Secret Stairs #12: Echo Park Lake Victorians, 3 miles, 428 steps.

The more I hike Echo Park, the more I love this neighborhood. We began near Angelus Temple, built in the 1920s for Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson's Foursquare Church, then walked along Echo Park Lake with its lotus blossoms, fountain, Victorian-era boathouse, and paddle boats. Up & down a series of staircases and around the park to exclusive Angelino Heights. Walking through this historic district was a trip back in time. Waaay back. Angelino Heights is the second oldest (1886) district in L.A., complete with period lampposts, hitching posts, street-side carriage steps, and Victorian and Queen Anne homes restored and preserved to perfection. In the photo below, you might recognize the house at 1329 Carroll Ave. from its starring role in 8 seasons of the TV show Charmed. Also pictured, Echo Park Lake from the top of one set of stairs, and (above) Adam Somers and I mid-climb on a zigzag, 55-step staircase overlooking the lake.