This Sunday, you may notice that something big is happening. Your brunch commute might look a little different depending on where you’re going. That’s because it’s the 38th running of the L.A. Marathon! Here’s all you need to know about traffic and road closures that day.
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Speaking of which…I am actually going to be running.
This will be my first time ever running 26.2 miles. I’m not kidding. By the next time we meet, my friends, I’ll be a marathoner.
I will join thousands of other people at the Dodger Stadium in the wee hours of the morning to intentionally run across the city. I’m mostly excited about seeing so much of L.A. by foot. I’ll be running by (and along) several landmarks, like the Capitol Records Tower, Grauman’s Chinese Theater and Historic Route 66. We will get our medals on the Avenue of the Stars in Century City. To learn more about the race, check out the McCourt Foundation website.
I’ve reflected a lot about this process this past week before the BIG DAY. It hasn’t been easy to get ready for it. In my latest article for LAist, I share a few of those crucial lessons I’ve learned as I prepared for the biggest race of my life. Hopefully, you’ll get a little inspiration from it.
If you can, come out and support all of the runners this Sunday!
As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.
(After you stop hitting snooze)
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I drive EVERYWHERE in L.A. I cannot imagine living here in this sprawling, big, metropolitan city without a car. But some people, like my colleague How To LA Producer Evan Jacoby, manage to live perfectly fine without one. Not only has he been able to save hundreds of dollars without a car, he’s able to appreciate the city more on his bike.
He is not alone when it comes to being car-less. Hundreds of thousands of people do it in L.A. But how?
In the latest podcast episode of How To LA, Evan and fellow producer Megan Botel commute from Mid-City L.A. to Pasadena using a combo of bikes, scooters and the metro. We also hear from others who commute exclusively via bike and people who only take the bus. It is possible to live car-free in THE most vehicle-centric city in the world but, as we learn through the podcast, you can have a car but use it less. Consider walking to get that coffee. Or even a few groceries.
It is the goal of the city to get people out of their cars. And it is working — a little. At least people are thinking about it more. Now officials just need to make it safer.
Take a listen to the podcast here. You can also learn a little about L.A.’s long lost history as a public transit leader.
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