Another walk in the books! This is the final edition of Lotusland.
I had a wonderful time walking around Los Angeles. Despite all the rain, this series exceeded any expectations. I’ll admit, ending this series was bittersweet. I felt that post-walk high, but never wanted the walks to end. I had a great time out on those sidewalks and could have easily planned seven more around the city. I’ll be back soon.
I flew back to Brooklyn last Thursday, but it wasn’t until Monday that I could actually sit down and write this letter. These long walks have their way of exhausting me, physically and mentally. Paying attention requires significant energy. All seven walks totalled about 112.86 miles (~16.12/day) and I wrote nearly 12,000 words.
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Lastly, I’ve included next steps, Los Angeles walk resources, and Q&A below:
Maps
These maps detail each of my seven walks, step by step. Take your pick:
AllTrails (includes elevation, miles, etc)
You can also download all my .gpx files here.
Q&A
What camera are you using?
Fujifilm X–T30 and Fuji XF 23mm (35mm equivalent) f/2 lens.
What shoes do you wear?
I stand by Hoka. Bondi or Clifton are my go-to. I can’t attest to the quality of recent models as I buy unused, older models on eBay for nearly half the price. My favorites are the Clifton 4’s, but those are discontinued and growing increasingly difficult to find. During Lotusland, I wore Bondi 6’s.
How did you get back home after finishing the day’s walk?
I took the train or bus. Los Angeles’ transit system is surprisingly reliable (in my experience), extensive, and easy to navigate. Each ride back to my lodging would take 1–1.5hrs at most (I used that time to unwind). I didn’t take a car once during my entire walk.
Do you listen to music or podcasts during your walks?
There’s plenty going on in the streets to keep my attention (not to mention plenty of careless drivers to dodge). So, I rarely get bored or feel the need to listen to anything while walking. I’ve always found music/podcasts very distracting. I keep my phone on “do not disturb” and rarely take phone calls or respond to texts. Of course, there’s a time and place for music or podcasts, just not during these walking projects.
Can you really walk Los Angeles? Don’t you have to walk on the freeway?
Los Angeles is very walkable, although not as pedestrian friendly as New York City or Philadelphia, for example. Regardless, it’s still an enjoyable and rewarding place to walk and doesn’t require you to walk on the freeway. There’s plenty of sidewalk and roads.
The only time I’ve actually had to walk beside a full blown freeway was during my walk across Long Island while en route to the Big Duck in Flanders. I don’t recommend doing that.
Where did you get the title Lotusland?
In City of Quartz, Mike Davis refers to Los Angeles as lotusland a handful of times and it stuck with me. I read the nickname was used in the early 20th century and has since fallen out of favor, if ever popular.
The word lotusland originally comes from the lotus-eaters of Greek mythology and Homer's epic, The Odyssey. These gourmands live in a state “of languid contentment, dreamy forgetfulness and self-indulgence.” Choosing Lotusland was a bit ironic. Los Angeles is commonly mistaken as a dreamy getaway – although it has its moments – but the reality is it’s a major metropolis with big city issues (like all US cities). Lotusland was a way to poke fun at the misconceptions/stereotypes of Los Angeles.
Merriam-Webster states “the dreamy unreality of a lotusland is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.” Prior to this walk, that was how I always described Los Angeles, but a walk has its ways of making you fall in love with a place. My thoughts on the city have since changed. Los Angeles – rain, smog, traffic, trash, whatever – has won me over. This walk was a success.
Support
I’m no longer using Patreon, but will return to a subscription model in the near future. If you’d like to financially support this work, I’m accepting Paypal. If you don’t have the funds, you can always support by sharing my work with your friends. Thank you! Your support means the world.
Research
I’ll never claim to be a Los Angeles expert. I like to do my research to get a lay of the land prior to walking any place, big or small. The media loves to cast Los Angeles as a war zone. Don’t listen. Talk to those who actually live in the city.
I found the following resources invaluable:
Book
City of Quartz, Mike Davis
The Four Ecologies, Reyner Banham
Stairway Walks in Los Angeles, Adah Bakalinsky, Larry Gordon
Documentary
Los Angeles Plays Itself, Thom Andersen
Website
Thanks
I’m grateful for everyone’s support. Thanks for following along, sending notes of encouragement, and sharinging valuable insights. I truly appreciate all the help. It’s an honor to do (and continue doing) this work.
Sharing these walks isn’t easy. There’s a certain level of vulnerability involved. Each of the Lotusland newsletters, including photographs, are very rough sketches at best. I could have easily completed this series without sharing anything, but the practice of writing each night keeps me engaged with the walk and world around me. I won’t pretend I wasn’t completely gassed and nearly falling asleep while writing each of these newsletters. Despite the grind, the whole experience is always valuable.
Some of the material generated during Lotusland will likely be included – in some shape or form – in an upcoming book detailing the last few years of my walking practice. I’m very excited about where the book is heading and can’t wait to share with the world. I hope to have it in your hands by this fall. Stay tuned.
At the end of March/early April, I’ll send out a longer, more concise note with thoughts on walking Los Angeles in an edition of Pedestrian. In the meantime, I look forward to sharing the next long walk. See you on the road.
Thanks for reading,
Alex
@pppedestrian