Ellen Byron

When one road closes…

This spring, the rains washed out Mulholland Drive in several spots, forcing its closure for repairs. The opportunity this presented didn’t occur to me until I was making plans to meet up with friend and fellow author Nadine Nettman, who lives wonderfully close to me. She suggested we rendezvous on the closed stretch of Mulholland for a walk. Which we did.

Los Angeles is blessed with two roads so iconic they both inspired movies: Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive. Sunset makes a more traffic-y journey from downtown to the ocean, passing through populous areas like West Hollywood and past the mansions of Beverly Hills. Mulholland meanders over the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains from Hollywood to just west of Encino. While you won’t encounter the number of cars making their way along Sunset Boulevard, you will come up against motorcycle weekend warriors and local drivers impatiently tailgating because they know the road and how to drive its endless bends. (Full disclosure, one of those drivers is usually me.)

The other thing Mulholland delivers is vertiginous, spectacular views. They can be terrifying to those who suffer from acrophobia – again, me. But given a chance to stroll rather than zoom by them, they are glorious.

One of my mother’s go-to stories was how she bicycled down the Horace Harding Expressway (now I-495) in New York when it was being built. We’d all groan and complain she’d told the story a million times. But I get it now. There’s something special about sauntering down the middle of a street usually not available to pedestrians. You see sights you miss when your eyes are on the road. Hear sounds you’d never hear otherwise. And have I mentioned the views?

A native New Yorker, I’ve always worn my Big Apple bona fides as a badge of honor. But when we left New York at the end of March after cleaning out my late mom’s townhouse, I told my husband Jer, “The next time I come back here, I’ll be a visitor.” The loss of my mother shreds a major thread of my connection to the city.

I think because of this, I’ve been all in on California since we returned home. Yes, it’s partly because my new Golden Motel Mysteries series is set in CA. But also… it’s time. I need to embrace the state as my home and appreciate what it has to offer. Like the beauty of a road closure on Mulholland Drive.

When one road closes… it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience it in a completely new way. And given the time it’s taking to fix this particular stretch of washed-out road, it looks like I’ll be enjoying the unique experience for a while to come…

Readers, have you had an unexpected adventure like my opportunity to walk Mulholland instead of drive on it? Do you have a hiking location you particularly love? What makes it special?

42 thoughts on “When one road closes…”

  3. That’s so cool, Ellen. And what fabulous photos! Over the years, I’ve participated in a few charity events in which I got to walk the 2.5 mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IMS is one of my favorite places in the world and to spend time on the same track that legends like Andretti, Foyt, and Mears drove on was the best!

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    2. Oh, JC, that reminded me of when my boys got to play football and then camp on the grass at Mile High Stadium before they tore it down and rebuilt. (Everyone still calls it Mile High, of course, because c’mon!)

      Ellen, your story reminds me of when hubs and I were on one of our Broadway trips. We spent xmas in Manhattan that year and there was a huge snowstorm. We walked down the middle of Madison Ave on xmas morning. No cars, very few people, pristine snow. Truly magical. And very memorable!

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  4. Cool new perspective, Ellen. I’ve hiked a lot of forests and trails, but the only time I walk streets normally reserved for cars is on First Fridays here in KC, where they block off a few roads so we can enjoy the food trucks, performers and art pop-ups. I think of it as urban hiking, especially if we have to park a long way away.

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  6. Ellen, what a beautiful post! It made me a little teary. But wherever you are now or in the future, I know you’ll live life to the fullest. Gorgeous pix also–so different from the vistas here in New England, so I enjoyed the Monday morning armchair travel. (Cammie is living her best canine life, too.) xo

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    1. Awww. I really, really miss the vistas of the Northeast. But I’m embracing the views of where I live. And I’m not sure Cammie knows she’s living her best life – right now she’s sulking in the den for some unknown reason, lol!

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  7. Great post, Ellen! I’m getting ready to write a novel partly set in L.A. (where I’ve never been), so posts like this one help immensely. I’m also going to try to reread some Harry Bosch and Alex Delaware stories.

