Two Days at "The Bu" Part 2

Malibu......just the name gets you thinking of  surf, sand and sunshine.

 The name Malibu comes from the Chumash Indian Village name Humaliwu, meaning "where the surf sounds loudly". An independent coastal city, Malibu extends for 27 miles up the coast to the Ventura County line.
During my time here in Southern California I have been through Malibu many times but never took the time to really stop and look around. We stayed at the Malibu Country Inn (say Hello to Ivy), a delightful little place located a short distance from Zuma Beach, one of the most famous beaches in SoCal. A quick walk to the beach just in time for sunset and then dinner. 
Since this was my first dining experience in Malibu I thought I must try Duke's, a local favorite right along the Pacific. Ask for Christine, she's been there since it opened, is very good and alot of fun. Duke's was great and the Seafood Risotto and the Ribs were incredible,if you have the chance to dine here....do it.
The adventure begins the next morning with a walk to Point Dume, a great climbing spot and well known filming location.

You climb through and over rocks covered in muscles to the secluded beach and there in front of you is a sight that you've wanted to see your whole life..........The cliff from the ending of "Planet of the Apes"!!! Not that remake piece of crap, I'm talking about the 1968 original!!!!! This was magical for me, I know how this must sound but I really like this film. The wall has white chalk like streaks from bird droppings.......alot of of bird droppings!! After an obligatory homage to the film, we headed back to the car and what do we spot but a set of steps leading to a trail above the cliffs. While we were up there the sun came through adding to the beauty of the views.

We had lunch at another local favorite called Coogies, a great place that offers an intense juice bar as well as local organic items on the menu. 
Then it was on to the next set of stairs.





Walk # 41 in "Secret Stairs"

Pacific Palisades-- Castellammare
This is the most beautiful walk so far but not very challenging, only 518 steps, it does offer some great homes and incredible views of the Pacific as you stroll through a maze of streets and steps.

Start at Gladstone's on the beach and walk down to the bridge crossing the Pacific Coast Highway. The large Spanish structure on your left was, in the 1930's, actress Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe. 
Another one of the amazing sights is, "Villa de Leon". A 12,000 square foot Italian Mansion built for wool magnate Leon Kauffman. The Villa took 5 years to build and was designed by Kenneth MacDonald Jr.

This home  has 9 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms a car wash in the garage and is currently on the market, listed for $14,995,000.00

The real highlight was "Castillo del Mar" the home of  Thelma Todd. "Hot Toddy" was found in her car in December of 1935, the  cause of death was eventually ruled "Accidental". Read about it here: "The Death of Thelma Todd"
Check out All the photos from Part 2, Here.

Two Days at "The Bu" Part 1..... Steps, Nazis and a Waterfall

Wanting to get away for a short vacation and as always following our trusty "Secret Stairs" book, Beverly and I thought we would take the advice of Horace Greeley and "Go West" to Pacific Palisades and "The Bu"(as some locals call it). Our first stop, walk #42.

Pacific Palisades -- Giant Steps 
This is as the book says "a walk of staggering beauty, over public parkland filled with historical interest" but it is much more than that, it's a walk into another world.
Starting in the residential intersection of Casale and Capri Roads you hike along Sullivan Fire trail and into Topanga State Park via the Rustic Canyon entrance.
As you walk along, the views behind you are breathtaking and the view ahead is like walking into Jurassic Park. After walking for about 20 min. you will find the first set of steps (you will need to refer to the book for this as it can be a bit confusing).
Down 40 steps and into ..................The Nazi Compound!!!
Left overs from a compound built for Winona Stephens in the 1930's. Hit the link, it's an interesting story.

 First a huge water tank, now rusting and covered in graffiti, then your second set of steps down and down and down.....321 steps. This takes you to a paved driveway and on to your next set and down another 130 steps and then the final 47 and into the camp.

Whats left of the power station, the fuel station and the guard house is a mess of twisted metal and decaying buildings, but it is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. You could spend hours down there exploring the different paths and ruins. 
After a short hike along the creek bed and an encounter with a rattlesnake we decided to head back to civilization.



Follow the directions in the book for the steps going up. In front of you is the largest known staircase in Los Angeles. It doesn't look so hard but that's because you only see a portion of it, the rest is obscured by the trees.

