I took my friend Lili Dauphin on a stairwalk, which she filmed for her youtube site. She is the star of this show but I am the one suggested this stairwalk since it has an interesting history and is beautiful and well maintained. You can see me in a few of the shots.
One of the most beautiful coastlines in Los Angeles County is Point Dume Nature Reserve. 
Since you need to take the stairs to get to the tide pools and the Nature Preserve, I included this in my stairwalking blog. Located just 20 minutes northwest of Malibu, it is my favorite beach in Los Angeles county. I took 
my niece here and we spent the day exploring the tide pools and hanging out. The tide pools are home to sub-tidal marine life including sea stars, sea urchins, mussels and crabs.
From the main beach you go to all the way to the end of the cul-de- sac and up some stairs that lead to a trail. There are many trails, some lead to the road where there are huge mansions, another leads to the very top of the rock known as Point Dume, and then there is the trail that leads to the stairs going down to the cove where the tide pools are. 
This isolated beach cannot be seen from the main beach or the parking lot and was clothing optional back in the sixties and seventies.
Movies, commercials, and TV shows are filmed here, including scenes from “Planet of the Apes” and “Modern Family.” The pilot episode of “I Dream of Jeannie” was also filmed here. It was the deserted tropical island where major Tony finds the bottle and opens it releasing Jeannie. I once attended a wedding here and the couple said their vows as the sun 
was setting behind them.
Point Dume was originally the site of the Chumash Indians. They foraged for fish and food in the tide pools. The top of the rock, Point Dume, was used for communication between the different villages in Ventura County, Santa Barbara and Malibu. Today you can see people 
climbing the face of the rock. It’s pretty easy from what I hear, at least as easy as
rock climbing can get. The land was was acquired by the State of California in 1979 and designated a Natural Preserve in 1992. This is also one of the few land spots where you can view the migrating gray whales from February to April.
If you are looking for a beautiful beach that doesn’t have the crowds like Santa Monica or Venice Beach, then this is the place.
Bob Inman
A few friends and I did a walk with Robert Inman. He has finally finished his book “Finding Los Angeles by Foot: Stairstreet, bridge, pathway and lane” after working on it for two years.
All of his walks cover several miles, anywhere from five to fifteen miles. He covers a lot of ground and you get to see a lot. His pace is moderate and he stops along the way pointing out things of interest. He knows a lot about the history of the area and pending development plans that will affect the area.
My friends and I took the metro train and met everyone at Busters in south Pasadena, across from metro station. It was warm weather and a perfect day for a walk. First thing I noticed was a sign inside Busters that said we can’t take your order if you are 
on your cell phone. I love that. I am so glad they put the sign on the counter, nothing more irritating than someone who holds up the line because they are on their phone.
We started down a wide street with huge craftsman style homes and big yards. I haven’t been to most of the streets Bob took us on and was truly enjoying seeing all the beautiful work of the craftsman style homes. 
We walked under the Colorado street bridge which I have always admired and went through some nature areas with green grass and Arlington Gardens with its many sitting areas and a labyrinth made up of rocks.
Bob took us to an area where the homes on both sides of the street are owned by the State of California. A freeway was proposed to cut through that area and the homes would be removed. Fortunately it
was challenged and the project won’t happen for a while if it does happen at all.
Someone in the group works at the Headquarters of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Red Cross and he opened the gate to the driveway so we can go walk in and see the house. We couldn’t go inside but we could walk the grounds and peek inside. The house was
Red Cross Headquarters
formerly owned by the Cravens who made their fortune in tobacco and can be rented out for weddings and other events. It has also been used in TV shows and films such as Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Ghost Whisperer, Being There and Traffic…to name a few.
It took us a while to get back home on the metro. After going one or two stops, we had to get off and board a bus to take us to 
another stop due to someone getting hit and killed by the train. So very sad but I was impressed about how organized the metro is and how quickly emergency personnel responds to accidents.
My friends Lili, Hedy and I joined the Valencia hiking group with a hike to the Griffith Park Observatory. The hike 
originally was going to include stairs but was changed and we ended up going a different route. We did however pass by the Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis house. I’ve been by this house may times, but this time I was able to go inside the front gate. The gate was open and workers were 
doing some work on the house. I saw them go inside the house and went up to the front door and knocked. I wanted to ask if we could go inside the house but no one answered. I spent a few minutes snapping some photos until someone finally came out and said we had to leave. At least 
I got shots that I couldn’t get before.
