(Illustration by Alva Skog / For The Times; Getty Images)
11 essential walks to see the best of Los Angeles
- The best way to experience L.A.’s diverse neighborhoods is to get out of the car and onto the sidewalk.
- This walking guide includes maps and turn-by-turn directions to help you explore 11 essential L.A. communities, including Venice Beach, Hollywood and Boyle Heights.
Los Angeles is known as a city where the car comes first, but anyone who lives here knows that’s not the whole story. Though we might not necessarily walk for transportation, we thread it into our lives regardless. We wake up in the dark of the early morning to get our steps in around the Silver Lake Reservoir or Inglewood’s SoFi stadium. We meet friends for late-afternoon strolls along the L.A. River or the Pacific Ocean. To feel like tourists in our own town, we might amble down Hollywood Boulevard and catch a movie at the iconic TCL Chinese Theater or join the livestreaming throngs on the Venice Boardwalk.
L.A. really is a walking city.
Explore our ground-level guide to the people and places keeping our sidewalks alive.
Our city is awash in culture and history, and there is no better way to experience it than by getting out of the car and onto the streets. With our feet on the ground, we get to know a neighborhood not just as a GPS point but as a living, breathing urban ecosystem with distinct sounds, smells and vibes — a unique tile in the rich mosaic that is L.A.
To help you on your way, I’ve assembled this guide of 11 walks for the curious and open-minded L.A. explorer. Some will take you past manicured lawns brimming with roses and bordered by white picket fences; on others, you may pass a stately old home with a massive hole in its roof and debris in the front yard. Both have a story to tell. No matter where you live, you cannot avoid the poverty of L.A.’s large unhoused community, and on some of these walks, you’ll encounter that too.
Each of these journeys is less than three miles. They are definitively walks, not hikes. Almost all of them will take you along sidewalks or paths, and parking should not be a problem. (I fully expect you will drive to most of these destinations. This is L.A., after all). The inspiration for many of these routes came from longtime locals overflowing with neighborhood pride. They may not all be picture-perfect, but they are all interesting, and collectively they display the diversity and vigor of our endlessly sprawling city.
Showing Places
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Stroll (and eat) your way through downtown L.A.
Downtown L.A. Walk
This walk, which my colleague and longtime downtown resident Todd Martens does several times a week, takes you past a blur of historic buildings into two unexpectedly green parks and offers lots of opportunities to snack along the way.
The journey begins at the Broadway entrance of Grand Central Market, where you can grab a bite from one of many tasty food vendors (Sticky Rice is my go-to). After you’re sated, head north on Broadway toward 3rd Street. Continue toward 2nd Street, passing some newly opened art galleries on the left and the former L.A. Times building on the right, until you find yourself at Gloria Molina Grand Park. (My family calls it “the pink park” because of the hot pink benches and tables.) It has a terrific playground and a great view of City Hall.
If it’s a weekday, consider going into City Hall to visit the observation deck on the 27th floor. (It’s free, but closed on weekends.) Otherwise continue on, turning right when you hit West Temple Street and left when you hit Main Street. You’ll walk over the 101 Freeway — not the most beautiful scenery, but is anything more L.A.? — then keep an eye out for the three-story Pico House on your right. Completed in 1870, it’s one of the oldest buildings in downtown. Across the street is LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a hub of Latinx culture. Take the entrance to Olvera Street on your right and walk through the historic Mexican-themed marketplace that’s been a favorite with tourists since the 1930s. You’ll pop out on the corner of Alameda and Cesar E. Chavez, where you can try a taquito at Cielito Lindo (founded in 1934), or cross the street for a French dip sandwich at Philippe the Original (established in 1908).
Continue on Alameda Street beneath the elevated Chinatown Metro stop until you hit your final destination: Los Angeles State Historic Park. Opened in 2017, it’s an unexpectedly bucolic 32-acre spot that hosts a farmers market Thursdays from 3 to 7:30 p.m. and the annual Bob Baker Day marionette festival in April. There you can meander around the gentle curving paths, walking over small wooden bridges and taking in a scenic view of the downtown skyline, or cross the street to get a beer at Highland Park Brewery. When you’re done, you can either retrace your steps or take the Gold Line to the Historic Broadway Station. You’ll be right back where you started!
Length: 1.9 miles one way
Click here to see this route on a map.
The journey begins at the Broadway entrance of Grand Central Market, where you can grab a bite from one of many tasty food vendors (Sticky Rice is my go-to). After you’re sated, head north on Broadway toward 3rd Street. Continue toward 2nd Street, passing some newly opened art galleries on the left and the former L.A. Times building on the right, until you find yourself at Gloria Molina Grand Park. (My family calls it “the pink park” because of the hot pink benches and tables.) It has a terrific playground and a great view of City Hall.
If it’s a weekday, consider going into City Hall to visit the observation deck on the 27th floor. (It’s free, but closed on weekends.) Otherwise continue on, turning right when you hit West Temple Street and left when you hit Main Street. You’ll walk over the 101 Freeway — not the most beautiful scenery, but is anything more L.A.? — then keep an eye out for the three-story Pico House on your right. Completed in 1870, it’s one of the oldest buildings in downtown. Across the street is LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a hub of Latinx culture. Take the entrance to Olvera Street on your right and walk through the historic Mexican-themed marketplace that’s been a favorite with tourists since the 1930s. You’ll pop out on the corner of Alameda and Cesar E. Chavez, where you can try a taquito at Cielito Lindo (founded in 1934), or cross the street for a French dip sandwich at Philippe the Original (established in 1908).
