The tour will also give you some insights, into the kinds of plants, animals, architecture, and history you might encounter along the way. There are twelve stopping points along the tour – Headwaters, First Channel, Convergence, Sepulveda Basin, Verdugo Wash, Los Feliz, Frogtown, Arroyo Seco fork, 4th Street Bridge, Rio Hondo fork, Lower river and Long Beach – so you can do the tour in one go or choose to do it bit by bit.

Cyclists should also have a look at the Los Angeles River Bikeway, which leads you from Griffith Park to Elysian Park.

The Friends of the Los Angeles River have been on a mission to protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat for many years. The stream, which was once home to steelhead and grizzlies, meanders through wetlands, marshes, willow, alder and sycamore, providing desperately needed water for the region.

Now running over 50 miles long – from the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley to the ocean in Long Beach – the Los Angeles River flows through 14 cities and countless neighborhoods. When the Army Corps of Engineers initiated a flood control project in the late Thirties, they began the process of paving 80% of the river, creating the world’s largest storm drain. Over the ensuing decades, the river that had been the sole water supply for the City of Los Angeles before the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed in 1913, almost disappeared from public consciousness.

With the cement came a perceptual shift: the river no longer existed. Instead, it was a “flood control channel,” a no-man’s land, surrounded by fences and signs. Rediscovering the river by cycling or walking along its banks will be a great way of reclaiming this forgotten part of the city and the first step to turn it from no-man’s land to an integral part of LA.

image: www.grahamowengallery.com

Fast forward to 2010 and The Ghetto Gourmet Dinnerparty Network has become a portal into the world of underground restaurants, speakeasies, supperclubs and other community-based alternatives for dining and entertainment. As a ‘wandering supperclub’, it has produced over 350 community dining events from coast to coast and has now set up regular dinners in LA.

“Any night of the week you can go out to dinner, but this is unique,” explains Jeremy Townsend, founder of Ghetto Gourmet in a recent New York Times interview. “People want to get out of that cookie-cutter experience and have a shared experience that has some meaning and authenticity, and some story behind it.”

The pop-up dining experience brings together local foodies, both amateur and professional chefs and a cast of  poets, performers, eccentrics and perfect strangers — all in the name of experiential eating in unpredictable places. If meeting new people, experiencing new types of food and showing two fingers to the regular restaurant scene, then The Ghet is definitely for you.

Until the next LA dinner meeting go and check out the extensive website which offers a great networking function and allows you to join local underground dining groups, post pictures of your own supperclub events and share recipe ideas.

image: Vera Devera

They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, and to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk, while the locals strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers. This was the beginning of one of LA’s most famous landmarks, the Farmers Market.

Housed in a range of cream-colored buildings, the market consists of dozens of small stalls selling all kinds of local and artisan produce from home-made ice cream to freshly baked bagels and locally grown grapes, offering a wide range of delicacies and Slow Food products.

The Grove at Farmers Market, an 80,000 square foot retail and restaurant complex next to the original buildings opened in 2002, so there are also plenty of restaurants, grills and coffee shops for you to choose from should you work up a hunger from too much grocery shopping.

Frequented by tourists and Hollywood locals, you can even do some star spotting while stacking up on Slow Food goodies. Walt Disney sat at a Farmers Market table while he designed Disneyland, and it is said that James Dean ate breakfast here the day he died.

Monday-Friday, 9 am to 9 pm
Saturday, 9 am to 8 pm
Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm
Some merchant hours may vary

6333 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-9211
(866) 993-9211