Los Angeles
No Marathon Quite Like It
Of the marathons I've run, there is none quite like Los Angeles. The course passes through famous neighborhood after famous neighborhood, offering race participants nonstop entertainment, from Dodgers Stadium to the pier at Santa Monica.
The visit to LA, for the marathon, begins with packet pickup at the convention center in downtown LA.
The LA Convention Center
For this visit, I stayed in Baldwin Park, about twenty miles east of LA. My intention was to do some hiking, after the marathon.
For some carbo loading, the night before the marathon, I went to the Guadalajara Grill. An unexpected benefit was live entertainment.
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| Live music adds to ones dining pleasure |
Hanging with 27,000 of my close friends.
The crowd of runners, for the 6:00 am start at Dodgers Stadium, takes more than one half hour to get passed the start line.
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Thousands of runners approach the start
Quite a few runners wore shirts with Kobe Bryant's name on them. Several of those runners were dribbling basketballs.
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| Drummers regale the runners, near the Disney Concert Hall |
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| Disney Concert Hall |
After leaving downtown LA, the course continues on famous streets - Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, San Vicente Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Rodeo Dr and Wilshire Blvd.
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| A notable landmark on the route |
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| Fans entertain runners. Time is about to tell if running is a cure. |
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| The finish, at the Pacific Ocean, on Santa Monica Beach |
Nearing the ocean, and the end of the course, a cooling breeze, off of the ocean, takes the edge off of the afternoon warmth.
The finishers medal is a great memento
Hiking
The day after the marathon was a visit to some hiking trails in the SW foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The first trail was closed, the aftermath of a rainy season, several years ago. The second choice was a bit more modest hike, but the day after a marathon, a short jaunt felt OK!
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| Monrovia Canyon Falls |
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| Looking south, from the trail head |
A Day in the City
It was time to be an urban tourist.
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| The Broad Museum, across the street from the Disney Concert Hall |
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| Looking out from the museum |
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| A large piece on display in the museum |
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| Jean-Michel Basquiat |
After visiting the Broad Museum, there was some time to walk around downtown, prior to visiting the Disney Concert Hall
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| The Perry Mason building, from Grand Park |
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| The Disney Concert Hall |
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| Organ Pipes |
The Final Day of the Trip
On the way to the Orange County Airport, there was time for a short hike.
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| Downtown LA, from Schabarum Trail |
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| Volcanoes, from the plane |
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