VIDEO/PICS: This Year's Best Takes on the Great Los Angeles Walk

Thanks to MsGeek703, who took part in the first half of this year's Great Los Angeles Walk on November 17. She shot this video of her experience.

ICYMI, you can read our recap of the seventh annual Great Los Angeles Walk here. But here are a few more recaps of our wet, wonderful day hiking 17 miles from downtown to the ocean, via Melrose:

I couldn't have explained the walk better than Mikki Brisk does in this wonderful post. A first-time GLAW-er, she writes:



A day like that is hard to explain. I guess it takes a bit of crazy to even agree to such a walk. Not everyone understands it or accepts it (“What do you mean it’s not for charity?”). Some people were deterred by the rain. Some people caught a bus to the endpoint. Some people caught rides. Some just hit their max and went home.

That’s all okay. But for me, I needed to do this for no other reason than to prove to myself that I could. There’s no reward in completing a trek like this. There’s no fanfare or to-do. One doesn’t get any special letters after her name for walking the entire 17 miles.

But there is a sense of accomplishment. There is the joy of camaraderie. There is the beauty of the city.

And yes, there is pride. As I sat at the bar at the end of the day and looked around, I was proud of everyone there (including myself). I was so pleased to have spent the day with women I adore. I was glad to have met a cool chick who was willing to maintain a crazy pace for the second half of the route. I was, in short, happy.

Blogger Nick Campbell wrote the other amazing post I read about this year's Walk; check it out here. Having recently moved into a downtown loft, Nick was excited to be so conveniently situated to this year's starting point, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. He also had Scoops ice cream on the brain. An excerpt:



We met up with the rest of the people on the steps of the Hall just after nine to see more people than I remember ever seeing. The requisite human interest reporter was there (not surprising given the event exists in the dearth of non-turkey-related activities the week before Thanksgiving and that the person who started the event, Michael Schneider, is, himself, press) and I saw a lot of the same people I’d seen the past two years: mostly active seniors, some middle-aged Angelenos involved in the community, and a few young people who are both. But this year there were a lot more of everyone. It was surprising and nice. This is an event I really love and get excited about every year. That being said, I’d already picked out some of the people that wouldn’t make it. Sorry, ma’am. Your dog is not going to want to walk 17 miles.

City Council candidate Elson Trinidad (who's running for the CD13 seat) walked part of the route amd wrote this recap. An excerpt:



People were fascinated to see even the most mundane things like holes in the windows in a DWP storage building along 1st Street, visually stunning murals like Eliso Art Silva’s Filipino American history mural, the “Twilight Zone” mural on Beverly and a Cache/Eye One “bicycling chickens” mural across the street from it. The walk also exposed the bad and the ugly, such as the blighted trash heaps and urine-stenched pavement under the 101 Freeway above Melrose, a reminder that there’s much work to do in the community.

Still, my 5.3-mile trek from Downtown to Hollywood enabled me to socialize, enjoy the city, see some things I’ve never seen before (such as the Jack London house off of Van Ness), see things I wish we didn’t have to see, and get to the places I needed to go that day.

Many Angelenos unfortunately have a hindrance to walking, which is purely psychological and socially-reinforced. But once freed from those shackles, walking lends to a wonderful world of discovery and exercise (it’s great for the blood pressure). Other hindrances, like uneven pavement and inconveniently narrow sidewalks (Melrose between Normandie and Serrano, I’m looking at you), are things the City needs to address.

But “Nobody Walks In L.A.” is already an outdated diatribe. Some of our streets and neighborhoods are getting more pedestrian-friendly, either through design or demand. A walkable Los Angeles is a must for our City’s future.

Great LA Walk-er Ron took some beautiful black-and-white photos of this year's Walk, check 'em out here.

Check out Great LA Walk-er Jonathan's pics here.

Check out all the Great Los Angeles Walk photos uploaded to Flickr here.

THE GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2012 RECAP: Braving the Rain From Downtown, Through Melrose and To The Ocean

The starting point: Walt Disney Concert Hall

Rain? What rain?

OK, so it was a bit wet this year. But nonetheless, at least 200 passionate Angelenos woke up early and braved an early-morning drizzle to take part in the seventh annual Great Los Angeles Walk.

The best part? Most of the Walk-ers braved a downpour or two and made it to the very end, 17 miles later! (Although the length is in dispute -- Google Maps claims we walked 16.92 miles, but several pedometers clocked in at closer to 19 or even 20.) More than half of this year's participants were brand new to the Great Los Angeles Walk -- which makes it even more impressive that so many of them weren't turned off by the rain! (Of course, we were expecting closer to 400 or more participants had it not been so gloomy on Saturday morning.) Folks came in from San Diego and elsewhere to pound the pavement, and this year see Melrose Avenue up close and personal.

Maybe it was the rain, or perhaps it was the shorter route than last year, but Great Los Angeles Walk veterans told me they felt much less winded this year. "Overall this Great LA Walk was less exhausting than prior ones," one regular, Raul, wrote on Twitter. Another Walk-er, Rhema, noted that she completed the Walk even with a bum knee, and mentioned how great other Walk-ers were: "Great day, Great walk, Great people! You guys are a good bunch. When my knee was giving out everyone stopped to make sure I was OK and asked if I needed something. GLAW participants are a very cool bunch!!"

Along the way, this year's Walk centered on Melrose, where Walk-ers walked by Paramount Studios and Raleigh Studios; unofficial L.A. Democratic party homebase Lucy's El Adobe cafe; the epicenter of L.A. bike culture at Heliotrope; the famous Melrose shopping district, home also to the Groundlings, the Golden Apple, the Improv and others; the tremendous (and colorful) Pacific Design Center buildings; the original Tommy's shack; the Ukranian Cultural Center (formerly Jensen's Melrose Theatre); legendary Brooklyn's Bagels; and so much more.

This year's Walk kicked off with a bit of a history lesson behind the Walt Disney Concert Hall, as shared by volunteer Bob Scales, who also worked on the building's construction. Then our pal (and L.A. expert) Chris Nichols, who's behind the popular Los Angeles magazine column and blog Ask Chris, gave a pep talk to the Walk-ers. (Thanks to both Bob and Chris -- and my embarrassed apologies to Big Parade LA's Bob Inman, who I had every intention of introducing as well, but then in my frazzled state, completely forgot.)


The crowd outside Valerie Confections.

At 9:15, we embarked on our journey -- leaving the Disney Hall and turning west on 1st, which quickly turned into Beverly. At Beverly near Virgil we were welcomed by Valerie Confections (3360 W. 1st), which had free, rich hot chocolate (with homemade whipped cream!) waiting for us, as well as homemade gourmet pastries. Truly yum. Valerie Confections will be selling pastries on Saturday mornings, and I know we'll be back to enjoy items like lemon tea cake with pomegranate frosting, creme fraiche scone and apple/pear pie with caramel. Did I say yum?


Tai Kim serves up ice cream goodness at Scoops.

From there, we walked up Virgil to Melrose, and immediately headed West to start the portion of the hike down this year's featured street. But soon we were at Heliotrope, where Scoops Ice Cream (712 N. Heliotrope) maestro Tai Kim was busy working overtime selling ice cream to the Great Los Angeles Walk masses. Normally Tai opens the store at noon on a Saturday, but he was gracious enough to open it at 10:30 for Walk-ers. PLUS, among Saturday's flavors were two breakfast-themed ones created especially for the Great LA Walk: Maple Cap'n Crunch and Cornflakes. Both were delicious. And with lines out the door, I'm sure this was the first Scoops experience for many of our Great LA Walk participants -- and I'm pretty sure it won't be their last.


The crowd outside ink.sack.

We then continued down Melrose, from East Hollywood into Hollywood, and then West Hollywood. Near La Cienega, our pals at ink.sack (8360 Melrose) had prepared special lunch packs for Walk-ers: A gourmet turkey sandwich, a banana, granola and water, all for just $8. The regular ink.sack menu was, of course, available too.

Swift walkers got to the end as early as 2 p.m., but the biggest crowd hit the ocean at around 5 p.m. for a group shot. As always, there were Walk-ers who did the event right, stopping at The Village Idiot on Melrose for Bloody Marys, etc. For the after party, Santa Monica's Wokcano gave us a large space to sit down and enjoy happy hour drinks, while Smashing Young Lad & Co. set up a digital photo booth for all of us to take photos as souvenirs. (You should have received your pics via email by today.)



The rain may have kept some people away, but it meant that the Walk-ers who decided to brave the event were still gung-ho and happy to be there. If anything, surviving 17 miles in the drizzle gave all of us an even bigger badge of honor. Even my 7-year-old, the Blogger Kid, walked about half of it. (Next year he wants to do it all. We'll see.)

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

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

Still want a t-shirt as a souvenir? They're available here: http://greatlawalk.spreadshirt.com/.

We'll post a link soon (or else, even post them here) from the after party's photo booth.

Some pics from the day:


Chris Nichols talks to the crowd.


The crowd listens.


I talk to the crowd before we embark. (Pic by Anthony Uy)


And we're off!


Passing by downtown.


Shakespeare? Cat? Shakespeare Cat?


'Tis the season: "The Nutcracker" now on stage at the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre.


Some take the bridge, some do not.


The people of Los Angeles, in mural form.


Something I had never noticed before: The United Firefighters of Los Angeles is based in a building that looks like it's literally on fire.


Filipino history mural in Historic Filipinotown.


The original Tommy's!


You think the $2 bath deal is still in effect at the Hotel Lafayette?


I shall name this chicken "Holly."


Ukranian Culture Center. Opened as a silent movie theater in the 1920s.


The Octagon "Church on Melrose"


Maple Cap'n Crunch and Cornflake, among the flavors at Scoops!


As Michael Jackson looks on, a crowd anxiously awaits the 11 a.m. open of their friendly local medical marijuana dispensary.


OK, what's going on here?


The woman in the billboard is clearly shocked at seeing so many people walk down her street.


Will likes what he sees.


Brief detour to check out the house that Jack London allegedly slept in.


Paramount.


Anthony and Spidey.


Insomniac.


Monsters on Melrose.


Kids, just stay away from Peter Pan. Stay. Away.


Dance class.


Thank You, Andy Warhol.


The Record Collector for 39 years on Melrose. (Photo by Anthony Uy)


Where The Wild Things Are: Cake Edition.


Widely considered the ugliest building in all of Los Angeles. Located at La Cienega and Melrose.


Downpour.


Vacancy at the Royal Santa Monica!


Whoa. What are they about to cut off that horrible-looking dog?


We made it to the ocean at around 5 p.m. -- where we met with several other finishers! Some got there earlier, and some later. (Photo by Anthony Uy)

Thanks to Chris Nichols; Bob Scales; Bob Inman; Tai Kim from Scoops; Joy, Will and the guys from ink.sack; George at Wokcano; Joshua from Smashing Young Lad & Co.; kim from Spin PR for finding us Wokcano; and Stan from Valerie Confections 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 23, 2013. If you're looking to do more urban hikes before then, make sure you check out the regular epic walks that Big Parade LA puts together. Not only is it good exercise, but their walks are filled with history, culture, music and a lot of fun.

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

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 Flickr Pool

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 Route (PDF)

Save some paper and download this PDF for the Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 Route to your smartphone. With clickable links!

KCAL Promotes The Great Los Angeles Walk!

Thanks to KCAL for having me on during the 2 p.m. newscast today to chat about the Great LA Walk. It's kinda weird to be on TV hyping my own project, rather than talking about other people's TV shows. (I think I got a bit flustered at times and gave weird answers, but oh well!)

Hope to see you all on Saturday -- go to GreatLAWalk.com for more info!

Another Great LA Walk Food Stop: Valerie Confections

Sure, you're going to be hiking nearly 17 miles on Saturday -- but you're going to be eating WELL. Joining our growing list of foodie partners is Valerie Confections, located at 3360 West 1st Street (near where Beverly, 1st and Virgil connect). Valerie Confections will be offering a special deal to all Walk-ers on Saturday:

We've been selling our line of market-driven pastries at the Santa Monica and Hollywood farmers' markets for the last few years, and it just so happens that we had decided to begin offering the full line of these breakfast pastries in our shop this Saturday. I can't think of a better way to introduce them than by having a big group of hungry walkers pass through, and we're literally right on your morning route. We'd love to offer everyone in the group 25% off normal pricing, and hope that you'll all pop by.

See you all on Saturday!

Great Los Angeles Walk After Party to Be Held At Wokcano Santa Monica

More news: We now have an afterparty venue! Wokcano Santa Monica, located at 1413 5th St. in Santa Monica (right off of Santa Monica Boulevard) has agreed to let us take over their large patio area in the back of the restaurant -- plus will be selling Happy Hour drinks and food to us from 5 to 8 p.m.!

So after you hit the ocean, turn right around and head back up to Wokcano -- it will be a great opportunity to sit down, grab a drink, look at your photos and recount the day with other walkers.

The Great Los Angeles Walk T-Shirts Are Now On Sale!

We're just 10 days away from the GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK! And this just in: The official 2012 Great Los Angeles Walk t-shirts are now available at Spreadshirt here.

Spreadshirt is offering a special deal on Friday, November 9: FREE SHIPPING. Just type in the code FREESHIPDAY12.

We'll see you on Saturday, November 17!

