Walking L.A. #7 - UCLA Campus

No one joined us for today's walk through UCLA. It was the first walk where it was just the two of us since Walk #3 in Southeast Santa Monica. No one wanted to see where I worked and apparently no one wants to see where I went to college.

Before the walk, we grabbed coffee and bagels at the Rumor Mill. We waited around for a few minutes just to see if anyone would show up at the last minute. No one did.

We drove to the start point of the walk at the corner of Hilgard and Sunset Bvld. There was no street parking, so we drove down Comstock and found parking on a small side street Lomond Ave.

The walk started in the Murphy Sculpture Garden, passed through Dickson Plaza, continued through the main quad passed Royce Hall and Powell Library, and then headed down Bruin Walk to Bruin Plaza. It then went back up Bruin Walk turning right at Kerckhoff Hall. I stopped at Kerckhoff and reminisced about the days I used to perform jazz there.

From Kerckhoff, we walked through south campus to the Mathias Botanical Gardens. I looked for California Native Plants in the gardens, but couldn't find any. It had been many years since I was there. I was one of the few UCLA Orientation Counselors that took my tour groups through the gardens. I used to feel like I was letting them in on a special secret since not that many people knew about the Botanical Gardens or how to get there.

After the walk, we ate at Thai Fresh on Westwood Blvd since we felt like trying something new. The food was good but not great. I doubt we'll ever end up there again unless we happen to be on Westwood Blvd craving Thai food.

The next walk is North Culver City.

Walking L.A.: 36 Walking Tours Exploring Stairways, Streets and Buildings You Never Knew Existed