We Walked 25 Miles In 12 Hours To Long Beach And Actually Enjoyed It

We took Atlantic each nan measurement to nan Pacific, walking from nan San Gabriel Valley to Long Beach connected foot. On nan past greeting of May, a group of america group retired astatine 7:45 a.m. from a barren In-N-Out parking batch successful Alhambra, wherever Atlantic Boulevard begins. We kept stepping until we reached nan water, 12 hours and much than 55,000 steps later.

In all, our group passed 8 freeways, 2 highways, and 1 river, twice. We walked done a twelve cities: Alhambra, Monterey Park, Commerce, Vernon, Maywood, Bell, Cudahy, South Gate, Lynwood, Compton, Long Beach and, of course, Los Angeles.

We spent only astir 1.5 miles, a half-hour, successful nan metropolis of Los Angeles itself, each successful East L.A. We spent much clip successful Lynwood than Los Angeles. We spent acold much clip — much than a 3rd of our time — successful Long Beach.

To locomotion Atlantic was to link nan dots astir really our region functions economically, from nan larboard to nan factories to nan suburbs. It was besides to recognize conscionable really expansive and multifaceted Long Beach is.

This is nan sixth specified locomotion of 1 lengthy thoroughfare that, ending astatine nan ocean, we’ve completed crossed Los Angeles. Our pursuit began successful 2022 pinch Wilshire’s 16 miles, continued successful 2023 with Sunset’s 25, maxed retired successful 2024 with Western’s 28-plus miles, and stepped backmost successful 2025 with Pico’s 15.5 miles. Earlier this year, astir 30 of america strolled each of Santa Monica’s 14.5 miles.

This time, we started pinch a group of 16, ranging successful property from 20-something to sexagenarian, and vanished pinch 12. Some walkers near and joined america on nan way. Ten, including 1 Long Beach local, completed nan street.

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1. Pedro Moura, center, gives a pep talk earlier starring a group connected a 25-mile locomotion nan magnitude of Atlantic Boulevard. (Scott Strazzante/For The Times) 2. In so-L.A. fashion, a Tesla Cybertruck rolls past a heap of possessions flooding nan sidewalk successful beforehand of an flat building. 3. Josiah Fields, 15, earns money by cleaning car windshields astatine nan intersection of Atlantic and Alondra Boulevards. 4. During nan last mile of nan their 25 mile walk, Chloe Stepney and Trevor O’Brien lead nan measurement past Louis Burgers III connected Atlantic Avenue. (Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

We’ve been playfully calling our yearly jaunts nan Big Walk. This one, we called nan Bigger Walk. I suppose that makes Western nan Biggest. We’ve travel to judge nan perfect region for an all-day effort is astir 20 miles. That seems agelong capable for it to consciousness for illustration a existent feat and short capable to see much willing folks and ample break time.

After a tranquil clip connected Santa Monica, I wrote that we expected Atlantic to beryllium nan other acquisition — “unwieldy, astatine times unwelcoming, and excessively industrial.” That was an overstatement astatine champion and factually incorrect astatine worst.

We did sojourn Vernon, nan metropolis that proudly promotes itself arsenic “exclusively industrial.” But by 1 measure, Atlantic was virtually nan astir welcoming thoroughfare we’ve done yet. Many much group greeted us. The existent thoroughfare was astatine slightest arsenic pedestrian-friendly arsenic Western aliases Sunset. At nary constituent did we person to locomotion connected nan roadworthy aliases successful a minuscule median.

We did, though, person to transverse 5 crosswalks conscionable to proceed connected Atlantic astatine 1 point, astatine an absurd intersection pinch Ferguson Drive, Goodrich Boulevard, Telegraph Road and Triggs Street. Railroad tracks and nan famed aged East L.A. Union Pacific Station stood to our left, and nan 5 freeway to our right. Clearly, pedestrian convenience had not been beforehand of mind during nan area’s planning.

Oil mightiness beryllium nan simplest measurement to exemplify really Atlantic differs from much celebrated L.A. streets. On Pico Boulevard, location are lipid derricks hidden down elaborate, towering facades. Along Atlantic, nan derricks are conscionable everyplace successful plain show for a while. We did locomotion atop some nan Long Beach Oil Field, a mega elephantine field, and nan Wilmington Oil Field, nan third-largest lipid field successful nan contiguous United States.

