Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 7, 2012. Who would have ever thought the Pacific Electric Viaduct Footings would become a tourist attraction? (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Despite City of Los Angeles cultural historic landmark status, the viaduct footings have really struggled for respect through various degrees of guerrilla art and gardening. So hats off to Charles Flemming, author of Secret Stairs. Every weekend, I run into couples or small groups of people, his guide book in hand, taking the route through our neighborhood.
Last weekend, a couple asked me if I was sick of people asking about things in the book, walking through the neighborhood. My response was that people with the book, for one, read; two, are generally respectful of the neighborhood; three, they're walking, not driving. I shared this with Flemming when I ran into him, walking the Red Car Property with his wife and dog, the very next day.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 7, 2011. Outside of The Big Parade, I hadn't run into such enthusiastic public staircase tourists, as this group mugging for photos on the viaduct footings.
