Set the cellphone alarm for 4.30am and headed away at 5am to Irvine to catch the 5,29am Metrolink to Union Station in downtown LA. The trip took an hour and 10 minutes. A quick look around the station and away to find Sunset Blvd. We had to find Cesar Chavez Avenue that merges into Sunset Blvd. The distance was 1.5 km. We got there at 7.20am and walked a steady pace through areas like Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Westwood, Brentwood and the Palisades. We stopped in the Hollywood area at a McDonalds for a comfort stop and a McFlurry (cream freeze with Oreos). It was nice and cold.
We hit Sunset Strip where all the nighclubs are, like "The Viper Room" (was owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died of a drug overdose, "Whiskey-a-Go-Go" (where The Doors played in the sixties) and "The Roxy".
As soon as we left the "Strip" we came to Beverly Hills. The transformation was amazing - green manicured lawns and no sidewalks in some places. Bel-Air was the same. This is where the wealthy live, especially from the film industry and the Middle East.
Around 2pm we had a sub from "Subway" in Brentwood (or is it Westwood). From here we kept going until we hit the Pacific Coast Highway at 5.20pm.
We were met by John, a friend of Oliver's who would later drive us back to Irvine Station to pick up the car.
We soaked our feet in the Pacific Ocean and then had dinner at "Gladstones 4 Fish". Denise you would have loved it. I had "Fish and Chips" plus a glass of champagne and a Corona with John to celebrate the walk. Oliver does not drink alcohol.
When we got home it was straight to the jacuzzi for 30 minutes. I have no sore limbs and just one blister on my small left toe. Oliver feels very sore snd stiff but nothing major.
So the 40kms took us 10 hours less 40 mins for lunch and stops for drinks.
One thing that worried us was finding toilet stops on such a long journey. Not an issue. Once we ran out of fast food places there were always portaloos along the way on construction sites, that we used. In each case there was no one there so we took full advantage.
If interested here is a summary of the walk as recorded on my dictophone
5am Left Oliver's place, Picked up train at 5.29am. Arrived Union Station in LA at 6.40am. Walked along Cesar Chavez Avenue until we reached the start of our walk. Passed Chinatown.
I tried to record where we were at hourly intervals (in bold)
7.20am Started walking on Sunset Blvd
7.44am Echo Park
8.07am Silver Lake
8.20am 3912 Sunset Blvd
8.30am McDonald's for a comfort stop and a McFlurry's (snow freeze with Oreo biscuits broken up through it).
8.45am Intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Blvd's. Saw the Hollywood sign on the hill in the distance.
9.20am KTLA Studios (Hollywood)
9.43am Sunset Blvd and Vine Street
10.04am Sunset Blvd and Highland Street
10.20am Guitar Centre with a "Rock Wall" where handprints of musicians are put in concrete.
7425 Sunset Blvd. Spent 5-10 minutes here.
10.49am Start of Sunset Strip (at Crescent Heights)
11.35am End of Sunset Strip (at Doheny Drive)
11.41am Start of Beverly Hills
12.05pm 9580 Sunset Blvd (my estimation of half way)
12.20pm Rodeo Drive intersection
12.35pm Leaving Beverly Hills (just before 10000 Sunset Blvd) - ran out of sidewalk
12.58pm Passed Bel-Air east gates
1.09pm UCLA University
1.20pm Westwood Plaza
1.33pm Passed Bel-Air west gates
1.53pm Passed over I-405 freeway
2.00pm Westwood Village - Subway for lunch 11500 Sunset Blvd
2.20pm Having meal at Subway
2.28pm On the walk again
3.30pm San Remo Drive intersection
3.33pm Palisades at 13652 Sunset Blvd
4.17pm 15000 Sunset Blvd
4.20pm 15140 Sunset Blvd
4.31pm Watched a high school baseball game briefly. Saw a double play.
4.40pm 16000 Sunset Blvd
5.00pm The Lake Shrine, 16963 Sunset Blvd, contains the ashes of Mahatma Ghandi (so the research shows!!)
5.20pm Pacific Coast Highway - our destination, Crossed over highway to soak our feet in the Pacific Ocean.
I used the internet to research the walk. In two articles I read, Victor Margolin did it in 11 hours starting at 8.30am while Jeremy Rosenberg did it in 10 hours 5 mins starting at 7.45am. In his blog, William Campbell did his walk in 9 hrs 45 mins starting at 6.30am.