Continue on Alameda Street beneath the elevated Chinatown Metro stop until you hit your final destination: Los Angeles State Historic Park. Opened in 2017, it’s an unexpectedly bucolic 32-acre spot that hosts a farmers market Thursdays from 3 to 7:30 p.m. and the annual Bob Baker Day marionette festival in April. There you can meander around the gentle curving paths, walking over small wooden bridges and taking in a scenic view of the downtown skyline, or cross the street to get a beer at Highland Park Brewery. When you’re done, you can either retrace your steps or take the Gold Line to the Historic Broadway Station. You’ll be right back where you started!
Length: 1.9 miles one way
Click here to see this route on a map.
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(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Embrace your inner tourist on Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills Walk
No matter how long you’ve lived in L.A., there will always be a handful of neighborhoods that still make you feel like an out-of-towner. For me, that’s Beverly Hills. But there was something pleasant about traversing the manicured sidewalks of one of L.A.’s wealthiest enclaves. Instead of trying to blend in with the well-heeled crowd, I chose to lean into my inner tourist and soak up the famous sights.
The walk begins at the Beverly Hills Lily Pond on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive. There will be a lot of tourists taking photos in front of the famous Beverly Hills sign here. Join them! Or offer to take their picture and make some friends. Next, cross Santa Monica Boulevard and turn left past the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The 1934 Italian Renaissance building once served as the Beverly Hills Post Office. Keep going toward the iconic Beverly Hills City Hall, which you will recognize from “Beverly Hills Cop” and other movies. It’s very pretty and worth wandering around in for a while.
Next, take Rexford Street south to South Santa Monica Boulevard and turn right. That stately white building on your left was designed by famed architect Paul Williams in 1939 as the home of the Music Corporation of America (MCA). Continue along South Santa Monica (hello, crazy midcentury gas station!) until you hit the world-famous Rodeo Drive and turn left. You know what to expect: Saint Laurent, Hermès, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, etc. Maybe you can’t afford any of it, but you can still watch all the aspiring influencers and their photographers (boyfriends, parents) using this path as a high-end backdrop. Even catching a whiff of the area’s many perfumes serves as a kind of olfactory adventure. I walked down Rodeo to Wilshire Boulevard, then turned around and walked back up.
A few tips: The bathrooms on the second floor of Two Rodeo Drive are very nice (and also smell great). If you’re hungry, I can recommend the sandwich shop Lorenzo California on Santa Monica Boulevard for delicious (although pricey) sandwiches. And finally, don’t even bother looking for street parking: There are many public lots and most of them are free for the first two hours.
Length: 1.4 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
The walk begins at the Beverly Hills Lily Pond on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive. There will be a lot of tourists taking photos in front of the famous Beverly Hills sign here. Join them! Or offer to take their picture and make some friends. Next, cross Santa Monica Boulevard and turn left past the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The 1934 Italian Renaissance building once served as the Beverly Hills Post Office. Keep going toward the iconic Beverly Hills City Hall, which you will recognize from “Beverly Hills Cop” and other movies. It’s very pretty and worth wandering around in for a while.
Next, take Rexford Street south to South Santa Monica Boulevard and turn right. That stately white building on your left was designed by famed architect Paul Williams in 1939 as the home of the Music Corporation of America (MCA). Continue along South Santa Monica (hello, crazy midcentury gas station!) until you hit the world-famous Rodeo Drive and turn left. You know what to expect: Saint Laurent, Hermès, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani, etc. Maybe you can’t afford any of it, but you can still watch all the aspiring influencers and their photographers (boyfriends, parents) using this path as a high-end backdrop. Even catching a whiff of the area’s many perfumes serves as a kind of olfactory adventure. I walked down Rodeo to Wilshire Boulevard, then turned around and walked back up.
A few tips: The bathrooms on the second floor of Two Rodeo Drive are very nice (and also smell great). If you’re hungry, I can recommend the sandwich shop Lorenzo California on Santa Monica Boulevard for delicious (although pricey) sandwiches. And finally, don’t even bother looking for street parking: There are many public lots and most of them are free for the first two hours.
Length: 1.4 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Immerse yourself in L.A. history on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Walk
There are many photogenic places to walk in Los Angeles: Hollywood Boulevard is not one of them. (In fact, a part of it has even been deemed “one of the worst tourist traps in the world.”) But you’re not here to buy a cheesy shirt. No matter the fanfare, this stretch, which takes you along part of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, remains an L.A. rite of passage for tourists and locals alike.
As you make your trek, keep a lookout for remnants of glamorous neon signs and 1920s architecture tucked around the souvenir shops and bus tour companies that line the street. You’ll begin at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue on the north side of the street. As you head west on Hollywood Boulevard, you’ll walk past the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, which opened in 1930. (I recommend sneaking a peek at the dazzlingly ornate ceiling above the outdoor ticket lobby as you go by.) Continue along until you hit the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood. On your right is the pink limestone façade of the Security Pacific Bank building, widely believed to be where Raymond Chandler’s fictional detective Philip Marlowe kept a sixth-floor office.
Continue past Musso and Frank Grill, a hangout for past Hollywood giants and the oldest restaurant in the neighborhood, dating back to 1919. (Its entrees are pricey but the martinis are strong and the service top-notch.) I recommend hurrying past Ovation Hollywood (formerly known as Hollywood & Highland), but the TCL Chinese Theatre (originally Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) always gives me a thrill. With its 90-foot-tall pagoda and other exotic accents, it’s a true L.A. landmark. Cross Hollywood Boulevard at North Orange Drive, stopping briefly to admire the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, which opened in 1927 and where Marilyn Monroe had her first commercial shoot by the pool. Heading back east on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard you’ll pass the 1926 El Capitan Theatre (incredibly ornate), the Hollywood Theatre (opened in 1913, now home to the Guinness World Records Museum) and the Egyptian Theatre, opened in 1922 and now owned by Netflix.
