The crazy-cute people at Franklin Avenue organize a crazy-long walk — aka The Great Los Angeles Walk — every year. This year, more than 100 Franklin Avenue readers are gathering at Union Station in downtown L.A. tomorrow morning to hike down Santa Monica Blvd. en masse — all the way to the beach!
I had these grandiose plans of taking the Big Blue Bus to Union Station and doing the whole walk tomorrow — but the thought of getting up before 8 am (I’d have to be at the BBB bus stop by 7:47 am) fills me with fear and dread. My current plan’s to wake up at a more normal hour (noon, say), hop on the 704 bus that runs down Santa Monica, then hop off when I see a buncha people who look like they’ve been walking for 4 hours straight.
My backup plan’s to get up late (3 pm, say), check Twitter to see where the walkers are at, then walk down a block to Santa Monica to join the crowd when they’re going by my place. From there, I’d walk the last 15 blocks or so to the beach — then drink at the after party at Britannia Pub.
Only Twitter will tell what ends up happening. In the meantime, I encourage all cyclists and other de-car-ers to check out Enci’s 3-parter called Rebel Without a Car (one, two, three), to find out how you can make the city both your playground and your gym by hopping on a bike.
My wife vetoed my plan to do the walk this year: We’re in the midst of the move and she doesn’t want me to spend the day walking instead of packing/transporting. I did Pico last year, which was a lot of fun. I’d recommend doing the 704 and hopping off when you see the crowds.
Comment by Don Hosek — November 21, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
This walk sounds great . . . living proof that not all Angeleans are addicted to their cars.
I think of myself as Siel’s northern counterpart up here in Portland, Oregon, with lots of L.A. ex-pats in the population, including me.
Concerning walking and other green behaviors, I’ve been developing creative ways to ‘market’ them to people who are NOT greens. Here is my latest slant on encouraging people to walk and bike rather than drive: http://www.diamondcutlife.org/the-very-best-diet/
Comment by Alison Wiley — November 22, 2008 @ 8:40 am
Wow, this sounds like fun! I’ll subscribe to their twitter right away. :-)
Comment by Enci — November 22, 2008 @ 10:19 am
I walked the last 12 blocks or so!
Comment by Siel — November 23, 2008 @ 2:59 pm