The Great Los Angeles Walk Happens Tomorrow!

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 takes place tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.! For those of you walking, a reminder: You that you should make sure you have a transportation plan in place, so you’re not stranded after walking all day!

I’ve heard from several of you, and it seems like a consensus is brewing that the best option for those of you without anyone picking you up is to PARK IN THE MORNING in Santa Monica, and take the bus all the way to Union Station BEFORE the walk. (That way, your car is waiting for you when it’s all done.)

Veteran walker Joni was the first to give this tip:

For those choosing to leave their cars at the end of the walk route (or for those who live in Santa Monica like I do), the Big Blue Bus #10 is a freeway flyer that goes from Santa Monica and 4th (near the Britannia Pub, our after party location) to Downtown’s Union Station.

It runs less often than the 704, but it gets there much faster:

http://bigbluebus.com/busroutes/schedule.asp?bus_route=10&dayofweek=saturday.

The 7:17 am bus arrives at 8 am, 7:47 am at 8:30 am, and 8:17 am at 9:03 am; one-way fare is $1.75. (I would strongly suggest taking that 7:17 am bus so you’re not late… if you arrive early, you can always have breakfast while waiting for the walk to begin.)

The #10 makes a number of stops along Santa Monica Blvd before it hops on the freeway at bundy, so you don’t have to drive all the way to the Promenade to catch it (and you can always catch the big blue #1 to get back to where you left your car from the after-walk party).

GOOD ADVICE, JONI! Thanks.

For those of you who nonetheless decide to park at Union Station, that Big Blue Bus #10 heads back to Union Station from 4th & Santa Monica at 5:44 pm, 6:15 pm, and 7:16 pm (the last trip of the evening), each scheduled to take about 55 minutes.

ESCAPE ROUTE: Along the route, if you’re exhausted and want to take the bus either to Santa Monica or Union Station, you’ve got a couple of bus or rail options (thanks to David for this info):

<a href="http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/704.pdf
” target=”_blank”>http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/704.pdf
The 704 Metro Rapid line runs eastbound from 2nd & SM Blvd in Santa Monica to Union Station but last Saturday bus leaves at 7:01pm and takes 80 minutes.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/004.pdf
The #4 regular line runs eastbound every 15-20 minutes from 2nd & SM Blvd in Santa Monica to Metro Rail stations at Vermont and Civic Center downtown. The Red Line subway terminates at Union Station.

I’ll be updating mile by mile, as well as when we stop and start, take breaks, etc. at www.twitter.com/greatlawalk.

Here are a few more people who plan to Twitter:

twitter.com/justin_canada
twitter.com/meekorouse
twitter.com/la_oc_foodie
twitter.com/maxually
twitter.com/drtiki
twitter.com/neverlost
twitter.com/anotorias
twitter.com/nay63
twitter.com/melanieo
twitter.com/zentertainment
twitter.com/jc_losangeles
twitter.com/Carolineoncrack
twitter.com/wildbell

If you plan to, let me know, so I can compile a master list.

Meanwhile, we’ll see you on Saturday! The crowd will be gathering in the courtyard outside (on the right of the main hall, if you’re facing the entrance) of Union Station. We’ll then head through Olvera Street and make our way to Cesar Chavez… and we’re off!

Great Los Angeles Walk Afterparty Location: Britannia Pub

(Pic via the Los Angeles Times.)

Thanks to the fine people at Yelp, we’ve found a spot to celebrate on Saturday!

After our 18 mile hike down Santa Monica Blvd. (and more), we’ll be heading over to Britannia Pub for our afterparty.

We’ll probably make it to the ocean by 6 p.m., and then we’ll head to the Britannia, where we’ve reserved the upper floor.

See you all on Saturday!

Sean Takes Over For Jay’s Jayburger

The new Sean's Burgers sign -- taken after dark. Stay tuned for a better daytime pic.

Two years after Jay’s Jayburger shut down, the empty burger shack at the corner of Virgil and Santa Monica finally has a new tenant.