Length: 1.8 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
As you make your trek, keep a lookout for remnants of glamorous neon signs and 1920s architecture tucked around the souvenir shops and bus tour companies that line the street. You’ll begin at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue on the north side of the street. As you head west on Hollywood Boulevard, you’ll walk past the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, which opened in 1930. (I recommend sneaking a peek at the dazzlingly ornate ceiling above the outdoor ticket lobby as you go by.) Continue along until you hit the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood. On your right is the pink limestone façade of the Security Pacific Bank building, widely believed to be where Raymond Chandler’s fictional detective Philip Marlowe kept a sixth-floor office.
Continue past Musso and Frank Grill, a hangout for past Hollywood giants and the oldest restaurant in the neighborhood, dating back to 1919. (Its entrees are pricey but the martinis are strong and the service top-notch.) I recommend hurrying past Ovation Hollywood (formerly known as Hollywood & Highland), but the TCL Chinese Theatre (originally Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) always gives me a thrill. With its 90-foot-tall pagoda and other exotic accents, it’s a true L.A. landmark. Cross Hollywood Boulevard at North Orange Drive, stopping briefly to admire the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, which opened in 1927 and where Marilyn Monroe had her first commercial shoot by the pool. Heading back east on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard you’ll pass the 1926 El Capitan Theatre (incredibly ornate), the Hollywood Theatre (opened in 1913, now home to the Guinness World Records Museum) and the Egyptian Theatre, opened in 1922 and now owned by Netflix.
Length: 1.8 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Go on a hip Eastside jaunt at the Silver Lake Reservoir
Silver Lake Park
Completed in 1907 to serve a growing and increasingly thirsty urban population, the Silver Lake Reservoir complex, which also includes the currently empty Ivanhoe Reservoir, has morphed into a town square of sorts for the thousands of hip residents who jog, walk, birdwatch and lounge around its 2.2-mile perimeter.
The reservoir is protected by a chain-link fence, so you can’t get too close to the water, but this walk still has its charms. The Silver Lake Meadow on the northeastern end of the complex offers an idyllic green expanse of fresh grass, lined with a thriving native garden where you can sprawl with an iced coffee (from the nearby LAMILL, Botanica or the many coffee trucks and carts that park on the path), celebrate a birthday, do some yoga or simply people watch.
If you continue past the meadow, up a steep hill on Armstrong Avenue, you’ll be rewarded at the summit with a burst of colorful orange and yellow nasturtium in spring. Make your way further to Tesla Avenue and Silver Lake Drive, and you may be able to catch a glimpse of nesting great blue herons on the tops of eucalyptus trees from early January to mid-March. If it’s celebrities you’re hoping to spot, they walk this path year-round.
Because this walk is a simple loop, I suggest starting wherever you find parking, which is often most plentiful along West Silver Lake Drive. (Another benefit of this walk: You can’t get lost!) It’s also worth taking a look at the houses. I am especially partial to the Storybook cottages that look ripped from the pages of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but if Midcentury Modern architecture is your thing, keep an eye out for a row of sleek Neutra homes by the meadow. Nancy Meyers fans might recognize one of them as the residence of Jack Black’s character, Miles, in the 2006 film “The Holiday.” The most famous is the VDL studio and residence at 2300 Silver Lake Blvd, which is open on Saturdays for touring.
Length: 2.2 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
The reservoir is protected by a chain-link fence, so you can’t get too close to the water, but this walk still has its charms. The Silver Lake Meadow on the northeastern end of the complex offers an idyllic green expanse of fresh grass, lined with a thriving native garden where you can sprawl with an iced coffee (from the nearby LAMILL, Botanica or the many coffee trucks and carts that park on the path), celebrate a birthday, do some yoga or simply people watch.
If you continue past the meadow, up a steep hill on Armstrong Avenue, you’ll be rewarded at the summit with a burst of colorful orange and yellow nasturtium in spring. Make your way further to Tesla Avenue and Silver Lake Drive, and you may be able to catch a glimpse of nesting great blue herons on the tops of eucalyptus trees from early January to mid-March. If it’s celebrities you’re hoping to spot, they walk this path year-round.
Because this walk is a simple loop, I suggest starting wherever you find parking, which is often most plentiful along West Silver Lake Drive. (Another benefit of this walk: You can’t get lost!) It’s also worth taking a look at the houses. I am especially partial to the Storybook cottages that look ripped from the pages of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but if Midcentury Modern architecture is your thing, keep an eye out for a row of sleek Neutra homes by the meadow. Nancy Meyers fans might recognize one of them as the residence of Jack Black’s character, Miles, in the 2006 film “The Holiday.” The most famous is the VDL studio and residence at 2300 Silver Lake Blvd, which is open on Saturdays for touring.
Length: 2.2 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Experience two sides of Venice from the boardwalk to the canals
Venice Walk
The air smelled of marijuana and maple syrup when my husband and I got out of the car at the corner of Windward Avenue and Main Street on a recent Sunday morning. It was a fitting start to our walk on the world-famous Venice Boardwalk where beachfront restaurants, head shops, bootleg T-shirt stores, tattoo parlors and street artists vie for the attention of the walking throngs. Babies were crying. Dogs were barking. Every store was blasting a different song. It was cacophony, but it was fun.
We started at the Windward Avenue entrance near the basketball courts where the ’90s cult classic “White Men Can’t Jump” was filmed and walked straight to the massive concrete skate park on the beach before heading back to the boardwalk and turning north toward Santa Monica. Neither of us was in the market for a painting or a sage stick, so we mostly people-watched instead: a woman in a wetsuit carrying a surfboard, Brazilian tourists livestreaming the scene, a weathered local who knew every boardwalk vendor by name.