A few houses down is a house known as the whimsical house. This house was the inspiration for the design of the Tam O’Shanter restaurant in Los Feliz. Behind this house is another house, which was hard to see because of the trees, and it was where a doctor lived with his 
two children and his wife. The doctor shot his wife and daughter, but the wife was able to escape and call police. By the time the police had arrived, the doctor had shot himself. It was difficult to get a buyer for the house but a couple finally did buy it. However, they never changed it and left it the way it was, even with the unwrapped Christmas presents and wrapping paper on the table. The house even had mold all over the floor. When this couple died and left the house to the son, the son left the house 
in the same shape his parents did. He didn’t live there but he would come sometimes in the evenings to visit. Who knows why, but maybe he was contacting the deceased. The neighbors finally had enough of the shoddy condition the house was in and forced the son to fix up 
the house, which he did.
Our next stop was the Observatory. Here you can take in great views of downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Century City and surrounding areas. Lili likes to take many pictures and we ended up way behind the group. However, we 
managed to catch up to them. Lili commented that she likes to hike with seniors because they are easy to catch up to. Everyone on the hike was a senior citizen except for Lili, Lili’s friend and me.
Lili likes to laugh a lot and is always in a great joyful mood, even if she is going through tough times and difficult situations. She is also known as the fashionista of hiking and was wearing red. She even had red sunglasses and a red 
camera to match her clothes. We had a good laugh at her outfit though because she had on one white sock and one yellow sock. I asked her if she got dressed in the dark.
After the hike, Hedy and I joined the rest of the group for lunch at Trails restaurant. What a way to top of a perfect hike. The 
weather was beautiful and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.
Echo Park
On Saturday, November 3rd, my friends and I joined about 300 people for the Great LA Walk 
2013. It was a 15 mile walk starting at Echo Park Lake and ending at Santa Monica, California. Michael Schneider, the organizer of this event, did a great job of providing a map and listing LA iconic spots. It also gave a mile by mile breakdown so you would know how many miles you have walked. He gave a 
little talk at the beginning saying most people just drive by these places but never really notice them. True. I kept my eye open for interesting things to photograph, things that people might not have noticed. He also suggested restaurants to eat lunch and said everyone can rejoin group at 1:45 at the Beverly Hills sign. 
My friends and I started out in the middle of the group. We stopped for a bathroom break and my friend ordered coffee to go. When we left I could no longer see the group ahead of us. 
Art on hotel wall
We knew we could always catch up with them after lunch at the Beverly Hills sign. My friends suggested eating at Evo Kitchen, a family owned restaurant which serves healthy food and supports local farmers. There are items on the menu for everyone–meat lovers, gluten free, vegans and vegetarians. The food is delicious but it 
took awhile to get our food and that put us even further behind the group.
We continued our walk to Hollywood and the Sunset strip where iconic places such as the Laugh Factory, Whiskey a Go Go, and the Comedy Store are located.
Laugh Factory
Whiskey a Go Go opened in 1964 and many of the greatest rock-n- roll band played there–The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin.
Whiskey A Go Go
Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is where many young comedians got their start—Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno, Jim Carey, Chris Rock, to name a few.
Chateau Marmont Hotel
Next up was Chateau Marmont Hotel. Many celebrities stay there and it is the place where comedian and actor John Belushi died of overdose. 
After leaving Sunset Strip we came to Beverly Hills. We cut down Rexford Street and walked past the mansions and 
multi million dollar homes to Santa Monica Blvd and the heart of Beverly Hills. LA’s most expensive stores are located here. Tiffany’s jewelry store, Blvgari, Versace, Girgio Armani…
As we passed the Ice Cream Lab someone gave us a sample of chocolate chip ice cream. I told my friend “that’s it, I have to get some.” We did and it was delicious.
Ice Cream Lab
They make their ice cream right in front of you by combining the ingredients and liquid and shooting nitrous oxide in it causing the liquid to freeze. It’s completely natural and organic. Best ice cream I’ve ever had.
Sugarfina
Next we stopped in Sugarfina and it happened to be their first day in business. This candy store is elegant and classy. Their candy is beautifully displayed and it comes in blue boxes that remind me of Tiffany’s jewelry store boxes. We were given some samples and I know I could easily get addicted to this.
Rosie O’Neill
I met the gracious and delightful co-owner Rosie O’Neill. I 
think she will do very well.
A few doors down from there is the shoe store Charlotte Olympia. They’ve been open for five months and have the most unusual and unique shoes that it is worth mentioning here. 
Very classy inside and a doorman opens the door for you. 
