Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It's Saturday, April 27. Here's what you need to know to start your weekend:
Explore L.A.'s most beautiful bridges
When I think of cities with famous bridges, Los Angeles doesn't immediately come to mind. New York City's Brooklyn Bridge and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge are the obvious ones that come to mind, and I've had the opportunity to walk on both.
When I arrived in L.A., the expansive county offered hiking trails and bike paths to explore the outdoors. But it never occurred to me that bridge walks could be another way to be active.
Well L.A. is certainly a bridge destination, with more than 450 in the county ranging from humble overpasses to architectural gems that rest above rivers and channels.
Now that warmer days are on the horizon, there's no better time to traverse L.A.'s arches. Times contributor Adam Markovitz put together a list of nine lovely walks to explore L.A.'s most beautiful bridges.
Here are a few:
Colorado Street Bridge
The Colorado Street Bridge. (Adam Markovitz)
Featured in "La La Land," Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" and Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" music video, this is one of the more well-known bridges in L.A. to make the list. The Pasadena overpass was lauded as the highest and longest concrete bridge in the world when it was completed in 1913.
Although you can walk over the bridge itself, it's not recommended right now. As a public safety precaution in 2017, the city of Pasadena lined the sidewalks of the upper deck with a high chain-link fence.
Plans are underway for a permanent barrier that will fit better with the bridge's architecture. Until then, the nicest way to experience the bridge is to go underneath it.
La Loma Bridge
La Loma bridge. (Adam Markovitz)
Also known as the "little sister" of the larger Colorado Street Bridge upstream, Pasadena's La Loma Bridge is worth a visit in its own right.
It only has two arches crossing the Arroyo Seco River compared with Colorado's nine, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm and accessibility.
It's a 1.3-mile loop that takes you along both sides of the arroyo, up across the bridge itself and back again.
Shakespeare Bridge
Shakespeare bridge. (Adam Markovitz)
L.A. might have taller, longer and older bridges, but there aren't many that have as much charm than the tiny Shakespeare Bridge. Historians are unsure on how the bridge got its name, or what its connection might be to the English playwright and poet.
Another local nickname is the "Disney Bridge" because of a few landmarks nearby.
A stroll across the 262-foot span will bring you to Lyric Avenue where Walt Disney once lived in the storybook-style home on the corner.
The magical area also consists of the Rapunzel-esque tower of John Marshall High School and the "Snow White Cottages," a cluster of eight cozy homes that supposedly inspired animators working on the classic Disney film.
La Kretz Bridge
LaKretz bridge. (Adam Markovitz)
If you like horses, this is the walk for you. Even if you don't, it's still worth it for an up-close look at one of the most striking bridges in the L.A. area.
Originally, La Kretz was only supposed to carry riders from the Atwater Village Equestrian Historic District to the trails in Griffith Park, but funding problems opened the path up to pedestrians and bikers.
To walk across the bridge, head to North Atwater Park and park in the lot next to the wooden "North Atwater Park" sign. You'll be able to see the top of the bridge from there and a short dirt trail leads you to the eastern ramp.
Once you're on the other side of the L.A. River, you can either turn back, continue your walk along the L.A. River Bike Path or head to Griffith Park.
Whether you're on the trail or peeking at the stables, there should be horses galore.
The week's biggest stories
More than 90 people were arrested by LAPD officers after a protest against the Israel-Hamas war at USC on Wednesday, (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Pro-Palestinian protests
Buying a home in California
Supreme Court on homelessness
This week in sports
More big stories
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Column One
Column One is The Times' home for narrative and longform journalism. Here's a great piece from this week:
(Xavier Martinez / For the Times)
How a migrant farmworker built generational wealth, penny by penny. Over time, remittances provided a source of modest generational wealth for Xavier Martinez's Mexican grandparents, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews — to the point where his American family no longer feels the need to send money, except in times of emergency.
More great reads
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For your weekend
Brunch at Ammatoli might include Levantine favorites such as musakhan, shakshouka, a Jerusalem bagel, fattet hummus and meat manoushe.
(Shelby Moore)
Going out
Staying in
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
(Times staff and wire photos)
An airport beef between two California cities? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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