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"Wait, you're doing what?"

"Is walking 17 miles even humanly possible?"

"Can I bike it? Bring a dog? Quit half way through? Are you personally driving me back to my car?"

Here it is, the unofficial Frequently Asked Questions roundup for the GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2012!

1. WHEN/WHERE? Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 -- the Saturday before Thanksgiving, like we do every year. We're meeting on the front steps of downtown’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (at 1st and Grand). 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 250 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 the Walt Disney Concert Hall, we'll walk west on 1st, which turns into Beverly Blvd. And then north on Virgil, west on Melrose Avenue, to the end -- when we then make a left on to Santa Monica Boulevard, which we'll then take to the ocean. (Check it out here.)

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? 17-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. CAN WE BIKE IT? BRING KIDS? PETS? Because you're walking on your own accord -- remember, this is an unofficial gathering of passionate Angelenos walking the streets of their favorite city -- you can do whatever you want. Use your best judgement, of course. We're not responsible for you.

9. WHAT ABOUT INJURIES? Again, there is no infrastructure to our Walk, so you need to take care of yourself just like you would whenever you walk anywhere. Be careful, stay safe and stick with a group of walkers!

10. WHAT ABOUT LUNCH? We'll be taking a lunch break -- probably around an hour or so -- around the halfway point, near La Cienega. We're talking to a restaurant about giving us a Walk discount -- stay tuned.

11. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We'll take group photos at the ocean... and then celebrate at WOKCANO Santa Monica from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.!

12. HOW DO I GET THERE, OR 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: Visit Metro (http://www.metro.net/around/maps) for details. But here's a thumbnail:

The last Big Blue Rapid 10 bus (http://bigbluebus.com/Routes-And-Schedules/Rapid-10.aspx) leaves Santa Monica for downtown at around 7pm. It's the return from downtown that's at around 8pm. But if you're going to stick around the Afterparty beyond 7 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 the Civic Center than others.

Your best bet, in other words, is to carpool. But if you can't do that, I strongly recommend parking in Santa Monica in the morning. As long as you get on the Big Blue Bus Rapid 10 before 8 a.m., you'll get to downtown before 9. It will be a quick, pleasant ride during daylight... and you'll be so happy knowing that your car is waiting for you in Santa Monica.

13. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR/BRING? Loose, comfy clothing. I'd wear shorts, a t-shirt (and perhaps a sweatshirt, depending on 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.

14. HOW CAN I GET A T-SHIRT? We've just posted a bunch of T-shirts for sale at http://greatlawalk.spreadshirt.com/. We weren't impressed with Cafe Press anymore, so we're trying out Spreadshirt as a new vendor. Order directly from them, and it looks like they're shipping shirts in a pretty quick turnaround -- but if you wanna wear one on the Walk, you should probably order one soon!

15. 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 any of the previous six walks, and have turned out just fine.

16. 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. In 2010, we returned to Wilshire for the fifth walk, and in 2011, we hit Hollywood. This year, it's Melrose's turn.

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.

17. 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.

The Official Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 Press Release

THE SEVENTH ANNUAL GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK

IS HITTING MELROSE – AND MORE – ON NOV. 17

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 5, 2012) -- Hundreds of Angelenos will hit the sidewalks this November 17 for The Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 – the annual event that dispels the myth that “nobody walks in L.A.”

The LA Weekly just recognized The Great Los Angeles Walk in this year's "Best of L.A." issue. For the seventh 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 Melrose Avenue. Participants will meet on the steps of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (at Grand and 1^st in Downtown Los Angeles) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, and proceed to walk approximately 17 miles (at a casual, all-day pace).

The Walk will run down 1^st, which turns into Beverly Blvd., up Virgil Ave., across Melrose Ave. and down Santa Monica Boulevard to the ocean. Along the way, walkers will encounter sites such as Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; the original Tommy's; the epicenter of LA's bike culture at Heliotrope; Paramount Studios; Raleigh Studios; the Melrose shopping district; the Pacific Design Center; and much more.

As part of the Walk, East Hollywood's famed SCOOPS ice cream shop will create a special flavor on Nov. 17 and open early for Great LA Walk participants to sample it.

Walkers will pass through a diverse cross-section of the region, including Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, the Melrose/Fairfax District, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Great Los Angeles Walk will conclude with an afterparty in Santa Monica at a location to be determined.

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. In 2010, for its fifth edition, the Great Los Angeles Walk reprised its original Wilshire journey. And in 2011, more than 250 Walk participants marched to the ocean via Hollywood Boulevard.

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.