insight on eating down Pico!

Some MTA Advice for Saturday

2007-11-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Great LA Walker Will Campbell did some research for those of you interested in taking the MTA back to the start of the walk...

I took a look on mta.net and found the best way back would be aboard the No. 720 "rapid" bus running from Colorado and Ocean (maybe even Pico and Ocean, if I'm readying the bus' route map correctly) in Santa Monica all the way 6th and Central downtown. The schedule states there's an eastbound 720 bus that runs about every 10 minutes between 5:30 p.m. and midnight and the travel time is probably somewhere around 75 minutes.

If you put out any additional updates you might want to suggest that any walkers planning on returning via the MTA park their cars in the neighborhood of Sixth and Central to minimize any additional after-the-bus walking. In other words, I'd rather park there and walk in the morning light down Central to the Coke building than park down at the Coke building in the morning and have to get off the bus and walk down there to get back to my car after dark.

But for better or worse the area around 6th and Central is mainly industrialized on the eastern fringes of skid row with street parking but little in the way of supervised lot parking, so maybe people wanting the added security of off-street parking should park at lots along 6th Street through downtown and plan to get off the bus accordingly. They should make sure the lots are open late at night though!

Thanks, Will!

The Great Los Angeles Walk FAQ

2007-11-10T17:47:00.001-08:00

Go here for just about everything you need to know about the walk.

UPDATE: One Week Until the Great Los Angeles Walk!

2007-11-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all -- hope you're getting your feet ready for our 15 mile jaunt down Pico!

Now, some info:

1. I haven't heard from enough of you yet about whether you want to rent a bus to take you back downtown. The price overall is $300; I figure we'd need at least 10 people (at $30 a pop) to make it reasonable. If you want to join in, email me by Monday... the bus people have to know by Tuesday. If there's not enough takers, then everyone may have to figure out the return trip (MTA, I guess) on their own.

2. We've got a spot for the party! Cha Cha Chicken happens to be right there at the end of Pico in Santa Monica -- so it's perfect. What's more, they can accomodate all of us, PLUS it's BYOB, so if anyone wants to celebrate with a little booze, it's completely allowed.

3. If you drop out of the walk but still want to return for the party, just hope down to Cha Cha Chicken (at Pico and Ocean in Santa Monica). I assume we'll be there no later than 6.

4. If we do rent the bus, I'm guessing it will probably leave for downtown by 8... we need to cushion in that time in case we're running late and bus riders want to still have dinner with us.

5. If you can't meet us right at the start line, simply wait for us further down on Pico. When you see a big crowd walking down Pico for no real reason, that's us!

6. Please spread the word this week -- on your blog, to friends, etc. LA Weekly is doing a blurb on the walk, and Thrillist is doing a write-up for its daily email.

7. T-shirts are on sale! Unfortunately, they won't be ready until after the walk is over. But if you want to buy one (there's no markup, we're not making a dime off it), go to our Cafe Press store: www.cafepress.com/franklinavenue. There, you'll see a couple of different shirt styles with the cool Great Los Angeles Walk logo designed by Maria.

8. Keep checking the website for info! www.greatlawalk.com

9. See you Saturday, 9 am at Pico and Central, in front of the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant building!

Bus Info: Let Us Know Soon If You Want To Join In

2007-11-08T15:26:00.001-08:00

Hey Walkers,

American Transportation Systems, which operates the bus that the Esotouric folk use, is up for providing a bus back to downtown for anyone stranded in Santa Monica after the walk.

The price: $300.

Of course, the more of you up for this option, the cheaper it will be. The catch: Enough of you have to choose this option *prior* to the walk, so that we can confirm the bus. So let me know ASAP if you're interested by emailing here BY MONDAY; I'll then let all of you know on Tuesday if it's a real possibility.

One other tidbit: Some of you have noted that the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Plant at Pico and Central is a bit out of the way, and also not close to a decent bus option.

No prob, here's the simple solution: Hit the portion of Pico downtown that is easiest for you. Then wait for the crowd of Great LA Walkers -- I imagine we'll be past downtown by 10 am, so you won't be waiting long. Just be sure you find me, Mike, when you join the line so we can add you to the list!

Any more questions, feel free to email!

Details, Details, Details!

