To date, the most deserving of the title, “Only in LA, kids, only in LA”
Today I ran the Santa Monica stairs. Well, ran may be overstating it. I “did” the Santa Monica stairs is more accurate. The stairs are kind of an underground-but-well-known-by-locals/masochists/exercise bulimics workout spot, and consist of two sets of stairs (170 and maybe 230 per set) running up and down a steep cliff in an otherwise-quiet oceanside neighborhood in Santa Monica. Dooce was a fan, and this website gives a good overview of this LA institution.
I actually only did one set of the stairs – I couldn’t find the other, even though it is supposedly close by. I did the set with 170. 170 crickety, creakedy wooden stairs attached to the side of a cliff, punctuated in the middle with a few concrete stairs for good measure. Because I don’t need to give my mother anything else to worry about. Four laps up and down, then a walk around the block. Two laps up and down, then a walk back to my car for my towel and water. Two more laps up and down, for a total of 2720 stairs, 1360 of those being uphill. By the end my legs were wobbling and I was gasping for breath, but it was really quite energizing. Walking back to my car, I truly felt inspired to go for a run, if only I thought my legs wouldn’t collapse out from under me.
To get there, I took San Vicente through Brentwood and Santa Monica, which I hadn’t done before. Similar to Park Avenue, the blvd is a wide street with beautiful homes separated by a grass median. But in true SoCal style, the median has a runner’s path that goes all the way down, catering to the many fitness buffs in this city. In keeping with the culture’s unwritten church-and-state workout laws, there was also a separate bike path. Further proof that I am truly in heaven.
I actually only did one set of the stairs – I couldn’t find the other, even though it is supposedly close by. I did the set with 170. 170 crickety, creakedy wooden stairs attached to the side of a cliff, punctuated in the middle with a few concrete stairs for good measure. Because I don’t need to give my mother anything else to worry about. Four laps up and down, then a walk around the block. Two laps up and down, then a walk back to my car for my towel and water. Two more laps up and down, for a total of 2720 stairs, 1360 of those being uphill. By the end my legs were wobbling and I was gasping for breath, but it was really quite energizing. Walking back to my car, I truly felt inspired to go for a run, if only I thought my legs wouldn’t collapse out from under me.
To get there, I took San Vicente through Brentwood and Santa Monica, which I hadn’t done before. Similar to Park Avenue, the blvd is a wide street with beautiful homes separated by a grass median. But in true SoCal style, the median has a runner’s path that goes all the way down, catering to the many fitness buffs in this city. In keeping with the culture’s unwritten church-and-state workout laws, there was also a separate bike path. Further proof that I am truly in heaven.
Labels: Los Angeles
posted by Lori @ 5:59 PM
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