The signs have gone up for Sean’s Burgers, although the new joint hasn’t yet officially opened. For those diehard Jay’s fans who were still holding out hope that the Jayburger would return, this appears to be the final nail in the coffin.

Jay's Jayburger, in happier times

But at least the tiny shack will finally see some life again. Jay’s was forced out — or willfully abandoned the shack, depending on whose side you listen too — after the family that owns the strip of land where Jay’s sat decided to build a mini-strip mall around it. The L.A. Times wrote in March 2005:

JayAnn Rojas (daughter of founder Lionel “Jay” Coffin) said she was forced to close it Feb. 1, when (landowners Mary and Paul Lee) ordered the stand’s storage container removed.

But the Lees contend that they own the burger stand because it is permanently bolted to a concrete foundation. And they assert they’ve gone to great lengths to preserve Rojas’ burger business and to allow for storage space while upgrading the property around it.

Last month the Lees began developing a mini-mall behind the burger stand. To make room for construction, the stand’s customer parking area was eliminated and a storage area used for Jay’s Jayburger supplies was demolished.

Rojas said that after the Lees ordered her to remove the stand’s temporary storage bin she was forced to lay off her six employees and close the business. A short time later, a fence went up around the construction site, sealing off the burger joint.

“I’ve been forced out. They’re holding my building hostage. It’s insane,” Rojas said.

The strip mall was built — and still is only partially occupied. In the meantime, Jay’s structure sat empty (below).

With the new Sean’s Burgers moving in, apparently the Lees won the battle for the shack. Anyone have any more details for “Sean’s Burgers”? A Google search turns up nothing.

Previously on Franklin Avenue:
Jay’s Jayburger Died in Vain (May 2006)
Food Shack Blues (Dec. 2005)
Jayburger Update (March 2005)
Jay Walks (Feb. 2005)

Sean Takes Over For Jay’s Jayburger

The new Sean's Burgers sign -- taken after dark. Stay tuned for a better daytime pic.

Two years after Jay’s Jayburger shut down, the empty burger shack at the corner of Virgil and Santa Monica finally has a new tenant.

The signs have gone up for Sean’s Burgers, although the new joint hasn’t yet officially opened. For those diehard Jay’s fans who were still holding out hope that the Jayburger would return, this appears to be the final nail in the coffin.

Jay's Jayburger, in happier times

But at least the tiny shack will finally see some life again. Jay’s was forced out — or willfully abandoned the shack, depending on whose side you listen too — after the family that owns the strip of land where Jay’s sat decided to build a mini-strip mall around it. The L.A. Times wrote in March 2005:

JayAnn Rojas (daughter of founder Lionel “Jay” Coffin) said she was forced to close it Feb. 1, when (landowners Mary and Paul Lee) ordered the stand’s storage container removed.

But the Lees contend that they own the burger stand because it is permanently bolted to a concrete foundation. And they assert they’ve gone to great lengths to preserve Rojas’ burger business and to allow for storage space while upgrading the property around it.

Last month the Lees began developing a mini-mall behind the burger stand. To make room for construction, the stand’s customer parking area was eliminated and a storage area used for Jay’s Jayburger supplies was demolished.

Rojas said that after the Lees ordered her to remove the stand’s temporary storage bin she was forced to lay off her six employees and close the business. A short time later, a fence went up around the construction site, sealing off the burger joint.

“I’ve been forced out. They’re holding my building hostage. It’s insane,” Rojas said.

The strip mall was built — and still is only partially occupied. In the meantime, Jay’s structure sat empty (below).

With the new Sean’s Burgers moving in, apparently the Lees won the battle for the shack. Anyone have any more details for “Sean’s Burgers”? A Google search turns up nothing.

Previously on Franklin Avenue:
Jay’s Jayburger Died in Vain (May 2006)
Food Shack Blues (Dec. 2005)
Jayburger Update (March 2005)
Jay Walks (Feb. 2005)