They go up and up and up, you're looking at about 50 steps till the next bend and then there's 50 more and it just keeps on going and going and continues for 512 steps!!! It is exhilarating, breathtaking and exhausting, and worth the effort.
After this you basically retrace the route back the way you came but........................a few hundred feet before you exit thru the gate there is a set of small railroad tie steps going back down into the canyon, far be it for us to ignore them so we thought ...why not.

No railing, homemade steps, very steep and ending at a bridge with a locked gate. Look to the right and more steps leading around a bend, as you follow the trail the sound of water gets louder and louder. Thankfully there is a rope to help you down to the waterfall.

I would have liked to go to the base of the waterfall but i would have needed a ladder to get back up. A hike back up the the path and back to the road and our starting point. Onward to an evening in Malibu and more steps and history tomorrow.(stay tuned for part 2) 


Part 1 Photos Here 

Fern Dell Walk, Griffith Park's Park

In 1896 Griffith J. Griffith (yes, that's his real name) gave the city of Los Angeles 3,015 acres of land called Rancho Los Feliz.
Griffith Park is now over 4000 acres and in upcoming posts I will explore different areas of this amazing place, but for now.......

Fern Dell is a "park" in the park. The area known as Fern Dell is a mix of palms, redwoods, banana trees and of course ferns. As you walk along the meandering creek you forget that you are in LA until the sound of a car, on the other side of the trees, brings you back to reality                                                                                                                Walk # 32 of the walking guide "Secret Stairs" is only 2.1 miles long and has only 2 sets of steps, 40 of which go down......

But the ones that go up, go up for 153 steps! There are benches along the way and the coolest turret midway up.

Once out of the park, the walk takes you past Immaculate Heart HS and into a residential area along Franklin Ave. to St. Andrews Place. From there head up the hill to the end where you will see 153 steps which are to the right of the massive home in front of you.

I didn't get a start on this till late afternoon which can be bad for some photos but great for others.

After the midway point the views are amazing.
  


                                                                                                                          At the top, Tryon Rd. with incredible homes, one formerly owned by Nicolas Cage, looks like a castle and sold last year for  $1,249800. 

The Park, the City, the Homes, the Observatory...   


                                                       

Watch out for the coyotes...
                       

The rest of the pictures........here.  

Hollywoodland / Beachwood Canyon

Beachwood Canyon is Hollywoodland.

Hollywoodland is a hillside home development
created in 1923 by a partnership of Harry Chandler,
Eli P. Clark and Moses H. Sherman.

The homes are a collection of English Tudor, Mediterranean, French Normandy and Spanish.

This walk, #34 in the "Secret Stairs" book, has the most steps i've had on one walk (861), and some of the coolest looking steps i've seen so far.






If you are lucky
 enough to live
here, or will be
visiting, go to.



                                                                                                                                                  The views from both the east 
and west sides of the canyon
are amazing, from downtown
to the Pacific.

                 










 Here are more. ...

Secret Stairs and Private Elevators

Walk #37 in Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of LA took us to High Tower and Alta Loma in the area south of the Hollywood Bowl. Many of you will recognize the campanile - style Tower from the 1991 Thriller "Dead Again". 

While on our trek Beverly and I met the new resident of the apt used in the film and she graciously gave us a peak inside. WOW!!!

This is how it feels to ride in the High Tower elevator!

And then...
We got to ride in the #%@! elevator!
Really!

The view from the Tower south looks very Italian to me.

She offered us a ride in the elevator!!!

The walk into Alta Loma was a whole other world, it is an odd little Utopia in the middle of Hollywood.
 
While Alta Loma is a place, it is also is a feeling. There is a feeling of Peace and serenity that you just have to experience for yourself.

Alta Loma is a Little Gem filled with even Littler Gems tucked inside.

Click Here for all the photos.

Christmas in Whitley Heights

Watsonia Terrace:
Gloria Swanson lived here while filming Sunset Blvd.

Yay!  Thank you Scott Michaels for giving Brian THE BEST book for Christmas - Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles. What a great book!

Christmas day Brian and I set out on our 1st trek to explore these forgotten treasures.  We hit Walk #36, the Historic District of Whitley Heights.  Wow.  Just wow.  This neighborhood is exquisite!  The houses, dating back to the early 1920's, were homes to early Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and Jean Harlow.  So it was a feast for they eyes, and a workout for the legs with over 300 steps!

What a great Christmas!
Click Here for all the pics from our meanderings through Whitley Heights.