The 14th Annual Great Los Angeles Walk Takes a Detour to Northeast Los Angeles, Pasadena and Arcadia!

For the 14th Annual Great Los Angeles Walk, we're mixing things up! For the first time since our 2014 walk across the San Fernando Valley, the GLAW is taking a detour from its usual downtown-to-ocean route.

This year, we're heading northeast -- to the San Gabriel Valley and northeast Los Angeles, before ending in downtown. In doing so, we'll be focusing most of our walk on two iconic streets: Colorado Blvd. and Figueroa.

The walk will begin at Arcadia County Park's War Memorial Fountain (across the street from a Van de Kamp's windmill that now serves as a Denny's location) and pass by the Santa Anita horse racing track, before swinging north to Colorado Blvd. — and from there we'll enter Pasadena and work our way west, down what was once Route 66. We'll see historic Pasadena buildings and eventually get to the famed Old Town Pasadena, before then walking on the Colorado Bridge.

From there, we'll hit the outskirts of Eagle Rock (and see the actual Eagle Rock), then hang a left on Figueroa and head south, down through Highland Park and its various historic buildings and residences. We'll cross over the river and past the Los Angeles State Historic Park into Chinatown, then near El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument on to our final destination: Grand Park and Los Angeles City Hall.

The start point is near a Metro Gold Line station, and the end point is also transit-friendly. This is a fantastic way to explore a different part of Los Angeles than we normally do, see some fantastic historic sites and end in downtown, which will already be decked out for the holidays. From there, we'll celebrate at a downtown location to be announced later.

Stay tuned for more details! Always check www.greatlawalk.com for updates, and feel free to drop us a line at greatlawalk@mail.com to let us know you're coming!

Most importantly: The date for the walk is SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 at 9 am. Meet at Arcadia County Park's War Memorial Fountain! (It's always the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- just remember that!) More details to come!

Franklin Avenue Visits the Los Angeles County Arboretum

For several years we held a membership to the Huntington Library and Gardens (thanks to one of the best Groupons we ever bought), but at a point last year we realized we just weren't going enough to justify our investment. Meanwhile, we were probably visiting the Descanso Gardens (closer to us) more often. When Maria discovered that a membership to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Arcadia also covered entrance to Descanso, we were sold.



We'd visited the Arboretum in the past to attend California Philharmonic concerts, but have now spent some time exploring the gardens themselves. The kids get a kick out of the peacocks roaming the grounds; I like the Queen Anne cottage, as seen at the start of each episode of "Fantasy Island."

But there's a downside to all those birds roaming the grounds: All that bird poop. Watch out. It's everywhere on the yards. I was told that a massive cleanup takes place every single morning -- but I noticed plenty of it by the afternoon. Watch where you walk.

Also on the grounds: The old Santa Anita train depot, now open for tours on the weekends. Also, the Peacock Cafe -- fine if you're hungry, but pretty mediocre food.

Here are some pics from an afternoon at the Arboretrum:










The Queen Anne cottage


"De plane, boss, de plane!" RIP, Herve.


Inside the cottage











The boys




Santa Anita depot








Inside the depot

The L.A. County Arboretum is open daily from 9AM to 5PM
301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

L.A. Plays New York: "Mad Men," Week Five (The Howard Johnson's Episode)

As you know, we like to play "Spot the Los Angeles Location" while watching "Mad Men," as the show always finds crafty ways to turn L.A. locations into New York (or Rome, or anywhere else). On Sunday's episode, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Megan Draper (Jessica Paré) check out the Howard Johnson's restaurant in Plattsburgh, NY, and while Don loves the chain's food -- and orange sherbet -- Megan comes away less than impressed. But where were the scenes shot? After asking on Twitter, I got my answers.

The interiors for the scenes (and those aqua blue cushioned booths!) were shot at Rod's Diner in Arcadia. Read more about Rod's here. (Thanks to Keven Chavez for telling us.)

Also, the exteriors were adapted from an old Howard Johnson's on Dalewood Dr. in Baldwin Park, according to Raul Borja. Read more about it here.

Can't get enough of "Mad Men" locations? Curbed LA compiled a list of 20 L.A. locations from the show here -- and I'm proud to note that Franklin Avenue is used to cite several of them.

(Screengrab via Eater, which offers up an interesting primer on the history of Howard Johnson's restaurants.)

Cal Phil Lights Up the Arboretum

The California Philharmonic orchestra recently lost its 15-year regular home at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. But that news seemed to have only rallied fans of the small but popular organization, which played one of its final "Festival on the Green" concerts at the Arboretum on Saturday night.



The Franklin Avenue crew attended at the invitation of the Cal Phil, and we made sure to bring along a picnic (a la the Hollywood Bowl). But our bag of Trader Joe's treats paled in comparison to some of the gourmands around us, many of whom arrived extra early to feast before the show. With the mountains behind us, the setting -- a field within the lush 127-acre botanical garden -- made for a perfect setting for a concert. (It's perhaps why the Pasadena Pops made a big play for the site, and managed to land the rights to start staging summer concerts there next year.)



For this show, "Andrew Lloyd Webber Meets Puccini," Maestro Victor Vener mixed excerpts from Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, such as "Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita," with arias from Puccini operas such as "La Boheme" and "Tosca." (Thanks to repeat viewings of HBO's "Classical Baby" series, both the Blogger Kid and Blogger Toddler 2.0 recognized some of the Puccini, believe it or not.)

From the press release: “Works by Lloyd Webber and Puccini have more in common than people may at first think,” explains Vener, whose mission since founding Cal Phil in 1995 has been to introduce audiences to what he calls “timeless great music,” whether it was written in the 21st century or the 16th. Both Lloyd Webber and Puccini make use of lush, lovely melodies, glorious orchestration and have great stories to tell. If someone loved seeing Phantom, it’s a small step back in time to love Boheme, too, as our great orchestra and guest artists James Barbour, Sandra Rubalcava and Christopher Bengochea, as well as the Cal Phil Chorale and Childrens Chorus will demonstrate.”



Vener founded the Cal Phil, which also plays at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and other venues, in 1995. Next year the Cal Phil will move across the street to the Santa Anita race track, keeping things for the Pasadena-based organization in close proximity.



Upcoming Cal Phil events include "Dancing Under the Stars" (July 23, 2011 and July 24, 2011); "Rodgers and Hammerstein In Europe" (August 6, 2011 and August 7, 2011) and "That’s Entertainment" (August 20, 2011 and August 21, 2011). More info here.