There were not as many cars on the Boulevard as I had thought apart from around 2.45pm. We suspect people are finishing lunch and possibly going to pick up children from school.
The highlight - completing the walk with only one blister and the feel of the cool ocean over some hot and tired feet.
We hit Sunset Strip where all the nighclubs are, like "The Viper Room" (was owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died of a drug overdose, "Whiskey-a-Go-Go" (where The Doors played in the sixties) and "The Roxy".
As soon as we left the "Strip" we came to Beverly Hills. The transformation was amazing - green manicured lawns and no sidewalks in some places. Bel-Air was the same. This is where the wealthy live, especially from the film industry and the Middle East.
Around 2pm we had a sub from "Subway" in Brentwood (or is it Westwood). From here we kept going until we hit the Pacific Coast Highway at 5.20pm.
We were met by John, a friend of Oliver's who would later drive us back to Irvine Station to pick up the car.
We soaked our feet in the Pacific Ocean and then had dinner at "Gladstones 4 Fish". Denise you would have loved it. I had "Fish and Chips" plus a glass of champagne and a Corona with John to celebrate the walk. Oliver does not drink alcohol.
When we got home it was straight to the jacuzzi for 30 minutes. I have no sore limbs and just one blister on my small left toe. Oliver feels very sore snd stiff but nothing major.
So the 40kms took us 10 hours less 40 mins for lunch and stops for drinks.
One thing that worried us was finding toilet stops on such a long journey. Not an issue. Once we ran out of fast food places there were always portaloos along the way on construction sites, that we used. In each case there was no one there so we took full advantage.
If interested here is a summary of the walk as recorded on my dictophone
5am Left Oliver's place, Picked up train at 5.29am. Arrived Union Station in LA at 6.40am. Walked along Cesar Chavez Avenue until we reached the start of our walk. Passed Chinatown.
I tried to record where we were at hourly intervals (in bold)
7.20am Started walking on Sunset Blvd
7.44am Echo Park
8.07am Silver Lake
8.20am 3912 Sunset Blvd
8.30am McDonald's for a comfort stop and a McFlurry's (snow freeze with Oreo biscuits broken up through it).
8.45am Intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Blvd's. Saw the Hollywood sign on the hill in the distance.
9.20am KTLA Studios (Hollywood)
9.43am Sunset Blvd and Vine Street
10.04am Sunset Blvd and Highland Street
10.20am Guitar Centre with a "Rock Wall" where handprints of musicians are put in concrete.
7425 Sunset Blvd. Spent 5-10 minutes here.
10.49am Start of Sunset Strip (at Crescent Heights)
11.35am End of Sunset Strip (at Doheny Drive)
11.41am Start of Beverly Hills
12.05pm 9580 Sunset Blvd (my estimation of half way)
12.20pm Rodeo Drive intersection
12.35pm Leaving Beverly Hills (just before 10000 Sunset Blvd) - ran out of sidewalk
12.58pm Passed Bel-Air east gates
1.09pm UCLA University
1.20pm Westwood Plaza
1.33pm Passed Bel-Air west gates
1.53pm Passed over I-405 freeway
2.00pm Westwood Village - Subway for lunch 11500 Sunset Blvd
2.20pm Having meal at Subway
2.28pm On the walk again
3.30pm San Remo Drive intersection
3.33pm Palisades at 13652 Sunset Blvd
4.17pm 15000 Sunset Blvd
4.20pm 15140 Sunset Blvd
4.31pm Watched a high school baseball game briefly. Saw a double play.
4.40pm 16000 Sunset Blvd
5.00pm The Lake Shrine, 16963 Sunset Blvd, contains the ashes of Mahatma Ghandi (so the research shows!!)
5.20pm Pacific Coast Highway - our destination, Crossed over highway to soak our feet in the Pacific Ocean.
I used the internet to research the walk. In two articles I read, Victor Margolin did it in 11 hours starting at 8.30am while Jeremy Rosenberg did it in 10 hours 5 mins starting at 7.45am. In his blog, William Campbell did his walk in 9 hrs 45 mins starting at 6.30am.There were not as many cars on the Boulevard as I had thought apart from around 2.45pm. We suspect people are finishing lunch and possibly going to pick up children from school.
The highlight - completing the walk with only one blister and the feel of the cool ocean over some hot and tired feet.
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