Exploring los angeles on foot Had i been driving i would not have stopped here.But i was lured from a los angeles sidewalk by an open gate and the mysterious buildings beyond.There was a moorish structure with a minaret, another was italian with a loggia, a third had a fleur de lis on a chimney.It was as if a snow globe village had been dropped onto sunset boulevard.At the back of the hushed lot, a stone statue, naked to her hips, stood sentry. I would later learn that this is where a jazz age gangster named charlie crawford was murdered.In the 1940s it was recast as an office complex, attracting such tenants as alfred hitchcock.And while walking is common downtown and in venice beach and santa monica, in cooler months one can just as easily traverse los angeles between west hollywood, los feliz, miracle mile and larchmont village on foot(With help now and then from mass transit and uber).In fact, local tourism officials are encouraging people to do just that.On west third street, home to design boutiques like ok and plastica, banners promote the area as walkable shopping dining district. Granted, strolling los angeles can be anything but picturesque.There are wide, noisy boulevards with scant shade.If you a woman walking alone, men in cars may greet you with as they whiz by. But just when you think walking these interminable avenues is for chumps, something makes you smile.Take the white tudor style building that caught my eye on an otherwise humdrum stretch of north la brea avenue.A second glance revealed a trompe l image of a grinning charlie chaplin leaning on a cane.From there my gaze traveled up the building to a 12 foot tall kermit the frog tipping a bowler hat atop what turned out to be the jim henson co., formerly Charlie Chaplin Studios(Hence kermit tramp get up). Walk east on franklin avenue and you be rewarded with postcard views of the hollywood sign over your left shoulder, or the french normandy style 1920s hotel ch(Now the church of scientology celebrity centre international)Rising above the trees near tamarind avenue.Walk long enough and you realize that here in this megalopolis of cars are quiet wonders, like the surprisingly ubiquitous sight of hummingbirds hovering around storefronts and terraces. When you car free, one of the easiest places to stay is west hollywood.There plenty of shopping, dining and night life, and the central location makes it a great base for jaunts to other neighborhoods. For a tranquil morning stroll past bungalows and mediterranean style homes with cactuses in the yard, turn off sunset onto sweetzer avenue.Yes, it a tourist destination, but for those who have never been, it an offbeat adventure.For a greater sense of discovery, enter the tar pits at the corner of west sixth street and south fairfax avenue rather than the parking area off curson avenue.You pass michael heizer 340 ton boulder artwork, mass, before reaching the observation pit. If you rather gawk at shop windows than tar pits, stay in west hollywood, where you can walk north robertson boulevard past the little red awnings of christian louboutin;Sur, the restaurant and bar staffed by badly behaved reality tv stars;And the original kitson boutique where boldface names stock up on essentials like rhinestone encased pepper spray.The most satisfying strolls, however, are to be had on the side streets. Dorrington avenue between north robertson boulevard and north san vicente boulevard is too lovely to resist:Hydrangea, azaleas, bird of paradise, cottages in mediterranean and spanish bungalow styles and not a car in sight.You could spend hours weaving up and down the surrounding tree lined streets, where front lawns are small but lovingly manicured. Want to window shop or shop for real?The boutiques on west hollywood melrose place are polished, yet those on a budget are better served on santa monica boulevard at places like the $2 clothing store.Inside, women were gleefully fishing sweaters from waist high heaps of clothing.For some, this is heaven.As a staffer named amelia wrote:Gesner is my new favorite architect!Apparently an awesome guy too he 89 and surfs every day:Check out the boat houses on pg. When the sun disappears, there are plenty of clubs, lounges and theaters in which to while away the night.Or maybe you jimmy choo silver shoes just want to thumb through cds and lps at amoeba music, a warehouse of new, used and rare albums hip hop, electronica, underground rock on sunset boulevard.Jazz and classical music lovers will want to retreat to the backroom where they will also find $1 records. As for me, i was 2.5 miles west, at the intimate, candlelit Tower Bar in the Sunset Tower Hotel.A piano and bass duo played in the dark as i nursed a tower smash:Tequila, fresh basil, lemon and ginger on the rocks.Frank sinatra and marilyn monroe were among the celebrities who once walked the halls of this turn of the century style hotel.Through the windows, the faraway lights of homes in the hollywood hills twinkled.The whir of traffic faded, and soon all i heard was christian louboutin shoe outlet the brook as i entered the woods, stepping on fallen sycamore leaves. Near the top of the trail to the griffith observatory(James dean fans may recall the without a cause scene shot here)There a rocky shortcut, which i began ascending in delicate french sneakers.It wasn long before i was sliding back down.A woman in gym shoes bounced past me like a gazelle. Almost there!She shouted over her shoulder as she reached christian louboutin outlet uk the summit. The view at the top took the sting out of my ungainly arrival.Hawks circled and plunged toward the enormous silver city basin.In the distance, the ocean beckoned. Before a concert, it worth spending time in the surrounding streets, eating in the grand central market, checking out the victorian court of the 1893 bradbury building, little tokyo, and the opulent christian louboutin sandals spanish baroque style rendezvous court inside the millennium biltmore hotel. (If i had more time, i would have explored downtown landmarks on one of the los angeles conservancy walking tours. ) Across the road from los angeles union station, completed in 1939 when such majestic railway stations would soon become a thing of the past, you spot a mexican marketplace.Look beyond the stalls hawking colorful trinkets to the historical buildings.I walked up the porch into the dark, thick walled adobe(Admission is free), and was greeted by a knowledgeable guide who talked about the ranchero family that once lived here as I peeked into the handful of rooms. Afterward i sat on the porch overlooking the market, imagining what life was like before the car was king. Yet as rich as this area is, any car free tour of los angeles must, at some point, lead to the beach. When the sun shines on the soft, fine sand of santa monica, everything shimmers.In the white blue light of morning, i passed sea gulls and surfers with boards tucked under their arms.There, after a $20 uber ride from west hollywood, i wrapped up my trip, listening to the comforting thunder of waves, strolling without a destination.

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