If you’ve read The Gentle Art of Wandering you know that LA and many other communities have public stairways. These are not stairs providing a grand entrance into a public building or part of a tree line promenade through a city park. These are stairs in the middle of residential neighborhoods. Most were built when the only way for people to get around was on foot or by public transportation. They are perfect for wandering and allow you to explore a city from an unexpected angle.

I visited Los Angeles two years ago to see how the principles of wandering would play out in an urban environment by walking the stairs in the Echo Park and Silver Lake neighborhoods. That walk turned out to be one of the best trips I ever took and gave me a whole new respect for Los Angeles. Rather than touring the city by car, I was on foot and saw things that I never could have imagined were there. The adventure was every bit as satisfying as a backpack trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

I returned to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago to give a talk at a local REI and had time the next day for another stair walk. I decided to go back to the Echo Park and Silver Lake area to pick up some stairs I did not climb the first time. I brought along a copy of A Guide to the Public Stairways of Los Angeles by Bob Inman to help me find them. Continue Reading →