The Great Los Angeles Walk 2016 Has A Meeting Spot: Grand Hope Park

(Photo by Rex/Shutterstock)

We have a starting point for this year's Great Los Angeles Walk! And just like past walks, we're meeting at a scenic location:

Grand Hope Park!

Don't confuse it with the Civic Center's Grand Park. This is GRAND HOPE PARK, located next to FIDM, at the corner of 9th Street and Hope. We'll meet under the clock tower (as seen in the photo above).

Blogdowntown wrote a great primer about Grand Hope Park in 2008; here's an excerpt:

While grand plans for South Park's titular park may not have developed, the neighborhood does have a great little pocket of green space in the 2.5 acre Grand Hope Park, located on the block bounded by 9th, Olympic, Hope and Grand.

The park, which shares its block with FIDM and Renaissance Towers, has quite the interesting development history. Though owned and built by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the space is operated by a non-profit and not the city's Department of Recreation and Parks.

Groundbreaking was first held in 1987, and the park officially opened in 1993. Because it's not operated by the city, there is a strict "no pets allowed" policy. Therefore, if you're bringing your dog on the walk, you can still join us under the clock tower -- but on the other side of the fence.

There's street parking nearby, and it's also a quick 10 minute walk from the Pico station of the Metro Expo Line, in case you're using public transportation. Here's the map:

Get there early, and grab breakfast at a nearby shop (there's also a Ralphs grocery store right across the street.) We'll see you there on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 9 a.m.

More to come! And don't forget to buy a T-shirt if you want one!