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Video: Jay Leno Races Through L.A.'s Hidden Urban Race Track
If you frequent Coldwater Canyon, you should be no stranger to seeing Jay Leno cruising by in one of his million fancy cars. If you haven't, this video is one way.
WIRED Magazine's car blog, Autopia, got together with Leno and riffed off the classic French short film, C’était un Rendezvous ("It was a date"), where Claude Lelouch speeds through Paris in the early morning hours. Blogger Jeremy Hart asked Leno if Los Angeles had a circuit comparable to Rendezvous.
Well, not only do we have a Rendezvous, says Leno, we have the Nürburgring, the race track that surrounds Nürburg, Germany. Leno's version of it surround his home in the Santa Monica Mountains. The 13-mile course is actually a nice drive, no matter what speed your going at.
To do it yourself, drive this perimeter: Coldwater Canyon to Mulholland Drive to Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Sunset Boulevard and back to Coldwater Canyon via Beverly Drive.
And being the green beans that we are, we, however, recommend this detour: when traveling up Beverly Drive, turn with it as it veers left instead of following as it turns into Coldwater Canyon. Eventually, Beverly turns into Franklin Canyon, taking you on a peaceful, yet slow, route through one of the most beautiful nature parks, home to the Hastain Trail, among others, and the alleged center of Los Angeles. The route will eventually lead you back to where Coldwater and Mulholland meet (tip: the park is only open during daylight hours).
What are some other local circuits, urban or not. that you enjoy? We personally love the western Santa Monica Mountains: Las Virgenes Road from Calabasas to Malibu and Mullholland Highway from Las Virgenes to at least Circle X Ranch, home to Sandstone Peak, the highest point in mountain range.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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