The Great Los Angeles Walk 2015 Recap: A Gold Medal for Olympic Boulevard

We did it again!

16 miles. 38,060 steps (per one Walk participant). 400 (or so) participants. Hundreds of passionate Angelenos, fueled by love of city and community, hiked across the city via Olympic Boulevard this past Saturday.

The 10th annual Great Los Angeles Walk attracted what was quite possibly our largest crowd ever, including many new walkers!

Together, we kicked things off at the newly rehabilitated Clifton's Cafeteria (which opened an hour earlier than usual, at 9 a.m., to accommodate us). After brief pep talk from Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne, we were off... over to Main St., and then starting down the entire length of West Olympic. For lunch, Walkers experienced food trucks, Ethiopian restaurants and the legendary Tom Bergin's. The majority of the crowd made it to the beach by sunset.

Some pics from this year's event:


Pic by Jon Weisman of the crowd waiting to go in, outside Clifton's


Waiting to go in, from the top of the line


Thanks to the Los Angeles Times' Christopher Hawthorne for kicking things off! (And sorry that Clifton's couldn't turn the music off!)


Group shot!


Even more group


My selfie with the group


And they're off! (Down Broadway)


Waltarrrrr's GLAW-themed pith helmet, with Olympic already included!


Passing the Orpheum


HA HA!


Buddha


"Mirrors should think longer before they reflect"


Keeping an eye on us


Standard Oil Company


Give us a hand!


Spotted in a downtown store


"Olympic" (at downtown's JW Marriott hotel)


"Happy Day Sale"


Open Ur Heart


Olympic Boulevard was named after the 10th Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles in 1932. (As spotted in Koreatown.)


The face of Olympic


Yikes! Maybe walking is the way to go!


Koreatown


Guelaguetza Restaurant


Imaginary phone


Give us a hand!


Olympic Car Wash


Oxford Square


Selfies!


"Always a hill, always a tower, always a timepiece."


The chained-up underground tunnels of Olympic


Tom Bergin's for lunch


The Bergin's bar


Inside Bergin's


The horse heads of Tom Bergin's


"Well, we sorta welcome you."


The stairs of Olympic (in West L.A.)


Mt. Sidewalk


One walker noted that, of all the streets the Great LA Walk has traveled, this was the most pleasant 405 experience. That's because, unlike streets like Wilshire or Santa Monica, there is no off ramp here.


The Expo line. As of next year, Great LA Walkers will easily take Metro light rail back to downtown!


Are You Ready?


Welcome to the Hotel California


Tongva Park


We made it! A group gathers at Original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, at around 4:30 p.m.


More walkers at the end


16 miles, completely on bare feet! Thanks to this Walker, who came all the way from Santa Fe!


This guy was waiting for us at the end!


Day is done!

Send us links to your photos! Some roundups below:

Scott Trimble

Edward Kirkpatrick

PRESS RELEASE: The Great Los Angeles Walk Takes on Olympic Boulevard This Nov. 21

The Great Los Angeles Walk is coming close! Sent to the media this morning:

THE TENTH ANNUAL GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN -- HIKING OLYMPIC BOULEVARD TO THE OCEAN ON NOV. 21

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 9, 2015) -- Hundreds of Angelenos will hit the sidewalks on Saturday, November 21 for The Great Los Angeles Walk 2015 – the annual event that dispels the myth that “nobody walks in L.A.”

This year, for the tenth edition, the Great Los Angeles Walk (http://www.greatlawalk.com) is finally tackling one of the city's iconic boulevards: Olympic!

Olympic was chosen for a variety reasons: Not only is it one of the few major Los Angeles streets that the Great Los Angeles Walk hasn't yet hiked, but for our 10th anniversary, it makes sense to celebrate on the boulevard once known as 10th Street. Olympic Boulevard was renamed in honor of the 1932 Olympics – and now, as Los Angeles harbors dreams to once again host the Games in 2024, the Walk will also recognize that bid.

Participants will meet at downtown Los Angeles' newly renovated Clifton's Cafeteria at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, where Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne will discuss Olympic and the changing nature of L.A. streets.

After touring Clifton's remarkable rehabilitation, walkers will proceed to walk approximately 16 miles (at a casual, all-day pace) to the ocean.

Walkers will pass through downtown, Westlake, Koreatown, Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica as they make their way to the ocean.

The Great Los Angeles Walk will conclude with an after party in Santa Monica at a location to be announced later. Walkers will be encouraged to utilize Metro public transportation at the start or finish of the walk.

L.A. journalist and blogger Michael Schneider launched the Great Los Angeles Walk in 2006 as a way to celebrate his tenth year in Los Angeles. Inspired by the book “Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles,” by Kevin Roderick (with research by J. Eric Lynxwiler), he decided to walk the street’s entire length.

In 2007, for an encore, he chose another downtown-to-the-ocean route: Pico Boulevard. The 2008 Walk took on Santa Monica Blvd. In 2009, the event kicked off in the historic West Adams district and walked to Venice Beach via Adams and Washington. In 2010, for its fifth edition, the Great Los Angeles Walk reprised its original Wilshire journey. In 2011, participants marched to the ocean via Hollywood Boulevard. In 2012, the Walk traveled across Melrose Avenue; in 2013, Sunset Boulevard; and in 2014, the Walk traveled across the San Fernando Valley via Ventura Boulevard.

The Great Los Angeles Walk grew from dozens of participants to hundreds, and continues to expand each year as more Angelenos join in to explore their city on foot. Thanks to the Los Angeles Times and Clifton's Cafeteria for their support.

As always, the Walk is completely free. It is up to the participants to decide how much or how little of the walk they want to do. The Great Los Angeles Walk has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the L.A. Weekly, KABC-Channel 7, LAist.com and KNBC.com. In 2012, the LA Weekly recognized The Great Los Angeles Walk in its "Best of L.A." issue.

The official hashtag of The Great Los Angeles Walk is #glaw. Folks at home are welcome to follow along all day on the walk's official Twitter feed, @greatlawalk, as we continually post our location.

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