One of the things I read in the reviews of the 2010 LA Marathon was praise of the “stadium to the sea” course highlighting a landmark every mile. This year’s course differs slightly, but still begins at Dodger Stadium and ends a few blocks from the Santa Monica pier.
I like the “stadium to the sea” theme, mainly because it makes me think of LA having a subway or light rail that would traverse a similar route. I’m less excited about the landmarks, probably because I live here. I don’t think of places like the Troubador or the House of Blues as landmarks. They’re just places I go to see shows, like The Dears last week.
Now, Disney Hall? I consider it a landmark, probably because it’s designed by Frank Gehry, it’s cool to look at and it’s at the top of Bunker Hill with a few other cultural institutions. I don’t look forward to running up Bunker Hill, at all (but I’ve done hills, I’m prepared!).
Some of my favorite landmarks (Hollywood Bowl, UCLA, Griffith Observatory, LACMA and Museum Row) aren’t on the course, but I don’t mind since most of those are in the hills. It also bums me out that the course no longer crosses over the LA River in to the Eastside.
If you want to see where I’ll be spending Sunday morning, check out this neat video by the LA Times stitching together Google Maps street view images for most of the course. I’ve been through the VA Center near UCLA and the Dodger Stadium parking lot plenty of times. No surprises there.
What’s your favorite landmark on the course? What would you add?