When we got to the edge of Beverly Hills we decided to take the bus the rest of the 2.7 miles so we could catch the sunset at Santa Monica. When we arrived we saw the group. I got my sunset photos and then we went to eat at Tinga, which serves Mexican fusion food. I enjoyed my food which I was able to order off the happy hour menu. The restaurant had a room reserved for all the walkers. After that we took the bus to the metro stop so we could catch train to where our cars were parked at North Hollywood metro. 
It was a long day, 14 hours, but worth it. We did all this by taking bus and subway. Five dollars got us an all day pass for the bus and subway. Quite an adventure discovering new places.
I did a walk with the Hidden stairs meetup group. We did strairwalk #3, Glassell Park North from the book “Secret Stairs” by Charles Fleming. 
My friend and organizer, David, took us on a couple of stairs that are not in the book. The walk started at 4:15 PM and knowing that it would be dark by the time we went to the stairs that were not included in the book, I asked David if he could do those stairs first. He said no. I would have liked to have taken pictures of them but it was too dark.
The first set of stairs were wooden. Not too many stairs but the pathway after the stairs and the street was pretty steep. It was a workout and the hardest part. After that it wasn’t too bad. It flattened out and there was some downhill.
Glassell Park is part of Eagle Rock and has winding streets with great views. I saw a lot of nice houses with a variety of architectural styles. It is also home to 
many artists, one of whom probably painted the murals on the second set of stairs we walked. I don’t know who painted those and the murals were not there at the time Charles Fleming wrote his book. The walk was just under two hours and David did a good job of keeping the group together. It was a nice evening and a great way to get some exercise.
Here is an article written by Zeb Soanes of Los Angeles for BBC News. I have reposted it here. Check out the vintage photos too. Enjoy.
By Zeb Soanes Los Angeles
From the air, the hills of Silver Lake, peppered with bungalows, must look like a leafy game of Snakes and Ladders. Roads insinuate their way up and around the mountain slopes and connecting them all from the lowest to the highest are dozens of vertiginous stone staircases. These are the historic Los Angeles Stairs, hidden and unknown to most of the city’s residents and visitors.
I was about to take a hike between them with Charles Fleming, an LA Times editor who has spent years researching and mapping the stairways, originally as a form of convenient local exercise.
For him they are civic treasures that lead the curious through unfamiliar neighbourhoods and their architectural treasures: historic homes where famous actors lived, celebrated screenplays were written and, as we were to discover, the stairs themselves have earned their place in cinema history as the location for an Oscar-winning comedy.
LA hasn’t always been a city of cars, it once had one of the most effective public transport systems in the United States. In the 1920s, as the city expanded, developers naturally wanted to build up into the hills. Few people could afford cars so the city planners built long stone staircases to connect the pedestrian residents of the lofty hillside homes to the tram network below.
We began our walk early one morning and I asked Charles why such an efficient and healthy public transport system disappeared. He explained that the story was told very well in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where the oil, automobile and tyre companies conspired to replace the trolley network with freeways for buses and automobiles. The busy stretch of Silver Lake Boulevard we were walking along had once been a major tramway with another, Sunset Boulevard, crossing overhead
We turned into a dusty alleyway. By the 1970s and 80s the area had become rundown – the staircases weren’t maintained and became hidden spaces for criminal activity. Many were closed off and fell into disrepair.
On a fence, Charles pointed out some graffiti. “That’s the first sign of trouble,” he warned, explaining it was the tag symbol for a local gang. “The second is when you see a line struck through it by a rival gang, that means there is a turf war for control of the area.”
Sure enough, the first stairway we came to had been locked, much to Charles’s annoyance. The stairs are public byways, paid for and maintained by taxpayers’ money and he believes they should be kept open.
Walt Disney worked on early Mickey Mouse cartoons at his Silver Lake homeThe film studios were the first to develop the area, building compact bungalows to house their actors and technicians. Both Chaplin and Disney lived here.
Movie carpenters would build sets during the week and homes at the weekend. Charles said this accounted for the local architectural hotchpotch that is often ridiculed. A Moorish castle next to a Spanish villa, next to a Tudor mansion – the carpenters were inspired by whatever they had been building on the studio backlots that week.
Our second staircase was thankfully unobstructed. Here, in 1932, Laurel and Hardy tried and failed to move a piano to the top in The Music Box. The film won an Academy Award. I’d seen it over and again as a child and remembered it fondly.
There were now buildings either side but it was still quite recognisable. For such a historic landmark it was still remarkably unkempt, its history simply marked by a defaced granite plaque inset into one of the lower steps.
