Just So You’re Up To Speed

I haven’t made much noise here or anywhere because up to this point it’s primarily been percolating in my brain, but I’ve begun more earnest planning of my second-annual March March  (last year’s can be read about here) for either the first or second Saturday of that month, and I’m starting to get pretty excited about it so I thought I’d share what I’ve come up with so far in case you’re interested in penciling it in to your calendar and coming along for the stride.

Just like my Sunset Boulevard walk from downtown to the sea a few years back it’s going to convene and commence at Union Station. But unlike that epic journey, this one’s much shorter, will start at a time far more civilized than dawn and is mult-modal. Instead of setting out on foot, we’ll first board the Gold Line and head across to the other side of East Los Angeles, making stops along the way out there to micro-explore the immediate vicinities/points of interest surrounding those stations.

Once we’ve arrived at the end of the rails we’ll exit and walk our way south along Atlantic Boulevard to Whittier where we’ll then begin trekking it back west toward downtown, with various sidetracks along the way. Crossing the landmark 6th Street Viaduct over the Los Angeles River we’ll come up through the Arts District and back to Union Station.

With the inclusion of the Gold Line getting us east, this walk’s total distance will depend in part on the amount of tangents we take. The main stretch back to Union Station from East Los Angeles through Boyle Heights is about 7.5 miles, and the total will probably fall somewhere between the 10- to 14-mile range. If I had to guesstimate a more specific number I’d say 12 miles.

There will, of course, be more info as I firm up details. So look for updates here and on Blogging.la.