When we hit the “Welcome to Santa Monica” sign a little less than a mile later, the vibe shifted. Quieter, more sporty, with an ultimate Frisbee tournament on the sand and an outdoor yoga class in the park. We turned around and doubled back into the chaos. We could have returned to our car when we hit Windward, but instead, we continued south so we could walk by Venice’s Muscle Beach, where I was promised by a gym attendant that you don’t need to be ripped to work out in the open, just $10. At this point, we were near enough to the famous Venice canals that I felt I had to see them. We turned left on South Venice Street, and three blocks up, there they were on our right. Peaceful. Luxurious. And worlds away from the boardwalk. In a little over an hour, we’d seen both the chaotic and the serene sides of Venice, and we hadn’t even gone three miles.
Length: 2.8 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
We started at the Windward Avenue entrance near the basketball courts where the ’90s cult classic “White Men Can’t Jump” was filmed and walked straight to the massive concrete skate park on the beach before heading back to the boardwalk and turning north toward Santa Monica. Neither of us was in the market for a painting or a sage stick, so we mostly people-watched instead: a woman in a wetsuit carrying a surfboard, Brazilian tourists livestreaming the scene, a weathered local who knew every boardwalk vendor by name.
When we hit the “Welcome to Santa Monica” sign a little less than a mile later, the vibe shifted. Quieter, more sporty, with an ultimate Frisbee tournament on the sand and an outdoor yoga class in the park. We turned around and doubled back into the chaos. We could have returned to our car when we hit Windward, but instead, we continued south so we could walk by Venice’s Muscle Beach, where I was promised by a gym attendant that you don’t need to be ripped to work out in the open, just $10. At this point, we were near enough to the famous Venice canals that I felt I had to see them. We turned left on South Venice Street, and three blocks up, there they were on our right. Peaceful. Luxurious. And worlds away from the boardwalk. In a little over an hour, we’d seen both the chaotic and the serene sides of Venice, and we hadn’t even gone three miles.
Length: 2.8 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Do a little shopping — and a little beach walking — in Santa Monica's Ocean Park
Santa Monica Walk
Two blocks from the beach at the corner of Main Street and Rose Avenue, you’ll find a 30-foot sculpture of a bearded clown in a ballerina costume looming incongruously over a CVS. Across the street is the gleaming red Firehouse Restaurant and Bar, which cinephiles may recognize as the place where Keanu Reeves’ character grabs a coffee before chasing the bus in the iconic L.A. film “Speed.” This is an appropriate starting point for a walk through the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica, which is jam-packed with restaurants, cute independent shops, cafes and an exclusive local community garden.
Heading north on Main Street, you’ll pass by an array of small restaurants and storefronts, including the beach-themed and always lively Gnarwhal Coffee Co. on Marine Street. Take a right on Pier Avenue and walk until you reach Angel City Books and Records, a well-loved bookshop off the beaten path with a collection of rare and first-edition books along with more mundane fare and, usually, a jazz soundtrack. Continuing north on Main Street you’ll see Holy Guacamole just before Ashland Avenue. This pint-sized restaurant is known for its breakfast burritos, which are often praised for their even egg distribution and crunchy bacon. I also can recommend Sunny Blue for omusubi (rice wrapped in seaweed) between Ashland Avenue and Hill Street for a fast, cheap and filling lunch, but there are no tables here, so prepare to eat it on the go. While walking down this block, keep an eye out for Chinois, Wolfgang Puck’s second restaurant in L.A., which he opened in 1983 following the success of Spago. I was charmed by the original ’80s decor featuring tall peacock statues, shiny mosaic surfaces and heavy use of foam green. Also, check out jAdis on the corner of Main and Hill streets, a self-described “mad scientist prop house” that supplies precomputer-era scientific and industrial props to L.A.’s film industry. It’s only open by appointment, but you can enjoy its elaborate displays through the window.
At the corner of Main and Hollister Avenue is the verdant Santa Monica Community Garden, a popular local landmark established in 1976. The wait list is at least seven years long for one of the 75 coveted plots. When you hit Pico Boulevard, turn left toward the beach. The pier is just a short walk away to the right. You can either head over there to check it out or walk back to where you started along the beach, soaking up Ocean Park’s other main draw — that expansive ocean view.
Length: 2.6 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
Heading north on Main Street, you’ll pass by an array of small restaurants and storefronts, including the beach-themed and always lively Gnarwhal Coffee Co. on Marine Street. Take a right on Pier Avenue and walk until you reach Angel City Books and Records, a well-loved bookshop off the beaten path with a collection of rare and first-edition books along with more mundane fare and, usually, a jazz soundtrack. Continuing north on Main Street you’ll see Holy Guacamole just before Ashland Avenue. This pint-sized restaurant is known for its breakfast burritos, which are often praised for their even egg distribution and crunchy bacon. I also can recommend Sunny Blue for omusubi (rice wrapped in seaweed) between Ashland Avenue and Hill Street for a fast, cheap and filling lunch, but there are no tables here, so prepare to eat it on the go. While walking down this block, keep an eye out for Chinois, Wolfgang Puck’s second restaurant in L.A., which he opened in 1983 following the success of Spago. I was charmed by the original ’80s decor featuring tall peacock statues, shiny mosaic surfaces and heavy use of foam green. Also, check out jAdis on the corner of Main and Hill streets, a self-described “mad scientist prop house” that supplies precomputer-era scientific and industrial props to L.A.’s film industry. It’s only open by appointment, but you can enjoy its elaborate displays through the window.
At the corner of Main and Hollister Avenue is the verdant Santa Monica Community Garden, a popular local landmark established in 1976. The wait list is at least seven years long for one of the 75 coveted plots. When you hit Pico Boulevard, turn left toward the beach. The pier is just a short walk away to the right. You can either head over there to check it out or walk back to where you started along the beach, soaking up Ocean Park’s other main draw — that expansive ocean view.
