Eek! I’m already putting on holiday pounds and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. This is not good. Not good at all. Anyone else in the same boat? I’m thinking about signing up for The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 this Saturday, November 21st. It’s a literally a bunch of people walking a route in L.A. for no other reason than to get out, meet new people and enjoy the city.  I know I could certainly use the exercise. It’s completely free. The group who organizes the event isn’t doing this to raise funds or awareness for anything–other than a love for Los Angeles. I think it sounds fantastic.

The details:

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Meet at the Shrine Auditorium (across form USC parking lot D) at 8:30 am

Walk starts at 9:30 am

Cost: FREE!

RSVP at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com

Still have questions? Let’s take a look at the FAQs from The Great Los Angeles Walk website.

WHAT’S THE PATH? From the Shrine, we’ll hike up Figueroa until we get to Adams. From there we start to head west on Adams — but we’ll also be taking a few detours onto side streets north and south of Adams in order to take a look at classic Los Angeles architecture and homes. Later, we’ll make our way up to Washington and walk through the Mid-City district. We keep on walking down Washington, and through Culver City, before eventually finding our way to Venice Beach and the ocean.

HOW LONG IS THE HIKE? 13.5 miles. That’s five miles less than last year’s, which is why we’ll be taking more time this year to explore side streets. IMPORTANT: This is not a race. Sure, you can sprint all the way to the end, but where’s the fun in that? There’s no prize for who gets there first. Instead, take a breath, and join the bulk of us as we leisurely stroll toward the ocean and stop frequently to take in the sights.

WHAT ABOUT LUNCH? We’ll be taking a lunch break — probably around 90 minutes or so — in the Mid-City area. The Atomic Cafe is preparing a Great Los Angeles Walk special for participants, and the Mid-City Neighborhood Council will be on hand to pass out water and goodies. There are more hikers than the Atomic can handle, but there will be other eateries in the vicinity as well. We’ll have a list of many of them to pass out during the walk. We’ll then alert everyone via Twitter when we’re set to restart the hike again.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WALK IS DONE? We’ll take a group photo at the ocean… and then celebrate in Venice at a destination to be announced later this week.

HOW DO I GET HOME? We’ve tried in the past to arrange for a bus to take stranded walkers back downtown — but didn’t get enough takers. 

My advice: Either plan with a friend and get to Venice Beach around 8 a.m., parking one car, then carpooling to USC (where you’ll park the other car). OR: Park at USC, walk to Venice, then eventually take Metro back to USC. OR: Park at Venice Beach at 7 a.m., allowing yourself enough time to board a Metro bus to USC. Traffic’s light that time of morning, so the bus ride is relatively quick. And that way, when you arrive in Venice, your car is waiting for you.

Head to GreatLAWalk.com for more info on Metro options, including a link to the Metro’s Source blog, in which several bus options are given.

Who’s with me? Let’s walk off some calories and meet new people this Saturday. Maybe I’ll start doing this every Saturday…

Photo Courtesy of Great Walk LA Blog

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