Looking down from the top of The Music Box stepsThis wasn’t the only staircase to feature in the movies. In An Ache in Every Stake, filmed in 1941, two miles to the north-east, The Three Stooges tried to deliver a block of ice to a house at the top of 147 steps and each time they reached the summit the block had melted to an ice cube. “Unlike The Music Box stairs,” Charles informed me, “the area around that staircase is pretty much unchanged.”
We climbed another flight of steps that are a street in themselves with the houses on either side only accessible from the stairs. From the top we had a clear view of the Griffith Park Observatory and the Hollywood sign.
Charles has found more than 500 staircases across the city but only half are accessible. I asked about the longest: “That’s Murphy’s Ranch in Pacific Palisades,” he said. “It is the only one that was originally private. It has 511 steps and was built by a group of Nazi sympathisers.”
Murphy’s Ranch as it is todayIn the 1930s – according to his own paper, the LA Times – the owners of the ranch, Winona and Norman Stephens, fell under the spell of the mysterious Herr Schmidt, who claimed to have supernatural powers. He persuaded them to spend $4m to build a self-sustaining Nazi utopia where a small and committed band of followers would wait until Germany won the war and then emerge victorious to establish the Third Reich in America.
The compound was impressive with its own power station, water tanks and an irrigation system built into the terraced hillside to water the crops and trees that would sustain the Nazi faithful.
It naturally aroused the concern of the US authorities and was raided by federal agents in 1941, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Schmidt was arrested as a spy and the land was eventually handed over to the people of Los Angeles as a public park.
The ruins of that compound are now covered in graffiti and I asked Charles if locals are concerned with the history of their city. “No”, he said. “Most of them have a private experience of life – ‘I ride in my car, I sit in my office, I live in my house’.
“They are isolated from the larger public space because they haven’t been encouraged to be interested. When you give them permission to look, they are surprised by what has always been just around the corner from them.”
I wondered how much the temporary nature and rapid turnover of the movie business had contributed to this throwaway attitude to the city’s heritage.
“I think that has something to do with it,” he said. “People weren’t aware that they had a history to destroy. If there seemed a better way of doing something they would tear down what they had and build something new.”
Covent Garden Market (here in 1925) and St Pancras Station (here in 1905) were both saved from demolitionI noted that London had suffered a similar disregard for many of its architectural landmarks after the war. Covent Garden Market and the gothic magnificence of St Pancras Station were earmarked for demolition and only saved by a small band of passionate protestors.
There is now a proposal to dredge up the fragments of the grand doric arch that greeted visitors to Euston Station from its watery grave on the bed of the River Lea in the East End of London.
But the mere fact Charles and I were taking this walk, like the many devotees of his book and tours signals hope for LA’s hidden heritage.
Zeb (left) and Charles after their walkOnline blogs and organisations such as the LA Conservancy are encouraging locals and visitors to learn more about the history beneath their feet and, whilst for decades LA hasn’t had a reputation as a walking city, great strides are being taken to restore an efficient public transport system to reconnect the sprawling city.
The route of the former Pacific Electric trolley service, closed in 1953, is being relaid with a pristine light railway that will once more take downtown dwellers all the way to the beach, leaving their cars at home.
Everything comes full circle, as indeed had we. We had been walking an hour but our chat made it feel a brisk 20 minutes. We were back where we started at the bottom of the hill, just like Laurel and Hardy’s battered piano.
I had the rare opportunity to tour the Sheats-Goldstein residence in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. There were many steps and
stairs leading to the lush jungle below the house that it deserved to be included in my stairwalking blog. I also wanted to share the amazing beauty and greenery that surrounds this house.
This glass house, which is surrounded by a lush jungle below, has been featured in movies such as “The Big Lebowski” “Charlies Angels Full Throttle” and music videos including Snoop Dogg’s “Lets Get Blown.”
Sculpture of architect John Lautner
The home 
was the site for third installment of French artist Xavier Veilhan Architectones project in Los Angeles. Xavier Veilhan studio and Galerie Perrotin organized
the show and local architect Francois Perrin was the curator. It is where art meets architecture. 
Some of the art pieces Xavier installed included an iron sculpture located in the lavish gardens and cords stretched in space over the swimming pool. 
Xavier Veilhan was struck by the beauty of the home and how it interacts with nature. A green aluminum sculpture of architect John Lautner was installed on the end of the triangular shaped master bedroom that juts out offering a panoramic view of Los Angeles.
The home was built by architect John Lautner in 1963. Lautner studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and this home is considered a masterpiece. In 1972 
James Goldstein purchased the home and commissioned John Lautner 
to do remodeling. 