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  8. El: Wonderful photos & analogy! I don’t get to walk on closed roads, but it’s kinda fun watching filming from afar when they close off spaces or lanes.

    I also did a recent hike in Pasadena to Eaton Canyon Falls. To get to the falls, you have to cross over several creeks (it might have been 7 or 9–I lost count!). Due to our abundance of rain this year, it was a wet but worthwhile experience!

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  10. Wow, that is so interesting to see a new angle/perspective–also a delightful story about your Mom. Love the pictures. And hi Nadine! So cool that you get to hang out together. 🙂

    We have a road closure here that is creating massive traffic snarls right in the middle of town…you’ve inspired me to try and find a way to see something positive about it.

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    1. Mark, you should! It’s only about a mile long. I was there yesterday and they’re making progress. I can’t do it this weekend but if it’s still closed the following weekend, I could do it around 11 a.m. on Sunday 6/9 (have something in the afternoon).

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  12. Love the views. Definitely my thing. I drove the PA Turnpike between Lancaster and Pittsburgh this weekend. Generally, I hate the Turnpike because of the tractor-trailer traffic. But this time, even though I was driving, I tried to appreciate some of the vistas in the middle of the state. Beautiful.

    Our house in Ligonier is near several state parks. Last summer, I went to one I’d never been to – Linn Run. Although I can’t do long, windy trails any longer, I enjoyed the ones I was able to navigate – all the trees and bushes and babbling creeks.

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    1. Liz, that sounds phenomenal. PA is a beautiful state. My college first choice was actually Penn State. But they were VERY strict about taking out of staters at the time and couldn’t reject me fast enough, lol!

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  13. Aw, I love this so much!! And the photos are spectacular!

    I’m a big fan of the “human scale” view that ambulating creates. With my running of late, I’ve had quite a few off-road adventures. Last weekend, however, took a surprise turn when the town we were visiting closed its downtown street for a UFO festival. It was fun seeing all of the alien couture taking over the street!

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  14. Thank you Ellen for highlighting that wonderful Mulholland Drive! One of my greatest regrets is that I did not run away from home in the 1970’s, burn my bra, and join the hippies there on Mulholland and Laurel Canyon at the old “Tom Mix house” which became the “Rock and Roll House” in the 70’s, with the Beatles, Doors, Mamas and the Papas, (“Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon),” Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, all those groups. Even the Beach Boys, (& even reportedly Charles Manson). That house was across from Harry Houdini’s compound, lastly was owned by Frank Zappa. I live in the house that silent screen star Tom Mix used as an exact model for that Laurel Canyon house–in Redlands, 60 miles east of LA–in a community of old movie star homes that were popular in the 1920’s before Palm Springs became the place to go on the weekends in the 1930’s. But I digress. Loved your piece about Mulholland. Special road, you’re right! (My husband, a “Mister In Crime” at SIC-LA–loves to pee over the edge of Mulholland, calls it “the original Mulholland Falls.” LOL.

    Thanks again Ellen!

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    1. OMG, I must know more about your neighborhood and your home! I’m obsessed with the silent film era. And Redlands is a beautiful town. If you can steer me towards any info on where you live and its connection to the old stars, I’d love it.

      I love driving through the canyon and seeing all the places where the rock star lives. Eye on LA once did a fantastic show about them. Even better than the Laurel Canyon doc. I love driving by Joni Mitchell’s house and imagining all the rock stars congregating there.

      And the place where Frank Zappa lived is gone. Burned down years ago. But he had moved long before. He had a wife and kids and avoided drugs. He didn’t like all the people hanging out at his place in LC, so he relocated.

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  15. Fountainbleau State Park in Mandeville is one of my favorite places to hike. It is especially beautiful in the fall. This park has forest, beach and numerous nature trails. Love it there!

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  16. I keep thinking of teenage adventures at the old Pauson Home, built by Frank Lloyd Wright, soon burned down, in Phoenix. Teens called the Ruins Shiprock, since the ruins looked like a ship stuck on a desert hill. The ruins are gone now, only a fireplace remains, in a housing track entry to the neighborhood. But, back then the area was a teenage haven with a commanding view of the Valley, remote desert surrounded by the developing city.

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