2007-11-04T23:36:00.001-08:00

Here it is... the info on where the walk will begin, and what time:

The Great Los Angeles Walk takes place starting at 9 a.m. on Nov. 17 at the corner of E. Pico and S. Central Ave. Most importantly, that's at the landmark Coca-Cola Bottling Plant -- the Streamline Moderne building shaped like a cruise ship (above).

Meet right in front of the Coca-Cola building, and allow yourself plenty of time -- we're leaving at 9 a.m. sharp!

There isn't much right there by way of pre-walk food, other than a McDonalds and Burger King close to Olympic. But we'll be passing by plenty of great spots to grab food along the way.

What's more, Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold is passing along a list of Pico restaurants we can't miss -- all the more reason to come join us on Nov. 17!

P.S. Don't forget, if you're already on the email list, to make sure we're deemed OK and not seen as spam!

"Picoesque," by Michelle Shocked

2007-11-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Across the street they're raising wolves
And it don't take much to make them cry
A fire truck or a car alarm
Police drive by with their sirens on
And suddenly they're running with the pack
And remembering the call of the wild
They cry ooo ooo

Pastor Leon, he's the neighbor to my right
Twice on Sunday and every week night
He cranks up the PA, his wife is the choir
And they start preaching like a house on fire
And then his wife gets happy and begins to shout
Allelujah Allelujah! and then they all fall out
They cry Allelujah! Glorio! Glorio de Dios!

Baby pull on your old Dan Posts
Fire up that old GTO
And take me on a little ride down Pico

Now you're riding down Pico Boulevard and for the first time
You notice how many churches
Foursquare Baptist Catholic Cathedrals
Buddhist Temples Synagogues Mosques
Keith Dominion COGIC Pentacost
Iglesias de Cristos Iglesias de Dios and the
Sweet (swear to God) Aroma of Jesus

Down by the hardware store men are pitching pennies
Or standing by the paint store dressed in white
Or waiting by their trucks to hire for haul
Or collecting cans in shopping carts
Or carrying guitars and accordions
Into cantinas and restaurants

Or selling onramp oranges or offramp roses
Or ringing bells for 'paletas' 'raspados'
Or standing by a pay telephone
With a baby carriage and a beeper on
With last night's sermon still ringing in my ear
Allelujah! Allelujah! Don't despair....

Welcome to the All-New Great Los Angeles Walk Website!

2007-10-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

Keep spreading the word -- write about the walk on your blog, enlist friends to join in, etc. Let's get as many people marching down Pico as possible on November 17!

I'm starting to take a count on how many people might be interested in sharing a bus back to Downtown when the walk is over. Leave your thoughts below, or email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com.

More info to come!

SAVE THE DATE: The Great Los Angeles Walk Returns!

2007-10-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

All right, now about that announcement we promised ya on Friday (and kudos to Shannon for nailing it!): Last year, we hiked Wilshire Blvd. end-to-end, 16 miles from downtown to Santa Monica. This year, we head a few blocks south and conquer Pico!

For the second year in a row, we're clearing out the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- Nov. 17 -- for the all-day hike. (Consider it license to then gourge yourself a few days later on stuffing and cranberry sauce.) Those of you who joined in the festivities last year know the drill: We'll meet up early for breakfast, and hit the road by 9. We'll stop along the way at anything that looks interesting, as well as for lunch... and make it to Santa Monica by dinnertime, where we'll celebrate.

We had a great turnout last year -- I still can't believe how many people made it end-to-end. (Above, the Walkers at the finish line in Santa Monica.) Now, I'm hoping to get an even bigger crowd on board.

Wanna take part? Simply email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com. Leave us your name and email address... and we'll keep you informed of details.

So why Pico? For starters, I was inspired by the famous tale of L.A.'s own Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, who decided to eat his way down the boulevard when he was 20.

What's more, it's just a visually stimulating street. While Olympic (and even Wilshire) has long stretches of uneventful, residential areas, Pico is consistently loud and frantic.

Just ask Massive Attack. Check out the 1991 video to "Unfinished Sympathy," singer Shara Nelson walks down Pico between New Hampshire Ave. and Dewey Ave. in one uncut shot:

Keep it tuned here as we talk more about the Great Los Angeles Walk 2007 in the next few days. We'll be discussing transportation (including the possibility of a bus to shuttle us back to downtown), Pico eating options (perhaps J-Gold will give us some tips) and more.

But most importantly, keep Nov. 17 open. You're gonna be out walking -- walking! -- in L.A.

(Pico sign pic via Flickr by Powerkeni.)