Urban Hiking in Los Angles

Not all good hikes are in parks or on beaches. 

On Tuesday we decided to take a self-guided walking tour of downtown LA. I had found information thru the Los Angeles Conservancy on the internet before we left.  I was under the impression that we could get an audio app on Craig's phone, but when we got there it turned out the app was only for iPhones, not Android phones.  However we were able to find the Conservancy office, and they were nice enough to print out a couple of PDFs for us.  

A view of downtown LA from the top of city hall

For many years we have been driving thru LA on I-5 as we went down to visit our daughter in San Diego.  We have been to some of the attractions, including Disneyland, the movie studios, the LaBrea tar pits, and the Getty Center, but we have never been to the downtown area.

Looking up

Usually, when in a busy downtown area, I concentrate on the street view: the stores, the people, and the traffic.  On this day we were taking our time and really looking at the buildings. It is amazing what you can see if you look above the store fronts!

Fine Arts Building lobby

Using the walking tour information, we were able to find some truly amazing interiors. The Fine Arts Building  features a two-story Spanish Renaissance "courtyard" lobby with a galleried mezzanine. It felt like a church.

Roosevelt Building elevator

This elaborate elevator door in the Roosevelt building lobby is surrounded by beautiful marble walls. 

St. Vincent Court

Tucked into an alley between towering skyscrapers is a fun little area called St. Vincent Court.  If we hadn't had a bit to eat earlier, we would have stopped for something here.

An architectural detail over an entry way

Some of the beautiful architectural details were not on the Conservancy list we had in hand.  

I have not included our pictures of all the old theatre marquees on Broadway. None of them seem to have been maintained or restored, and they all looked very sad.

Interior of the Bradbury building

Sometimes pictures just cannot do justice to the visual richness of a space.  The wood, skylight, wrought iron railings and open elevators of the Bradbury building were true "eye candy". 

View from City Hall

On the advice from a nice lady on the street that noticed us taking pictures, we went to the top (27th floor) of city hall.  There we had panoramic views of  slightly smoggy city landscape. If any of you were "General Hospital" fans, the hospital seen in the distance of this picture was the building used in the opening.

My pedometer registered a bit over five miles. It started to get a bit hot in the afternoon and I was happy to find this lovely bit of shade to relax in.

Our final stop was at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but we took so many pictures there that I've decided it deserves a separate post.

With that I leave you with a couple of  signs we noticed on our walk!

Sanding, and Planning next trip

After spending a couple of weeks power washing the decks and driveways, Craig started sanding the smaller of several railings. He has decided to only sand and stain the top rails and the floors of the decks, and hold off on deciding if all the 2x2s also will need sanding and stain. 

This is the upper deck that is just outside our dining room. We took in all the furniture except for the glass table.  Sun, rain, and power washing has worn off most of the stain on the floor surface.  We re-stained the top rail, but will wait until we are back from our trip to rent the floor sander.  Craig says he has to check the screws before he sands, and tighten any that need it.  I just counted them.  There are 672 screws, and this is the smallest deck! He'd better wear his knee pads.

I, on the other hand, have been planning our next trip. 

We leave on Tuesday for a long haul down to Los Angles.  We are going to get the little ding that we incurred on our drive on CA Highway 1 fixed, and then take the Alfa to get her oil, transmission fluid and probably coolant replaced.  We have no records from the dealer on past service, so we think these things may be overdue.  We will also have them check all belts and anything else they recommend.

Because of our harrowing experience on Highway 1, I bought the Big Deluxe Motor Carriers' Road Atlas as a planning tool.  

I like it because it is laminated and I can mark a route or area with a dry marker and erase it when the trip is done.  All truck routes are marked in orange, and other roads are marked with two thicknesses of red for thru roads, and blue for roads that are not suitable for trucks (nor presumably RVs).

I did a lot of searching on RV forums before deciding on our route to the Yosemite campground where we have a four day reservation. From the West, there are two routes.  Hwy 120 looks like the easier, but according to the forums it is not.  Although there is a permanent one lane bridge around a slide area where we will have to unhook the toad, Hwy. 140 is the route the tour buses take and is better for a 36' Class A. I figure that since the campground accommodates 40' rigs, it has to be possible to get there!

Other than our Yosemite reservation, I have not booked any campgrounds.  I have several in mind, and they are of the "find a spot when you get there" variety.  It is unlikely that they will be full, but I will bring along my Woodall's, Good Sam book, and KOA book.  

I know we can stay at Alfateers for two nights, and possibly at the Freightliner service center as well, but again I have an alternate location in mind. I also plan on boondocking at the Camping World in Bakersfield on the way from LA to Mariposa, which is our stop outside of Yosemite. There is a garden I want to stop at in Fresno which is half way between Bakersfield and Mariposa.

I've used the internet to find thing to do and see in LA.  A Historic House and Garden, a downtown walking tour, and a hike in a park are possibilities.

I've also found a couple of things in Mariposa including a Mining Museum and a river walk.

Tonight I am going to spend some time reading about the hiking options in Yosemite.  We will not climb Half Dome, but we are up for something more than the walks around the valley floor.

I used to be wary of mentioning our travel plans on my blog.  But now I figure if anyone breaks in while we are gone, perhaps they will cart off some of our stuff for us.  Heaven knows it is all old and not worth much!  

Has anyone ever had a break-in while you were traveling?

What resources do you use to find things to do in a new area?

Craig is working hard!

There just are no "little" jobs to do around here!

While I was in San Diego, Craig started power washing all of the cement driveways, stone walls, retaining walls, deck railings, and decks. He continued last week while I did my jury duty, and will finish this weekend.  Two weeks of power washing!  He has done the same complete job in the past, but there has been some build-up of moss and black algae. He sanded and stained the deck railings a couple of years ago, and the decks a few years before that. So, much of this job is required but deferred maintenance.

Two years ago I bought a product that is supposed to prevent the growth of the algae and mildew, called Wet&Forget. I did a test spot, and it is still relatively clean. I have sprayed it on the walls, and am waiting for an order of two more gallons from Amazon so I can do all the driveways as well.  Hopefully this will help keep them looking nicer thru next year without having to redo the power washing.

Much of the wash time has been spent on the zillion upright 2x2's of the deck railings.  He will sand the railing tops and the deck floors, but he doesn't want to have to sand the uprights. 

We have large decks, and many railings!

I was on a jury for three days, but was able to get one little project done: a wall. I painted the garden wall after Craig had cleaned it. It is very rough stucco, and the painting was not easy! There are more railings along here too.

I'm not sure what the next step will be.  Some sanding I suppose. When he gets to the stain application I will be helping.

We are currently planning on taking a trip in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure exactly when or were other than to go to Yosemite National park  Sept. 18-22. I have reservations! Hopefully lots of people will stay away because of the hantavirus, so it won't be crowded.

We want to go down to LA first to get a small repair done on the Alfa at Alfateers and also to get an oil change at the Freightliner where Alfateers sends that kind of work. I'm not sure how that will work out yet, but I'm looking into interesting things to do near there for the week of September 10th.

Any "Must Do" LA adventures you can suggest?