Charles Fleming has written a guide book of the LA Stairs to reveal the Los Angeles cityscape: more than 200 stairways across the hilly sections of the city, many of which are remnants from the days when most city residents depended on streetcars and buses for transportation.
Containing more than 40 walks and detailed maps, this handbook highlights the charms and quirks of this quintessential feature of Los Angeles’ development and chronicles the geographical, architectural, and historical features of each staircase and the neighborhoods in which the steps are located. Rated for duration and difficulty, the circular walks deliver tales of historic homes, their fascinating inhabitants, and troves of historic trivia—such as where William Faulkner lived while he wrote the screenplay for To Have and Have Not, where Graham Nash lived, and where actress Thelma Todd was murdered—while other walks highlight spectacular homes by some of southern California's most important architects, including Neutra and Schindler.
From strolling through the classic La Loma neighborhood in Pasadena and walking the vintage Red Car Loop in Silver Lake to taking the Beachwood Canyon Hollywoodland hike and enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the Castellammare district in Pacific Palisades, these staircases present a new way for urban explorers to discover a little-known side of the City of Angels. (Amazon.com).
Pick a staircase and start walking. If you’re unsure of where to start, join Charles Fleming on his monthly “stair walks.” Below is the February walk:
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Attention, my fellow stair-niks;
We will meet Sunday, February 6, at 11:00am, in front of Cafe at the Vista, the lovely coffee haus next door to the Vista Theater -- in East Hollywood/West Silver Lake/Lower Los Feliz, at the complicated intersection where Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd and Hillhurst Avenue cross.
Our walk will be a variation on Walks 30/31, from Secret Stairs, and will take us past historic Vitaphone Studios, up and down towering Prospect Walk and Radio Walk, near the glorious "Shakespeare Bridge," and back again. It will be a regular-length walk -- about an hour and a half -- but it will be a serious and steep walk, involving a lot of altitude and a high number of stairs.
As a palliative, the proprietors of Cafe at the Vista are throwing us a special stairwalk coupon -- a free coffee with any purchase! So, come early, or stay late, and thank them for their generosity. Copies of Secret Stairs, and a few of the highly coveted, reasonably priced and yet still surprisingly available Secret Stairs T-shirts, will also be on hand. I hope to see you there.
MisterFleming@aol.com
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