Hidden Sidewalks: Walk # 37, Hollywood Bowl & Hightower Loop

The second of Charles Fleming's Secret Stairs walks that I took led me through "the back side of the Hollywood Bowl, into one of the city's few walk-street communities, with no access to cars." The contextual information I share below comes from his book. Above is High Tower, which contains an elevator. Look familiar? More on this below.

First I passed by Highland Towers where William Faulkner lived and possibly wrote the screenplay adaptations for "To Have and Have Not," and "The Big Sleep."

Heading up into the hills.

The first 103 steps.

An accidental action photo.

It really does seem sometimes like you are walking through people's property. I saw very few folks, whether residents or fellow tourists, on my walks.

Above and below is the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Samuel Freeman House, constructed in 1924.

I actually did get a little bit lost here because I wasn't reading the directions properly. These weren't the right stairs for my walk.

Here is the correct staircase. Above is a rarity, where two walk-streets, the Broadway Terrace steps and the Los Altos Place steps, intersect. So fun to venture through this hidden world.

In the background is High Tower, which contains an elevator that only people who live in the Alta Loma Terrace neighborhood can use. There is no road access to four buildings around the Tower. The occupants must park in garages below and take the elevator (or 200 stairs!) to reach their homes. This famous landmark has appeared in movies and novels, set in Los Angeles.

The home above was designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the famous Frank.

The following photos are from the charming Alta Loma Terrace neighborhood, where the gardens and flowering trees and plants are lush and its hard to believe I am near a bustling city.

Good by to my last Secret Stairs walk (on this trip!) Thanks to Charles Fleming for being such a good tour guide!

Postscript: I was so impressed with the book Secret Stairs that I wrote Charles Fleming a fan letter and he responded. Here are the letters below.

Dear Charles,

My name is Maria Carroll, and I'm from Peoria, Illinois. I went to USC for three years in the 80's and don't get back to California often. But in December 2017, I spent two weeks, traveling down the coast, starting near Eureka to see the Redwoods, onto San Francisco, Big Sur, San Luis Obsipo, and ending in Los Angeles. 

When I was doing my tourist research, I came across Secret Stairs! What a fantastic book! Like 99 percent of the population, including my California friends, I had no idea about the existence of these stairs. I loved everything about them--the history, the views, the architecture, the exercise. On this trip, I was able to complete walks 34 & 37.

Thank you for all the wonderful history you share and also the very precise descriptions that kept this directionally challenged traveler on the right path. I am eager to return to California and scale more of your Secret Stairs.

Wishing you all the best,

Maria 

Thank you so much for this letter, which entirely made my week. My month!

The Secret Stairs project was entirely a labor of love, and the delightful result is that more people now know about this strange hidden network of urban trails. When I began, it was just me on the stairs. Gradually others noticed me walking in my neighborhood and said, “What the hell are you doing out there?” Then some of them joined me. Now, when I do my (almost) regular monthly walks, I often lead 100 to 120 people up and down and around the town.

Thanks again for the lovely coverage. I hope to see you on the stairs next time you’re here.

Charles