Walking in LA is so inconvenient that the act itself is actually exoticized. City planning and a lagging public transit system are to blame, with neighborhoods divided by uninviting stretches of freeways, industrial compounds and mini-malls. With cultural epicenters scattered between Silverlake, Hollywood, downtown, and the West side, any activity that allows for leaving one’s wheeled transport pod and interacting with other humans is a rare and welcome event.

From the Downtown Art Walk website:

“The Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk is a free event held every second Thursday afternoon and evening in and around the Historic Core’s Gallery Row neighborhood. For this one night each month, Downtown LA returns to its historic pedestrian-based culture, a vibrant scene that is itself a draw for locals and tourists seeking an authentic urban experience. Launched in 2004 by the then-marginal community’s pioneer gallerists, Art Walk has become a grassroots urban success story, with upwards of 6000 people coming out each month to see the newest art exhibits, enjoy the bustling street culture, eat, drink and socialize.”

Arrive early to avoid the crowds and explore dozens of galleries, street vendors and the occasional alleyway performance. Art on display varies in price, subject matter and medium – there’s something here in every flavor, you just have to know where to look. Exhibits aren’t limited to ground-level galleries – some take place in small spaces inside residential buildings and on rooftops. Bring your fiends and shamble merrily along between bars and galleries – in convenient proximity to each other along the art walk path. Don’t forget to stop by  The Hive Gallery – a few blocks away from the thick of the Walk, this unique collective showcases hundreds of up-and-coming artists from all over the world.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb