Drake Stadium Bleachers Conveniently located on campus, the bleachers offer a great workout, either on their own or incorporated interval-style into a running routine on the track. The stadium is open to the public when track practice is not in session.
Palisades Charter High School Bleachers Pacific Palisades, an upscale neighbhorhood just north of Santa Monica, can serve as a nice change of scenery from the busier Santa Monica area. If you’re in the area and want a lower-body workout, try the bleachers at Pali High School. Integrate them into a run around the surrounding streets to change up the scenery and intensity of your normal exercise routine. Just off
Usual Hours: Monday-Friday: dawn to 1:00 PM, 5:30 PM to 9:45 PM Saturday: dawn to 9:00 AM, noon to 9:45 PM Sunday: dawn to 9:45 PM (check the UCLA Recreation website for special holiday schedules) Location: 340 Charles E. Young Dr. N. Los Angeles, CA 90095
Upper Mesa Stairway While Santa Monica’s 4th Street stairs are well-known and frequented by regular climbers, the staircases around Upper Mesa Road wind through shaded neighborhoods and provide a more peaceful walk. A possible walk is outlined in Flemming’s guide:
total wellness ▪ summer 2012
Moving inland along Mesa Road, where it intersects West Channel Road, make a quick left onto Sycamore Road. Passing house number 380, climb the staircase hidden on your right to Mesa. Across the street, just past 404, follow the stairs to Upper Mesa Road, where you’ll emerge from deep shade into wide wooded views. Take a left, moving downhill on Mesa. At 491 (a few doors beyond is Harwell Hamilton Harris’s modernist Entenza House), descend the stairs on your right to East Rustic Road. Turn right and follow Rustic as it curves down the canyon. Go right onto Hillside Lane. Just after 419 you’ll find another solitary staircase. Bear left at the top and follow Vance Street to Chautauqua Boulevard. Head downhill for the beach and back to West Channel, where you began. Location: 491 Mesa Road Santa Monica, CA 90402 Parking: street parking in neighborhood
Santa Monica 4th Street Cement Stairs A popular place among locals, this location has a set of two staircases: a 188-step concrete one and a 170-step wooden one. A popular workout is the “loop,” where climbers ascend the concrete steps and descend the wooden ones. Because the stairs are narrow, this location can get crowded. Go on weekdays to avoid the masses! Lower end: Entrada and N. Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90402 Upper end: 406 Adelaide Dr., Santa Monica, CA 90402 Parking: street parking in neighborhood
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