Itinerary: Mount Washington

Tourists don’t often make it to Mount Washington, one of L.A.’s oldest neighborhoods, which gets overlooked as visitors zip up the Pasadena Freeway between downtown and Old Town. But locals forget about it, too--even though the area houses lots of Los Angeles history.

Some local historians speculate that the neighborhood wasn’t named for the first president, but for Henry Washington, a surveyor working in the area in the 1850s. The neighborhood is bounded on the east by the Arroyo Seco, which parallels the Pasadena Freeway. To the west are steep hills. In 1909 a developer built an incline railway--something like Angels Flight--leading to a new hotel and sold lots on the hillsides. Though the hotel closed in 1916 and the railway in 1919, now cars could climb to the new neighborhood.

This weekend, explore this oft-overlooked community.

Friday

The Mount Washington Hotel building still stands, and since 1925 has been the international headquarters for the Self-Realization Fellowship (3880 San Rafael Ave. [323] 225-2471). The grounds still boast the view that lured celebrities--Charlie Chaplin was one--when the hotel opened in 1909. On a clear day you can see the San Gabriel Mountains looming in the east, and Catalina Island poking out of the Pacific to the southwest.

The first floor of the building and the gardens, which are designed to be spots of quiet contemplation, are open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Visitors are welcome to look around, or ask for a tour.

Saturday

Charles Fletcher Lummis came out west the old-fashioned way. He walked. All the way from Cincinnati. He set out in 1884, wiring reports of his travels to the Los Angeles Times, where he later became city editor.

In 1897, with help from local Indians, Lummis started building a house next to the Arroyo, dragging boulders up from the gully and using old telegraph poles for timbers. It must be solid, because the Lummis Home (200 E. Avenue 43, [323] 222-0546), also called El Alisal (the Sycamores), is still standing, despite earthquakes and floods. Docents lead tours ($3 donation) Fridays-Sundays, noon-4 p.m.

Before or after, stop by Lummis’ other notable accomplishment: the Southwest Museum (234 Museum Drive, [323] 221-2164. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.). Lummis, a great collector of Indian artifacts, founded this museum in 1907. Today it houses one of the best Indian art and artifact collections in the country.

For a snack between stops, check out the Mexican cafe La Abeja (3700 Figueroa St., [323] 221-0474), a popular fixture of the Mount Washington-Highland Park neighborhood.

Sunday

Many a case of whiplash has been caused by Heritage Square, as car passengers on the Pasadena Freeway spin to look at this mini neighborhood of restored Victorian buildings. Exit at Avenue 43 and head east to Homer Street to enjoy the handful of houses, plus a depot, church and carriage barn, all of which were moved here to avoid demolition. You can walk around for free on Fridays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., but everything is open for tours ($2-$5) Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Finish with a stroll through Elyria Canyon Park, a 35-acre preserve purchased by the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy in 1993. Enter on Wollam Street, north of Division Street. The undisturbed flora--walnut trees, purple needle grass and toyon bushes--shows what L.A. was like 200 years ago.