Community Corner

Great Los Angeles Walk Gets Moving From Echo Park Saturday

The 2013 Great Los Angeles Walk will trek from Echo Park to Santa Monica via Sunset and Wilshire boulevards.

The eighth-annual Great Los Angeles Walk will take to the streets of Los Angeles Saturday bringing walkers on a journey from Echo Park all the way to Santa Monica. 

The annual event, organized by the blog Franklin Avenue, will begin at Echo Park's "Lady of the Lake" statue and take participants on a trek down Sunset and Wilshire boulevards for nearly 18 miles before concluding at the statue of Santa Monica. 

What started as a casual event with a few dozen participants has blossomed into a still casual event that now attracts hundreds of participants. The walk was originally created to dispel the myth that "nobody walks in L.A.," organizers said. 

Organizer and Franklin Avenue blogger Michael Schneider stressed that the event has never been a race and is meant to be a leisurely way for participants to really get to know their city. 

"There's no special reason, no charity, no protest, no issue we're promoting – other than a passion for Los Angeles," Schneider wrote on his blog. "It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving as well, so somehow I don't feel as bad gorging on sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie a few days later," he joked.

Past walks have taken participants down other prominent streets such as Pico, Santa Monica Boulevard and West Adams. 

Saturday's walk begins at 9 a.m. at the Lady of the Lake statue in Echo Park. The 17.8-mile walk is expected to last until around 5 p.m. when an after party will begin in Santa Monica. Walkers can also join the route at any point during the day (see map above) or only walk portions of the route. 

The event is free and open to anyone wishing to join. While it isn't mandatory, Schneider requested participants RSVP for the walk to get a good idea of how many will attend. RSVPs can be sent to greatlawalk@mail.com and on the event's Facebook page. 

For more information, route map and FAQs, visit the Great Los Angeles Walk's website



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