SweetSlinky's Walking in L.A. Maps

  Make your way to Whittier for a walk that's well worth the drive. The small city in Southeast L.A. County has everything you'd want for a day trip. Charming homes, a lovely college campus, a bustling main drag, and good restaurants. The route is a mixture of hills, stairs, and flat stretches. Not easy, but not too strenuous. Post-walk I recommend a meal at Bizarra Capital which Jonathan Gold called "A dreamland mexican-style gastropub" Before you go - The 5.5 mile route starts off challenging with steep hills and stairs. Once past Whittier College it's mostly flat. There is street parking and a restroom at the start. The next restroom isn't until the 3 mile point unless you manage to get into one of the buildings on the college campus.  Cat sightings are common on this route. Keep you eyes open for them. Some may even be friendly. John Greenleaf Whittier, the town's namesake, never came to visit.  Whittier College has a lovely campus complete with some c

  My expectations for this walk were low. The main goal was to escape the heat of the San Gabriel Valley for the day. My resources for finding points of interest (The Gebhard Winter Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles, LA conservancy, Atlas Obsura, etc) were drawing a blank. Luckily, on a previous visit to the area I had learned that Play del Rey is home to L.A. county's smallest bar - The Harbor Room. That was something I could work with. The route turned out to be so enjoyable that we returned to it a few days later with a friend. I got distracted talking and missed a turn leading us to discover two pedestrian walkways that made the walk even better.   Before you go - The 6 mile route is moderately challenging with a few hills here and there.  There is plenty of street parking near the start. There is no public restroom until you get to the beach at around the 2.5 mile point. You could probably get away with using the facilities at Prince O'Whales or The Shack and you'

City Terrace is an unincorporated community nestled between Boyle Heights and Monterey Park. Along its mostly residential streets you'll stumble upon several colorful neighborhood markets. I used these to design this route in a sort of dot-to-dot tour of the area.        Before you go - The 5.5 mile route is moderately challenging. There are some hills, including a rather long one at the end, but also plenty of flat walking to give you a chance to recover. There is parking at the rec. center at the start. It's a good idea to use the restroom there too as the next one is about 2.5 miles away.  Sara's Market hosts pop-up food vendors. Check out their Instagram for the schedule. If you need a cup of coffee to fuel your walk Zenaida's Cafe is the place to go. Fans of the movie "Blood in Blood out" will recognize  El Pino El Mercadito is a good place to stop for a meal, a beer, and a little shopping. Hopefully, the restaurants on the 3rd floor will reopen soon and

This route explores Santa Monica's lesser know east side. The main attraction is the airport and its observation deck. I like to pick up some take out, usually at Chutneys, to enjoy while watching the planes. The airport is slated to close in 2028 so don't dilly dally. Before you go - The 6 mile route is mostly flat. The only challenge is the distance. The airport alone is worth checking out if you don't want to do the walk. I think it would be a good place to bring kids. There is plenty of street parking and a restroom near the start. The Metro E Line (Expo) is not far. Starting there will add about a half a mile to the route.  There are restrooms in the parks and at the airport (but none at Chutneys). Santa Monica's public restrooms are generally clean.  This pedestrian passage under the 10 freeway looks a lot scarier than it is. You'll pass several vintage restaurants and businesses. I have seen kitties on this route, but not always. This one on Pico may be the o

Walking and eating are two of my favorite pastimes. On this 5 mile you'll do plenty of both. Glendale is known for its Armenian bakeries; there are eleven on this route so pace yourselves. Sharing is key. Bring a knife. More than sweets this crawl centers on Armenian style flat breads - lahmajune, beorek, and manaish - that are filled or topped with cheese, za'atar (a Middle Easter mixture of herbs, spices, and sesame seeds), spinach, or potato. But don't pass on the sweets, try some of them too. Mid-walk you can take a break from eating while you visit the Museum of Neon Art. Before you go - The 5 mile route is mostly flat. Due to the high number of stops it's hard to say how long it will take to complete. Give yourself plenty of time.  The Museum of Neon Art is only open Fri.-Sun. noon to 7pm. Some of the bakeries are closed on Sundays. Fridays or Saturdays are the best days to go.  Start hungry, but don't overdo it at the first stop.  There is street parking on t

This route takes you to Pomona's oldest home and oldest park. It's only 3.5 miles but can easily be combined with my 5 mile Downtown Pomona route to make the most of your trip out east.             Before you go - The first part of the route is flat and easy. The second half starts with a long uphill climb followed by a descent back to the start.  Parking is available at the start. There is a public restroom in the park but it is often in bad shape and there are no doors on the stalls. If you are coming from far away I recommend a quick pit stop at nearby Brackett Field Airport. The restroom there is clean and easy to access. In fact, while your at it, enjoy breakfast and some plane watching at Norm's Hanger Coffee Shop before your walk. You might get lucky and see one of the feral cats that live in the park.  Casa Primera tours are available. Reservation required.  A series of semi-abandoned stairways take you to the wild side of the park. This is all that remains of what