Downtown Sole Fever

Walking reveals the soul of a city that is usually hidden to drivers.

Pedestrians can peek into wedding chapels on Broadway, stroll through the sawdust-strewn Grand Central Market and even touch purple flowers snaking up chain-link fences. And they never have to leave downtown Los Angeles.

Those are some of the sights along the route of a self-guided walking tour of the downtown area that was kicked off Monday morning. Styled after Boston’s Freedom Trail, Angels Walk is a two-mile course in the city’s historic core and on Bunker Hill.

“We wanted to make the downtown a destination, an urban trail to explore the city,” said Angels Walk Executive Director Deanna Spector.

The walk, intended to take two hours, is sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, developer Maguire Partners and several other public agencies. In the next five years, other tours are expected to be designed for the Civic Center, Chinatown, the El Pueblo-Union Station district and Little Tokyo.

The project aims to bridge ethnic and historic islands, its backers say. By making downtown pedestrian-friendly, the MTA hopes to encourage travel via public transportation.

As originally envisioned by MTA board member Nick Patsaouras, Angels Walk was supposed to be much more elaborate, including street signs, shopping concourses, benches and sidewalk improvements. If funding becomes available, some of those features may be added, Spector said. The map brochures are intended as a first step.

About $130,000 from private and public sources funded the project. About 100,000 brochures are available at public libraries, downtown hotels, the Museum of Contemporary Art and City Hall.

More than 30 sites are highlighted along the route for their historic and cultural value. They include the ornate lobby of the Biltmore Hotel and the mural of Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek on the Victor Clothing building just off Broadway. Many of the buildings are featured prominently in movies, such as the Bradbury Building in “Blade Runner” and the Gas Co. Tower in “Speed.”

But alongside those attractions, litter clutters the streets and homeless people ask for money. The walking tour brings people closer to reality, both beautiful and painful.

Mayor Richard Riordan helped inaugurate Angels Walk on Monday. He walked about a quarter of the route, and many in his entourage of about 20 people hiked even less. At one point, the mayor demonstrated the coming triumph of the pedestrian by jaywalking across Grand Avenue to California Plaza.

“As mayor, it’s my duty to arrest anyone jaywalking,” Riordan chuckled, glancing both ways before stepping off the curb.

It’s a popular area for jaywalkers. The lunchtime crowd trickles across the street, heading for the eateries at California Plaza. Plans are in the works for a walkway, along with widened sidewalks and improved lighting, MTA officials said.

Project developers know that it will be difficult to encourage people to take the walks.

“People usually drive to get places faster. But it’s nice if you have time, to walk and get exercise,” said Fernando Castro, 38, a telephone dispatcher.

But others seemed intrigued by the idea. “I like exploring. There’s such a variety of things to do,” said Jack Nelson, 48, who works at a Bunker Hill accounting firm. “I’m impressed with what I see.”