Way OT: Running in downtown L.A.
I will be attending a conference in two weeks in L.A. and I am looking for some good places to run outside. My hotel is downtown (near the Staples Center) and I will not be interested in driving to another location to do my running. I also won't have a car, so it is really a moot point!
I have never stayed in downtown L.A. before and I am not sure if there is a good network of trails or suggested running routes. Of course, I am also interested in knowing the areas to avoid as well. I am an early morning runner, usually hitting the pavement by 6am.
Are there any board members familiar with the downtown "running" landscape in L.A? Does anyone have a good Web site that they could recommend to find good places to run in the area? Suggestions for places to avoid? I have done some online research, but most of the suggested running areas are not located in downtown. This makes me wonder if I should avoid running in the downtown alltogether.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you!
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but Los Angeles air quality has been steadily improving over the past 40 years. With what we pay for gas out here, it had better be getting better. It's not like the guy is asking about running in downtown Beijing.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-what-new-smog-rules-mean-fo…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/08/22/24-7-wall-st-mo…
When smog clears in California, UCLA.
Also, the rest of the country has bad air days too.
There are days in metro Detroit that classify in the yellow category of air quality index that often occurs in LA. Even more in the Northeast.
It's just much harder to notice over here because A) the land is flat. In LA with mountains and large elevation changes it's easier to see farther away. B) there are way more trees with thick leaves here that block vistas.
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Check out the heatmaps on Strava
Go to south central and buy some rocks.
Inform some junkies that you have rocks
Run!
don't get caught.
smoke crack.
RUN SOME MORE
fin
I can't provide much advise on the running in downtown thing but if you decide to take Darker Blue's advise, I can point you in the direction of places to find both crack and junkies. I teach in South L.A.
I've heard anywhere around Rosecrans and Alameda is lovely this time of year.
Lovely yes, but running with those tights can give you a royal wedgie.
Does your hotel have a fitness room? Might be a better idea.
Why not cruise MapMyRun and see what local people have entered in as their regular routes? Might be the best option.
Unfortunately none of the routes I could find were actually downtown. Most require me to travel to get to other areas.
was the right community to ask for advice. Taking the subway to other locales is a good suggestion. Point taken about clothing colors, even if it was tongue in cheek!
I am sure there are treadmills at my hotel, but the coolest thing about going out of town is running in new locations. Plus, it is long and tedious doing 8-9 miles on a treadmill. I can do it, but it ain't fun.
Thanks for the tips and suggestions!
I live in an MS-13 neighborhood, and apart from tagging it doesn't impact us at all. These are industry specific risks - your chances of being caught up in gang violence in Los Angeles is probably about equal to getting a show cause penalty imposed on you by the NCAA.
This is also true. I teach in Inglewood and though much of Inglewood is now pretty nice, the area I work in is faily "dangerous". I walk around the neighborhood without too much worry about what color I am wearing. I am fully sleeved with tattoos on both arms and don't exactly look like teacher but I've never had anyone "bang on me". I assume it is because I'm white. It appears white priveledge exists even in the hood haha.
Little Tokyo area has been revitalized in some parts, but one wrong turn around there and you are going to be in for a shock.
a couple miles of USC and the Coliseum complex, you could make a decent route out of that I would think.
That is definitely an area I am looking into for mapping something out.
I wondering if the person suggesting this actually knows the area around USC. There are certain areas/streets that you should avoid. I would say in daylight you are going to be fine, but early morning/late night you should always be aware.
I would avoid going west of the campus at all. If you go south of the campus, you should probably turn around after you reach King.
I hate doing cardio, but it is a must.
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Downtown LA is not like running in downtown Chicago or Seattle...its kinda funky and nasty in LA. Not dangerous if you stay on the normal streets, but not great either.
Best bet: rent a car...or uber/drive to the coast and run on the strand by the ocean. Catch some bikinis and better air quality too.
If you are willing to Uber there is a really nice running trail that starts at Supulveda and Rosecrans and goes down throught Manhatten Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach. I take my dog there most weekends. It's great and you stop at the beach for food or sights anywhere along the way.
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Yes. I got a jaywalking ticket downtown a few years ago for crossing a tiny street next to a Starbucks. Cop was waiting for me. They are all over it down there for jaywalking and running makes one want to not stop at ever light..even the most tiniest of streets.
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We have a militia that is armed to the teeth.Granted, it's mostly fat GJ Joe wannabes, but they have enough arms to fight ISIS.
Pretty badly for the first few rounds of the year. used to run down Wilshire and Santa Monica to the end of the pier and then back to Westwood
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I'm sure the five star motel you are staying has a fucking trreadmill.
I really think 99% of these kinds of posts are just so posers can make themselves seem a hell of a lot more important than they really are.
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I lived in a loft in DTLA from 2005 - 2009 and was an avid runner at the time. Just about any direction you go will be fun...provided you are VERY VIGILANT about crossing intersections. LA drivers have low awareness of pedestrians and we've even had some bus vs. pedestrian fatalities recently.
Also, police officers are prone to issue jaywalking citations, so fight the temptation to cross mid-block anywhere.
At 6:00am, the streets will be quiet and there will be a nice chill in the air - perfect running conditions, if you ask me. Downtown sidewalks are actually very wide on major streets like Broadway and there is fantasticly exciting architecture to be seen.
I hope you have a great trip out here and that you take advantage of the opportunity to explore a city that is being reborn at this very moment!
in running in a cool new location you should consider leaving downtown and going to one of the hiking trails at least once while you are out here. I think Runyon is currently closed but it's overrated anyways.
Grifith Park is cool and is on the east side of town. Very doable from Downtown. You can see the observatory which is in a ton of movies. I also love Temescal Canyon. It's on the West Side but you are running through a gorgeous mountain with views of the Pacific Ocean. http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/temescal-canyon/
Or run by the beach from Santa Monica down to Venice. Getting there will be annoying but if you have the time its well worth it for the views of the ocean and the people watching.
If you stick Downtown WolvinLA2 has good advice.
Your best bet straight out of your hotel is to run south on Figueroa until you hit the USC campus which is about 2 miles one way. You could then go to the Colliseum or Rose Garden or just loop around campus and return for a nice run. That stretch of Figueroa is rather safe and used on most major LA races/triathlons.
For a destination run not too far away try Elysian park just north of Dodger stadium. The Firecracker 10k loops through their every year as well as other races. Great hills and cool views of the hills, ocean on a clear day, and Dodger stadium.
There's a Downtown LA Running Group who seem to get together fairly frequently. Check out their FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DTLARunning
Hope this helps.
Living in the greater LA area is like eating steak once a week. You probably shouldn't do it because it may take a year off your life at the end, but it is frickin' awesome.
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There is not a city in the country that you could not find the same kind of picture of at some point in time.