Length: 2.6 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Take a stadium-themed stroll (with a lake!) around SoFi and the Forum in Inglewood
Inglewood Walk
Most Angelenos might think of Kia Forum and SoFi Stadium only as places to see their favorite pop star or sports team. But they also function as nodes for a 2.5-mile route that’s popular among steps-conscious Inglewood residents. On any given morning, as early as 5 a.m., you can spot locals traversing this path, which includes an impressive man-made lake. But it’s a pleasant and interesting walk any time of day, as long as there are no major events at either venue. (If there are, stay far, far away.)
The first part of this stadium stroll takes you around the Kia Forum, where the Lakers played from when it opened in 1967 until 1999, when the team moved to Staples Center. Now the 17,505-seat building is primarily used as a concert venue. Parking around here can be tricky, so I recommend looking for street spots around the intersection of South Osage Avenue and East Kelso Street, one block from South Prairie Avenue.
Start your walk at the corner of East Kelso and South Prairie Avenue. Head north on South Prairie until you get to West Manchester Boulevard and then turn right. Across the street on your left is the Inglewood Park Cemetery, founded in 1905, where Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Betty Grable are buried. Turn right on Kareem Court and right again on Pincay Drive to complete the circle.
To enter the SoFi Stadium complex, turn left into the parking lot at the corner of Pincay Drive and South Prairie Avenue. I followed the line of planters between Green Lot B and Brown Lot C. Continue walking until you get up to the stadium, where you’ll be treated to a great view of its modern metallic curves. Completed in 2022, it can hold 70,000 people for a game (or a Taylor Swift concert). Continue around the right of the building until you come to Rivers Lake, a 6-acre lake that’s designed to capture up to 80% of the rainwater from a storm, which can then be used to irrigate the greenery throughout the park. Follow the trail around the lake, making sure to take a look at the Mediterranean-climate plantings from around the world. It’s a welcome and unexpected piece of green tranquility in this massive entertainment and sports complex.
Length: 2.4 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
The first part of this stadium stroll takes you around the Kia Forum, where the Lakers played from when it opened in 1967 until 1999, when the team moved to Staples Center. Now the 17,505-seat building is primarily used as a concert venue. Parking around here can be tricky, so I recommend looking for street spots around the intersection of South Osage Avenue and East Kelso Street, one block from South Prairie Avenue.
Start your walk at the corner of East Kelso and South Prairie Avenue. Head north on South Prairie until you get to West Manchester Boulevard and then turn right. Across the street on your left is the Inglewood Park Cemetery, founded in 1905, where Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Betty Grable are buried. Turn right on Kareem Court and right again on Pincay Drive to complete the circle.
To enter the SoFi Stadium complex, turn left into the parking lot at the corner of Pincay Drive and South Prairie Avenue. I followed the line of planters between Green Lot B and Brown Lot C. Continue walking until you get up to the stadium, where you’ll be treated to a great view of its modern metallic curves. Completed in 2022, it can hold 70,000 people for a game (or a Taylor Swift concert). Continue around the right of the building until you come to Rivers Lake, a 6-acre lake that’s designed to capture up to 80% of the rainwater from a storm, which can then be used to irrigate the greenery throughout the park. Follow the trail around the lake, making sure to take a look at the Mediterranean-climate plantings from around the world. It’s a welcome and unexpected piece of green tranquility in this massive entertainment and sports complex.
Length: 2.4 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Amble along the L.A. River on a bike path in Frogtown
Elysian Valley Walk
There may be no better way to spend a weekend afternoon than ambling with a good friend along Frogtown’s verdant stretch of the L.A. River. This easy stroll offers a bit of shopping, several places to sip coffee or cocktails and a picturesque bike path popular with walkers, runners, bicyclists, roller skaters and great blue herons. The area is also the site of growing tension around gentrification. If you visit, be mindful not to park in residents’ driveways or otherwise be disrespectful.
Begin the walk at the beautifully landscaped Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, where the parking is plentiful. On a recent Sunday morning, I saw friends picnicking, a dad and his daughter practicing baseball and three young men in bright streetwear setting up a video camera. Asked what they were up to, they grinned and said, “You know, making content.”
Walk through the park toward the water and turn right when you hit the bike path. Almost immediately you’ll see a sandwich board on your right advertising Tadaa.Coffee x Happier Camper Cafe, a cheerful outdoor cafe with string lights and wooden cactus sculptures located at the Happier Camper headquarters. You can stop here, but don’t feel like you must. There’s an embarrassment of eating and drinking options along this route.
Further down the path you’ll come to Lingua Franca, an elegant riverside cafe serving New California cuisine. For something more casual, try Spoke Bicycle Cafe, where you can rent bikes and order sandwiches, salads or breakfast in a graffiti-filled outdoor courtyard. On Wednesday through Sunday, keep your eye out for another sandwich board advertising something called “Toad.” This leads to a meticulously curated gift store in a shipping container where you’ll find jewelry, crystals and Frogtown merch.
From the bike path, turn right on Newell Street where La Colombe Coffee Roasters’ modern cafe sits, then turn right on Blake Street. You’ll soon come to the pink vegan bakery Just What I Kneaded in a former machinists shop. Next door is the atmospheric Justine’s Wine Bar, a favorite gathering spot for local business owners. Just a few steps away, at the corner of Blake and Knox Avenue, Wax Paper makes excellent sandwiches named for NPR celebrities.
