From humble overpasses to architectural gems: Explore L.A.’s most beautiful bridges
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:
You're reading the Essential California newsletter
Our reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the day.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
- The best walks to explore L.A.’s bridges
- Pro-Palestinian encampments and protests grow at California universities
- Sixteen essential brunch favorites
- And here’s today’s enewspaper
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
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
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
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
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
Pro-Palestinian protests
- LAPD arrests 93 people at USC amid Israel-Hamas war protests.
- ‘We will not move.’ Pro-Palestinian encampments and protests grow at California universities.
- Amid Gaza protests and ‘hateful graffiti,’ Cal Poly Humboldt closes campus through the weekend.
- Pro-Palestinian protests grow at California campuses as opposing demonstrators clash at UCLA.
Buying a home in California
- These are the California cities where $150,000 still buys you a home. Could you live here?
- The California housing crisis is so bad that once-modest towns have become ‘million-dollar cities.’
- California is building fewer homes. The state could get even more expensive.
Supreme Court on homelessness
- The Supreme Court is divided on a homelessness case that will affect California encampment policy.
- California leaders asked for a Supreme Court homelessness decision. Will it backfire?
This week in sports
- Darvin Ham is on the hot seat as the Lakers are on the brink of elimination.
- With his Heisman returned, Reggie Bush vows to continue NCAA fight: ‘I never cheated.’
- Oldest living MLB player turns 100, vividly recalls facing Dodgers in 1953 World Series.
- USC’s Caleb Williams, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu are top pick and top defender taken in draft.
More big stories
- Why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 tabloid deal came up at Trump’s hush-money trial.
- ‘Rivers in the sky’ have drenched California, yet even more extreme rains are possible.
- USC cancels ‘main stage’ commencement ceremony.
- California wants to harness more than half its land to combat climate change by 2045. Here’s how.
- LAX plans to update terminal and gate numbers ahead of the Olympics.
- Why Disney is doubling down on theme parks with a $60-billion plan.
- As Mandisa’s death investigation proceeds, police are seeing no signs of foul play.
- An L.A. student dies after safety team member allegedly does not intervene to try to prevent fight.
- A Berkeley-born Israeli hostage hadn’t been seen since Oct. 7. His family finally glimpses him.
- How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate.
- David Mamet slams Hollywood’s ‘garbage’ DEI initiatives. ‘It’s fascist totalitarianism.’
Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.
Column One
Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:
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
- Meet the homeless L.A. immigrants who built a DIY home in gentrifying Highland Park.
- Inspired by reality TV, Buddhist monks become matchmakers.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your weekend
Going out
- 🍽️ Sixteen essential brunch favorites from the 101 Best Restaurants guide.
- 🎭 A new play about Jesus comes to the O.C. It could provoke ‘intense’ reactions.
- 😁 Our 25 must-see shows at Netflix Is a Joke.
Staying in
- 💻 ‘Fallout,’ ‘Girls5eva’ and more streaming recommendations for your weekend.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for marinated feta with spice-roasted tomatoes and grapefruit.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
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
Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
