SILVERLAKE WALKING TOUR

To raise money for the new Unique LA space, Unique LA and Alissa Walker offered a walking tour of the Silverlake Stairs. Luckily, a friend of mine had an extra ticket (Thank you, Jeanetta!) as I had forgotten to book one in my pre-Turkey craziness.

Despite my deep seated aversion to waking up early on a Saturday morning and hauling myself to Silverlake at the crack of 10:00am, the trip was definitely worth it. A few grad school friends are MAJOR fans of Alissa Walker's style and urban writing, so I especially wanted to take a tour of her hood through her eyes. I had participated on a meetup of the Silverlake Stairs a few years ago (and that was an interesting day filled with more than a few crazy stories) but this time I was hoping for a more "educational" version. This was NOT the Sierra Club Singles, a hoard of 100+ Meetup goers barreling  down Echo Park boulevard, dressed inappropriately in flip flips or heavy leather boots, all under the 90 degree Los Angeles noon sun. Yes, that was definitely a different story, perhaps to be revisited on another day.

Instead of hipster jeans and pick up lines, we had Alissa Walker's insights into the eclectic neighborhood. We learned about foraging along the old railway lines, hearing that conifers needles are indeed edible. We observed picking the peppercorn clusters off an overflowing tree, and the importance of foraging for plants above a dog's reach. I probably won't be foraging in the Los Angeles wilds any time soon, but I enjoyed the lessons and the walk.

After off roading for a bit, we visited Deborah's Silverlake home. I will feature this gorgeous home on an upcoming post. I always love going inside unique homes, peering into how people live and style their residences. Deborah is a renown urban planner so she had an especially interesting perspective into the history of her home and the family who had built it.

Leaving the home tour, we hiked up and down several staircases, admiring the vistas and the flowering plants. We then walked down to the Silverlake reservoir, sharing refreshing natural sodas, while learning about the newly planted drought resistant park. It was quite an eventful Saturday: all this before I usually get back from Pilates!

Thank you Unique LA and Alissa Walker for such an inspiring day!