Keep going on Blake until you hit Coolidge and turn right. You’ll pass the high-end vintage boutique Singulier and Hot Spells Crystal Shop. You’ll have to double back along the bike path to return to Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, but by now you should have had all the caffeine, food and alcohol you might need. All that’s left to do is gaze at the flowing — or, depending on the season, trickling — river.
Length: 1.3 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
Begin the walk at the beautifully landscaped Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, where the parking is plentiful. On a recent Sunday morning, I saw friends picnicking, a dad and his daughter practicing baseball and three young men in bright streetwear setting up a video camera. Asked what they were up to, they grinned and said, “You know, making content.”
Walk through the park toward the water and turn right when you hit the bike path. Almost immediately you’ll see a sandwich board on your right advertising Tadaa.Coffee x Happier Camper Cafe, a cheerful outdoor cafe with string lights and wooden cactus sculptures located at the Happier Camper headquarters. You can stop here, but don’t feel like you must. There’s an embarrassment of eating and drinking options along this route.
Further down the path you’ll come to Lingua Franca, an elegant riverside cafe serving New California cuisine. For something more casual, try Spoke Bicycle Cafe, where you can rent bikes and order sandwiches, salads or breakfast in a graffiti-filled outdoor courtyard. On Wednesday through Sunday, keep your eye out for another sandwich board advertising something called “Toad.” This leads to a meticulously curated gift store in a shipping container where you’ll find jewelry, crystals and Frogtown merch.
From the bike path, turn right on Newell Street where La Colombe Coffee Roasters’ modern cafe sits, then turn right on Blake Street. You’ll soon come to the pink vegan bakery Just What I Kneaded in a former machinists shop. Next door is the atmospheric Justine’s Wine Bar, a favorite gathering spot for local business owners. Just a few steps away, at the corner of Blake and Knox Avenue, Wax Paper makes excellent sandwiches named for NPR celebrities.
Keep going on Blake until you hit Coolidge and turn right. You’ll pass the high-end vintage boutique Singulier and Hot Spells Crystal Shop. You’ll have to double back along the bike path to return to Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, but by now you should have had all the caffeine, food and alcohol you might need. All that’s left to do is gaze at the flowing — or, depending on the season, trickling — river.
Length: 1.3 miles
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(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Travel back in time to a turn-of-the-century L.A. suburb in Pico-Union
Pico-Union Walk
South of Olympic Boulevard and west of downtown you’ll find L.A.’s Pico-Union neighborhood, one of the oldest residential areas in the city. Developed from the 1880s to the 1930s, it was once a wealthy suburb where well-heeled residents took street cars that ran down Pico and Washington boulevards. As the city expanded westward, the neighborhood’s more affluent residents moved out and immigrant populations from Mexico, Central America and Korea moved in. Today, many of the grand old homes have been divided into apartments and some have fallen into crumbling disrepair. But there is still plenty of stunning architectural detail to be seen on a walk through this diverse neighborhood.
This walking tour begins at the Pico Union Branch Library on South Alvarado near Olympic Boulevard. Its brick façade and arched porch might make you think it’s ancient, but in fact it was completed in 2004 and designed to blend in with the area’s historic architecture. Walk toward Olympic Boulevard and turn right, continuing along the busy street until you come to South Bonnie Brae Street, where you’ll turn right again. I felt a palpable sense of relief as I left the roar of Olympic Boulevard behind me and entered the gracious tree-lined neighborhood. Many of the houses here were built between 1890 and 1904 in the Victorian Queen Anne style that was once popular throughout Los Angeles. I was especially charmed by the intricate Gothic details and turret on the Marley-Stone House at 1036 S. Bonnie Brae., built in 1896. The Los Angeles Conservancy calls it “a rare example of a Chateauesque residence.”
At the end of the block you’ll turn right on 11th Street, left on Westlake Avenue and left again on Bonnie Brae. The homes here are smaller but no less charming and detailed, although you may occasionally see a house with a giant hole in its roof. The front yards also run the gamut: Some are filled with rubble, others feature carefully tended rose gardens or new low-water landscaping. Cross Pico Boulevard and walk up the sweeping curve of Alvarado Terrace. This land was subdivided in 1902 by Doria Deighton Jones, a Scottish immigrant who required each property buyer to spend at least $4,000 building their homes (nearly $100,000 today, and a lot of money for a home at the time). The result is a series of mansions in an array of styles including Mission Revival, Tudor Revival and Shingle Style.
At the corner of Alvarado Terrace and Alvarado Street you’ll pass a truly stunning round brick church designed in 1912 for First Church of Christ, Scientist and now home to the Central Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church. (The gates were locked when I passed by, but if you have an opportunity to go inside, take it.) Turn right on Alvarado Street and continue wandering in the residential neighborhood, turning right on Westlake Avenue. Turn left on Pico and right again on Alvarado until you arrive back at the library. This neighborhood was new to me, and as I returned to my car I was struck yet again by all the different ways the city shifts and remakes itself over time. Pico-Union must have been exquisite when it was first built. It’s still very special today.
Length: 1.3 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
This walking tour begins at the Pico Union Branch Library on South Alvarado near Olympic Boulevard. Its brick façade and arched porch might make you think it’s ancient, but in fact it was completed in 2004 and designed to blend in with the area’s historic architecture. Walk toward Olympic Boulevard and turn right, continuing along the busy street until you come to South Bonnie Brae Street, where you’ll turn right again. I felt a palpable sense of relief as I left the roar of Olympic Boulevard behind me and entered the gracious tree-lined neighborhood. Many of the houses here were built between 1890 and 1904 in the Victorian Queen Anne style that was once popular throughout Los Angeles. I was especially charmed by the intricate Gothic details and turret on the Marley-Stone House at 1036 S. Bonnie Brae., built in 1896. The Los Angeles Conservancy calls it “a rare example of a Chateauesque residence.”