James is constantly adding and having some kind of work done on the home and property. I was told it is a never ending project. 
The house is not noticeable from the street or from the driveway. I arrived and had valet park my car. Then I walked down the long driveway with flourishing plants on either side.
view from tennis court
It reminded me of Costa Rica. Still not able to see the house 
I continued walking down the long curved driveway until I came to the garage. 
The entrance to the
Walkway over koi pond
house is next to the garage and you walk down a little walk way that goes over a pond filled with koi fish and turtles and leads to the front door.
I was grateful to be able to tour this magnificent home 
and I look forward to seeing other homes designed by John Lautner and exhibits by Xavier Veilhan.
My friends
and I joined about 100 stariwalking fans for Charles Fleming’s April walk. Charles Fleming is author of “Secret Stairs-a Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and he leads a stairwalk the first Sunday of every month. He did a variation of stairwalk #6, Hermon, and took us to Peanut Lake.
Hermon is a small community bordered by the 110 freeway in Los Angeles and South Pasadena. 
It was established in 1903 by the Free Methodists church group who bought the land to establish a school. Today this community has a population of 3500 and has a small town feel.
Charles only found out about Peanut Lake a couple of months ago and I’ve never heard of Peanut Lake until Charles mentioned it as his April stairwalk. This walk was actually a lot different than the stairwalk in his book. Unlike the one in the book, 
we didn’t pass through downtown Hermon but instead took some stairs that led us to a path and a fire road leading up to the top of the mountain. There are no signs indicating which way to Peanut Lake or that there is even a lake. 
From here you can take in a great view of downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains. My friend Lili kept saying how she felt like she was in another country. It really has a mountainous 
feel and look to it. I don’t know how the lake came to be and neither did Charles. In fact, most of the people in the group never heard of Peanut Lake. Charles said to the group that he enjoys introducing people to new places. I am so glad for these stairwalks because I get to see and explore places I never knew about.
Peanut lake
As I was walking I could see a lot of other trails going who knows where. 
I will return here one day with friends and hike some of the other trails. Of course I will take the road leading to Peanut Lake.
For his February stairwalk, “Secret Stairs” author Charles Fleming, took stairwalking enthusiasts to Mt. Washington, which is walk #5 from his book.
Charles Fleming
Charles met everyone at the metro station and we did the walk in reverse than what it is in the book. It seemed easier this way since we were walking down some of the longer stairs instead of up. After about what seems to be half way, a woman who lives in the area saw us and suggested to Charles that we take a short cut across a field.
He had heard about this shortcut but didn’t know exactly where it was so the woman led us. 
Shortcut
Actually, I was a little out of breath after climbing up the stairs and was glad Charles decided to take the shortcut.
After taking the shortcut we arrived at the Self Realization Fellowship. Formerly the Mount Washington Inn, the bankrupt property was bought by Paramahansa
Former Mt. Washington Inn
Yogananda in 1925 and turned into the international headquarters for SRF. The Center, closed Sunday mornings for services and meditation, was closed when we arrived.
Self Realization garden
I have been to the SRF a couple of times and on previous visits was able to stroll the beautiful grounds with its meditation garden, Japanese garden, and wonderful vista of Mount Washington and surrounding areas stretching out as far as the eye can see. SRF is open every day. On Sundays it opens at 1:30.
A railroad took visitors from the bottom of Mount Washington to the hotel. The roads were unpaved dirt roads and with the advent of the automobile, the dirt roads weren’t accessible by car. Also with the automobile, people were traveling further distances. Eventually, the railway company declared bankruptcy and the hotel closed. The
Outside gate of Self Realization Fellowship
train’s ticket office is now an apartment building and sits across the street from the Southwest metro stop. It is here that Charles ended his walk.
Metro station
My friends and I hopped back on the metro and took it a few stops where we got off and walked to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.
Hearing rave reviews about the food, I have always wanted to eat here. In 2012, the restaurant was voted best soul food in Pasadena and CBS declared it
Roscoes Chicken and Waffles
as having the best macaroni and cheese. Roscoe’s did not disappoint and we all enjoyed our food immensely.
Afterwards we continued our journey and walked a short distance to an area known as Bungalow Heaven. These early 20th century craftsman style homes were built during the arts and crafts period and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We were able to go inside a couple of these homes; one was for lease and the other for rent.
I’m not sure how many miles we walked but it was a full eight hours, minus the time we were sitting to eat. I sure felt it in my legs the next day.
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