Named in 1895, Wilshire Boulevard is one of Southern California's oldest streets, and we know it all too well: we've visited the Tar Pits, eaten BBQ in Koreatown, people-watched at Palisades Park, been stuck in traffic along the Miracle Mile.
Now, in partnership with Good Magazine, Tom Carroll of YouTube's "Tom Explores Los Angeles" is organizing a walk down Wilshire Boulevard — all 16 miles of it — on Wednesday, May 6.
"I've wanted to walk Wilshire for a long while now," says Carroll. "Just as a way to understand how large Los Angeles is, I guess."
"Originally I wanted to walk Sunset," says Caroll. "But that's 26 miles and a good chunk of which — on the Westside — has absolutely no sidewalks. It's life-threatening to walk all of Sunset!"
But it's for the best: there's plenty of fascinating stuff along Wilshire. For example, Wilshire Boulevard drives right through MacArthur Park in Westlake. Originally Wilshire ended at the park — then known as Westlake Park. It wasn't until 1934 that city officials built a road through MacArthur Park, draining half the lake in the process. You can find photos of the original park here.
Interested in going? There's no need to sign up — just meet at the corner of Wilshire and Grand in Downtown Los Angeles at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6. Carroll says the trip should take 8 hours, and that's at a leisurely pace. Just make sure to bring comfortable shoes and lots of water.