At the end of the block you’ll turn right on 11th Street, left on Westlake Avenue and left again on Bonnie Brae. The homes here are smaller but no less charming and detailed, although you may occasionally see a house with a giant hole in its roof. The front yards also run the gamut: Some are filled with rubble, others feature carefully tended rose gardens or new low-water landscaping. Cross Pico Boulevard and walk up the sweeping curve of Alvarado Terrace. This land was subdivided in 1902 by Doria Deighton Jones, a Scottish immigrant who required each property buyer to spend at least $4,000 building their homes (nearly $100,000 today, and a lot of money for a home at the time). The result is a series of mansions in an array of styles including Mission Revival, Tudor Revival and Shingle Style.
At the corner of Alvarado Terrace and Alvarado Street you’ll pass a truly stunning round brick church designed in 1912 for First Church of Christ, Scientist and now home to the Central Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church. (The gates were locked when I passed by, but if you have an opportunity to go inside, take it.) Turn right on Alvarado Street and continue wandering in the residential neighborhood, turning right on Westlake Avenue. Turn left on Pico and right again on Alvarado until you arrive back at the library. This neighborhood was new to me, and as I returned to my car I was struck yet again by all the different ways the city shifts and remakes itself over time. Pico-Union must have been exquisite when it was first built. It’s still very special today.
Length: 1.3 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
See where celebrities live like the rest of us in Studio City
Studio City Walk
Located near major studios including CBS, NBC, Universal, Warner Bros. and Disney, Studio City is a San Fernando Valley neighborhood with high-end suburban vibes and a great place for celebrity spotting. Locals might line up behind Gwen Stefani at the movie theater-turned-bookstore, run into Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray at the gym or spy Jeremy Renner at a local dive bar. At the very least, you can expect to see a few character actors sipping coffee at one of the many local cafes. The area also is home to a handful of iconic L.A. sushi restaurants, an inviting shopping district and tree-lined streets so picture-perfect they could double as movie sets. This 1.6-mile walk gives you a taste of it all.
Start at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Radford Avenue, grabbing a coffee from Blue Bottle if you need a caffeine fix (and to justify parking in this lot). This part of Ventura is known as sushi row because of its high concentration of raw-fish restaurants. For a brief tour, walk out of the parking lot and turn right on Ventura Boulevard heading southeast toward Carpenter Avenue. There are three essential spots on this block. The first you’ll pass is Teru Sushi, which opened in 1979, putting it at the forefront of the ’80s sushi craze. A few steps away, on the other side of the neighborhood watering hole Laurel Tavern, you’ll see Kiwami by Katsu-Ya, master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi’s second restaurant on Ventura Boulevard. (He opened his flagship Katsu-Ya a block away on Colfax Avenue in 1997.) Cross Ventura Boulevard at Carpenter and head back the way you came. On your right you’ll pass the two-Michelin-starred Asanebo, which opened in 1991.
Cross Radford Avenue and veer right onto Ventura Place, where there’s a popular farmers market on Sundays. Just past the fine food store Joan’s on Third, keep an eye out for Greenwood Shop, a colorful gift boutique selling locally made pottery and jewelry as well as a wide selection of candles, incense and plants. Pass the Alfred’s Coffee on your right, turn left on Laurel Canyon Boulevard and then right on Ventura Boulevard. It’s worth popping into the Barnes & Noble in a former 1938 movie theater, where you’ll encounter the original ticketing booth outside and enlarged book covers in lieu of movie posters. To see some of the residential neighborhood, continue down the block, turning left on Vantage Avenue past Uncle Paulie’s Deli and right on tree-lined Cantura Street where the front yards are filled with roses and white fences. Take a right on Laurel Grove Avenue and head back to where you started along Ventura Boulevard, passing another shopping area with record and clothing stores as well as the old-school Art’s Delicatessen with its checkerboard-tile storefront. It’s been here since 1957 and it too offers no shortage of delicacies.
Length: 1.6 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
Start at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Radford Avenue, grabbing a coffee from Blue Bottle if you need a caffeine fix (and to justify parking in this lot). This part of Ventura is known as sushi row because of its high concentration of raw-fish restaurants. For a brief tour, walk out of the parking lot and turn right on Ventura Boulevard heading southeast toward Carpenter Avenue. There are three essential spots on this block. The first you’ll pass is Teru Sushi, which opened in 1979, putting it at the forefront of the ’80s sushi craze. A few steps away, on the other side of the neighborhood watering hole Laurel Tavern, you’ll see Kiwami by Katsu-Ya, master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi’s second restaurant on Ventura Boulevard. (He opened his flagship Katsu-Ya a block away on Colfax Avenue in 1997.) Cross Ventura Boulevard at Carpenter and head back the way you came. On your right you’ll pass the two-Michelin-starred Asanebo, which opened in 1991.
Cross Radford Avenue and veer right onto Ventura Place, where there’s a popular farmers market on Sundays. Just past the fine food store Joan’s on Third, keep an eye out for Greenwood Shop, a colorful gift boutique selling locally made pottery and jewelry as well as a wide selection of candles, incense and plants. Pass the Alfred’s Coffee on your right, turn left on Laurel Canyon Boulevard and then right on Ventura Boulevard. It’s worth popping into the Barnes & Noble in a former 1938 movie theater, where you’ll encounter the original ticketing booth outside and enlarged book covers in lieu of movie posters. To see some of the residential neighborhood, continue down the block, turning left on Vantage Avenue past Uncle Paulie’s Deli and right on tree-lined Cantura Street where the front yards are filled with roses and white fences. Take a right on Laurel Grove Avenue and head back to where you started along Ventura Boulevard, passing another shopping area with record and clothing stores as well as the old-school Art’s Delicatessen with its checkerboard-tile storefront. It’s been here since 1957 and it too offers no shortage of delicacies.
