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Exploring Downtown LA’s Forgotten Pedways
A pedway in downtown Los Angeles.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Is that a bird? A plane? No, that’s a futuristic sky bridge, also known as a pedway.
Walkways for an abandoned L.A. future
If you’re in downtown L.A., near Figueroa and Flower Street, look up, and you’ll see one of these walkways, which represents one of the city’s unfinished dreams.
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My colleague Caitlin Hernández wrote about the history of these walkways that look like they’re part of a sci-fi movie. To sum up the purpose of why it was built, I’ll be taking Caitlin’s description of it:
Think of the pedways as a shortcut for the yuppies and finance bros, a “glorified park-and-ride,” or a bit of “Blade Runner” futurism.
When did these futuristic walkways appear and who is the creator behind them? They were designed by Calvin Hamilton, a former L.A. city planning director who served between 1964 and 1985. The pedways were expensive, but federal funding covered a large portion of the costs before everything fell apart in the ‘80s.
Learn more about the ambitious plans behind L.A.’s pedways and where you can find them — click here.
Stay safe, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.
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Wait! One more thing...
A reminder to get your holiday gifts!
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Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
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This is a reminder for you and me that the days are short and flying by, and now is the time to get some holiday shopping done.
If you have no idea what to get someone this season, you can check out all of our LAist guides here.
Today I want to highlight the person in your life who has everything and no material present will do. My usual go-to is a gift card during these instances, but how about gifting them … horseback riding down the coast or … a class on how to make the perfect matcha tea? Read our gift guide to get more ideas! Bonus: No decluttering or an awkward ask for that receipt.
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