states that it was placed here in 1921 by, again, those Daughters of the American Revolution, to commemorate the family members of their society who lost their lives in World War I.
Return to the path and continue as it drops down a couple of crumbling steps onto the shady residential end of Elysian Park Drive. Walk on, across the intersection with Douglas Street, keeping to the right past a wide white gate to veer right and downhill to another section of Elysian Park Drive.
Up and to the left is a tree-pocked hillside where, if you like, you can get an interesting backside view of Saint Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whose golden domes are visible from Sunset Boulevard as it winds through Echo Park.
Otherwise, remain on the paved road as it winds downhill. When you meet Scott Avenue, cross the street, walk around another wide gate, and continue along this closed section of Elysian Park Drive.
Below you are the grassy slopes of Elysian Park. Above are hillsides covered in oak and pepper trees. Straight ahead, along the paved road, you will ultimately meet Academy Road once more. Turn right and head downhill, past another gallery of old date palms and new plantings of their baby siblings.
At the bottom of the hill, you will meet Stadium Way once again, and find yourself back at your starting point.
WALK #5
ELYSIAN PARK & RADIO HILL
DISTANCE: 3.5 miles
DURATION: 1 hour 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY: 3
DETAILS: Free and metered street parking. Dogs on leash allowed. Metro buses #28, #45, and #83.
Steps away from busy Chinatown is a walk into a quiet section of wooded hillside, along a trail that rises to fantastic views of downtown and East Los Angeles. A bonus? Good Chinese food before or after the walk.
Begin this walk on North Broadway, near Bamboo Lane, at the historic “Old Chinatown” gate. (Note: This name is slightly bogus. The “old” Chinatown was actually near where Union Station is today, and was razed to make way for the construction of the train station. This Chinatown was built in 1938, in part using Hollywood movie sets donated by Cecil B. DeMille.)
Walk through the “Chinese” plaza, which is part hokey tourist attraction and part working community, filled with shops selling trinkets and apothecaries selling Chinese herbs and medicines.
Emerge on the other side, onto Hill Street, and take a right. Walk about three blocks, past Bamboo Lane and Bernard Street. When it looks like Hill is going to merge with the freeway, veer right to reach the intersection of Cottage Home Street. Jog slightly left, and follow the street as it parallels the freeway and turns into Bishops Road.
On the right, you’ll see a large piece of real estate that houses Saint Bridget’s Catholic Church and Cathedral High School, a Christian Brothers preparatory school for underprivileged boys that has been operating since 1925. This is the home of the Cathedral Phantoms, so called because the property on which the school was built was once the old Calvary Cemetery. Just out of sight, behind the school buildings, is the school’s football field, marked “Cathedral” on one end and “Phantoms” on the other. Their mascot is a skeleton, wrapped in a shroud.
Follow Bishops Road as it rises and winds to the right. Turn left onto Stadium Way, and follow the street up and around a curve. (Again, it will look like you’re heading onto the freeway. Don’t worry, you aren’t.) As the road rises, hook back to the right onto a wide, paved road that is closed to car traffic, and walk past a white security gate. Begin following this flat section of the road as it winds around the hillside to the left.
Already you will see some interesting views: the L.A. skyline, Union Station, the above-ground stretch of the Gold Line subway, and Los Angeles State Historic Park (nicknamed “The Cornfield” in the 1870s, it is said, after seeds spilling from passing trains sprouted on the site).
A view of East Los Angeles and the downtown skyline from the top of the hill.
As you continue around the hillside, you’ll find that the road divides into two paths. For a quick look at the view, take the left-hand road and climb to the technical peak of Radio Hill, which is home to a large radio tower. After surveying the view, walk back down to the fork and take the other road to continue around the hill.
This piece of paved road will culminate at another low, white security gate. Pass this and cross Amador Street, walking past another white security gate as the paved road, still closed to cars, continues on the other side. This very short stretch will end in the shadow of the freeway. Walk straight on for half a block to meet Solano Avenue.
Veer right on Solano, turning away from the freeway, then turn left at once onto Casanova Street. Walk a short, steep block uphill, then follow the street as it bends to the right and descends. Enter the park on your left at the first opportunity, through a gate onto a series of terraced lawns. Rise from one lawn to the next using the old staircases, or follow the stretch of roadway. Climb past the gate at the top of the hill, and turn right onto Park Row Drive.
Here you will find another terrace of sorts, where the road splits into two. Above this is a narrow dirt trail. Follow it to the right as it parallels the roadway, and walk toward a wide open, sloping lawn.
This is a good picnic spot or, again, a good place to simply enjoy the view. All of downtown L.A., from the skyscrapers on your right to East Los Angeles on your left, is laid out here. It’s a good place to sit and speculate, throw a ball for your dog, fly a kite, or … continue walking.
The trail will wind around the side of the hill. Follow the lawn downhill, to meet Park Row Drive again. Turn left. Find a narrow path heading downhill on the right, through a series of landscaped terraces. In time, they will drop you onto Meadow Road. Turn right, heading downhill. When you reach North Broadway, turn right again, and head toward downtown.
As you turn, notice the historic marker on your right, indicating this spot as the start of the Portola Trail. This is the beginning of Walk #7 (Elysian Park’s Freeway Flyer) in this book, and also an important historical location. The marker indicates the trail used by Don Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer, soldier, and, late in his life, governor of Baja and Alta California. In 1769, he and a small army, sent by the Spanish crown to expel the Jesuits from the missions of California, camped on the banks of what is now the Los Angeles River. Traveling with the Franciscan missionaries Father Juan Crespi and Father Junipero Serra (the latter following in a separate group), Portola marched west from here to the coast, eventually walking all the way to Monterey.
This stretch of noisy roadway is not as nice as the trail to Radio Hill, but it does have its charms. Shortly, on your right, you will see the temple of the Xuan Wu San Buddhist Association. Soon after, you will pass Casa Italiana and Saint Peter’s Italian Catholic Church. The former offers dinner and opera shows; the latter hosts regular Sunday Mass. Both serve as a reminder—as did Little Joe’s Italian Restaurant, now demolished but formerly located down Broadway a bit—of a time when this neighborhood was more Italian than Chinese.
Continue down the road, passing Cottage Home Street and Bernard Street. If you’re curious about the Chinese community