Length: 1.6 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
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Route Details
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Explore L.A.'s rich cultural history on the streets of Boyle Heights
Echo Park Walk
Once known as the Ellis Island of the West Coast, Boyle Heights has been home to a succession of ethnic and religious groups over its long history, including people of Jewish, Russian, Armenian, African American and Japanese descent. The area has been majority Latino for decades, but remnants of those other communities remain embedded in the landscape. On this walk, you’ll pass the oldest operating Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles and a synagogue that dates back to 1922, in addition to restaurants, bookstores, gift shops, botanicas and western wear boutiques that cater to modern-day residents and visitors alike.
Start your walk at the historic Plaza del Mariachi de Los Angeles (a.k.a. Mariachi Plaza), where mariachi musicians have gathered for decades in search of gigs. The broad plaza‘s central kiosk was donated by the Mexican state of Jalisco in 1998, and is the site of community festivals and open-air markets. (It’s also popular with skateboarders.)
Heading south on 1st Street, you’ll see the glimmering House of Trophies on your right next to the vegan restaurant Un Solo Sol, whose fare includes mushroom tacos and banana date almond milkshakes. Across the street, look for Espacio 1839, a gallery and gift shop highlighting Mexican and Mexican American artists. (Its selection of bright leather tooled wallets is especially eye-catching.)
Continue to mosey down 1st Street and take in the neighborhood. I loved the old-school sign outside of La Casa del Musico, which has been selling musical instruments and supplies since 1978, and the bright mural outside the 1st Street Pool Hall. Just past Cummings Street, Botanica Olokun stocks an enormous array of spell candles as well as a cute selection of clothes, fake eyelashes and jewelry. On the same block is Al and Bea’s Mexican Food, a local staple since 1966, known for its deliciously dense burritos (the “combination” with bean, cheese, shredded beef and green chile is a favorite). If you continue past North Mathews Street, you’ll come to Otomisan Restaurant, the oldest Japanese restaurant in L.A., with just three booths and three seats at the counter. The small building originally housed a Japanese-owned grocery store in the 1920s and was converted to a restaurant in 1956.
To see more of the neighborhood, retrace your steps for two blocks and hang a right at Breed Street, passing the red brick Breed Street Shul on your way to Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. Built in 1922, the synagogue dates to a time when Boyle Heights was home to the largest concentration of Jewish people west of Chicago. Turning left on Cesar Chavez, you’ll enter a bustling thoroughfare passing Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring young women of color in photography, and the beloved nursery LatinX With Plants, which hosts workshops and has an excellent selection of greenery. The first Guisados to open in L.A. is on the corner of North St. Louis Street. Also note the El Norteno and de Savy Store across St. Louis. One half of the storefront specializes in western wear, the other in Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards. Definitely don’t miss Other Books, an overstuffed but well-organized bookstore that sells both used and new books, as well as an impressive selection of comics and zines.
To get back to Mariachi Plaza turn left on North Cummings Street and right on 1st Street again. You’ve been here before, but that’s OK. The community’s authenticity and rich history makes every part of this walk worthwhile, even the parts you’ll do twice.
Length: 2 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
Start your walk at the historic Plaza del Mariachi de Los Angeles (a.k.a. Mariachi Plaza), where mariachi musicians have gathered for decades in search of gigs. The broad plaza‘s central kiosk was donated by the Mexican state of Jalisco in 1998, and is the site of community festivals and open-air markets. (It’s also popular with skateboarders.)
Heading south on 1st Street, you’ll see the glimmering House of Trophies on your right next to the vegan restaurant Un Solo Sol, whose fare includes mushroom tacos and banana date almond milkshakes. Across the street, look for Espacio 1839, a gallery and gift shop highlighting Mexican and Mexican American artists. (Its selection of bright leather tooled wallets is especially eye-catching.)
Continue to mosey down 1st Street and take in the neighborhood. I loved the old-school sign outside of La Casa del Musico, which has been selling musical instruments and supplies since 1978, and the bright mural outside the 1st Street Pool Hall. Just past Cummings Street, Botanica Olokun stocks an enormous array of spell candles as well as a cute selection of clothes, fake eyelashes and jewelry. On the same block is Al and Bea’s Mexican Food, a local staple since 1966, known for its deliciously dense burritos (the “combination” with bean, cheese, shredded beef and green chile is a favorite). If you continue past North Mathews Street, you’ll come to Otomisan Restaurant, the oldest Japanese restaurant in L.A., with just three booths and three seats at the counter. The small building originally housed a Japanese-owned grocery store in the 1920s and was converted to a restaurant in 1956.
To see more of the neighborhood, retrace your steps for two blocks and hang a right at Breed Street, passing the red brick Breed Street Shul on your way to Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. Built in 1922, the synagogue dates to a time when Boyle Heights was home to the largest concentration of Jewish people west of Chicago. Turning left on Cesar Chavez, you’ll enter a bustling thoroughfare passing Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring young women of color in photography, and the beloved nursery LatinX With Plants, which hosts workshops and has an excellent selection of greenery. The first Guisados to open in L.A. is on the corner of North St. Louis Street. Also note the El Norteno and de Savy Store across St. Louis. One half of the storefront specializes in western wear, the other in Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards. Definitely don’t miss Other Books, an overstuffed but well-organized bookstore that sells both used and new books, as well as an impressive selection of comics and zines.
To get back to Mariachi Plaza turn left on North Cummings Street and right on 1st Street again. You’ve been here before, but that’s OK. The community’s authenticity and rich history makes every part of this walk worthwhile, even the parts you’ll do twice.
Length: 2 miles
Click here to see this route on a map.
Read All Read Less
Route Details
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