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Snaggletooth Crumple Ear's Story

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  Welcome to the Cat Joy Project Sometimes even a single encounter with a cat will leave a lasting impression. Snaggletooth Crumple Ear was one of those encounters. Although I only met him once, I will never forget him. I crossed paths with him in 2021 while walking in Monrovia. He was hanging out in his front yard and I coaxed him to me. He begrudgingly complied and allowed me to pet him briefly. He then posed, reluctantly, for one photo. It looks as if his house has changed hands since we met, even so, I still keep an eye out for him whenever I'm in his neighborhood. He was a great cat and I love him. The Cat Joy Project was conceived in late 2024 when I found myself feeling overwhelmed by a sense of doom and gloom. I needed to refocus my attention. And so the idea of creating quilted cat squares as a way to share my love of cats, walking, and Los Angeles was born. After spending the latter part of 2024 and the first month of 2025 teaching myself to sew, the project is now ready...
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Dot's Story

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Welcome to The Cat Joy Project The Cat Joy Project is dedicated to spreading joy through art and cats. The Cat Joy Project was conceived in late 2024 when I found myself feeling overwhelmed by a sense of doom and gloom. I needed to refocus my attention. And so the idea of creating quilted cat squares as a way to share my love of cats, walking, and Los Angeles was born. After spending the latter part of 2024 and the first month of 2025 teaching myself to sew, the project is now ready to be launched. The hand sewn quilted squares will be released on my walking routes for someone to find. Each square represents a cat that I have encountered either on one of my walks or at some other point in my life. Every cat has a story. You can read their stories here. If you find a cat square, you may keep it or relocate it to be found again. I hope this small gesture will bring some joy and happiness to those who find the cats and those who follow their stories. Dot's Story Dot was a sweet cat wh...
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The Trails of Mt. Washington

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  Charles Fleming's book "Secret Stairs" was my introduction to urban hiking. His Mt. Washington walk, the fourth one I tackled, was the one that made me realize how little I knew about Los Angeles. As I climbed the hills and marveled at the views I found it hard to believe I was in a city, let alone a major metropolis. That was over ten years ago and I've continued to explore my surroundings on foot; always discovering new things. On a recent walk Bob Inman took us to Rainbow Canyon, a new-to-me trail in the Mt. Washington area. It was the inspiration for this route that will introduce you to many of the trails and dirt roads scattered throughout the neighborhood. Unlike many of my other walks, this route is not stair-centric and doesn't go out of its way to appreciate any local architecture.  Despite the fact that the route is entirely within the city limits, this is more of a hike than a walk. Some of the trails are steep and can be slippery. Good hiking shoes...
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Whittier

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  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...
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Playa del Rey

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  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 yo...
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City Terrace Neighborhood Markets

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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 ...
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Santa Monica Airport

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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...
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