That’s Atlantic, lacking successful pretense, not hiding anything, but exceeding our expectations. We saw much plants autochthonal to our region, including Cleveland sage and Sacred datura, than on Santa Monica. And we kept encountering vibrant pockets wherever we did not cognize they would be. Monterey Park was nan first to impressment us, pinch gorgeous Cascades Park tucked into a lush small valley.

A roseate peeks done a obstruction astatine St. Rose of Lima Church connected Atlantic Boulevard.

Lykayla Melendez poses successful her quinceañera dress astatine Cascades Park on Atlantic Boulevard.

In East L.A., chilaquiles, tamales, tejuino and ribs were each disposable street-side, and 1 of our members noticed nan newer location of nan famed La Azteca Tortilleria successful a portion promenade adjacent nan Metro station. Azteca has been nan No. 1 seed successful Times columnist Gustavo Arellano’s tortilla tasting tournaments pinch KCRW; we picked up a mates twelve to go.

Farther south, Bell is champion known locally arsenic the location of brazenly corrupt metropolis officials earlier this century. When we passed through, nan shadiness provided by a pouch parkland successful nan metropolis halfway became a important respite for our luncheon break. Across nan street, a organization marketplace was conscionable starting up for nan afternoon. We caught a mates songs from a talented mariachi band.

Once we crossed nan 105 overpass, we quickly encountered 4 sizable parks, each nary much than 2 miles from nan last. We saw 1 pump track, 2 tennis courts and skate parks, respective sports fields, and an awesome number of nutrient trucks, including Instagram-famous Kitchen’s Corner BBQ. At slightest different twelve nutrient vendors seemed to beryllium mounting up for evening work arsenic we marched by successful nan precocious afternoon.

By nan 3rd parkland we passed, we were successful Long Beach, specifically North Long Beach. The fourth, Scherer Park, is simply a sprawling, 26-acre gem. Soon capable we were successful Bixby Knolls, where, for much than a decade now, Long Beach officials person been investing successful improving bicycle and pedestrian access. It shows. We had a delightful happy hr connected Ambitious Ales’ beforehand patio overlooking Atlantic.

August Fagerstrom and Pedro Moura fist bump a well-wisher connected Atlantic Avenue.

Official lists of nan longest L.A.-area streets are almost intolerable to find. Often, specified lists are kept by cities. The longer nan street, nan little apt that each of it is wrong 1 city’s limits.

We tin opportunity this: There are not galore stretches of a azygous thoroughfare pinch nan aforesaid sanction longer than Atlantic successful nan L.A. Basin. Western Avenue, definitely. Imperial Highway, depending connected your position connected what constitutes a street. Sunset is astir nan aforesaid length. And that’s astir it.

Unless you want to beryllium peculiarly persnickety and disqualify Atlantic connected nan grounds that it technically has 2 names. For its bluish 10 miles, Atlantic is simply a boulevard. For its confederate 15, it’s an avenue. Where Maywood becomes Bell, it switches. But it’s Atlantic each nan same, and that was bully capable for us.

Surely you’ve been wondering astir nan root of nan name. Atlantic has been named for nan distant water since nan 19th century, erstwhile a Brit tried to christen a metropolis aft himself and named its 3 awesome streets Pacific, American and Atlantic avenues, from westbound to east. American is now Long Beach Boulevard, truthful it nary longer makes overmuch sense.

At nan extremity of their 25-mile walk, Chris Kirkham celebrates pinch chap walkers astatine Atlantic Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.

Speaking of names: Our Alhambra is named aft a Washington Irving book inspired by his sojourn to nan 13th-century Islamic wall of nan aforesaid sanction successful what is now Spain. You tin locomotion to nan existent Atlantic from that Alhambra successful astir 150 miles.

This was easier than that, astatine least. If you’re eager to research nan backbone of Los Angeles, funny for a challenge, you could do worse than attacking Atlantic. I committedness you’ll spot thing new. We saw a thoroughfare juggler. We saw a unrecorded chickenhearted and a dormant turkey. We saw a discarded container of Pacifico brew that had been cooking successful nan sun truthful agelong it turned from yellowish to white.

Pedro Moura points retired Chloe Stepney’s sock tan statement arsenic they observe nan extremity of their 25-mile locomotion down Atlantic pinch a dip successful nan Pacific Ocean astatine Alamitos Beach.

After we rinsed our weary feet successful nan Pacific, immoderate of america waddled backmost up to Downtown Long Beach and scarfed down Sonoratown burritos and chivichangas earlier heading home. It was a Sunday good spent.