Walking L.A. #23, Los Feliz: Wright's Architectural Gems, @500 steps, 4.9 miles.

Hurray! A hike that had Barbara and me climbing old L.A. staircases again! Just what I needed to burn off 3 days of calorie collecting. Our goal: two Frank Lloyd Wright houses—both on the National Landmark Register, both Mayan Revival Architecture, and both ranked as "Top 10 Houses of All Time in L.A." by the L.A. Times. We walked up into the hilly, affluent residential section above Los Feliz Blvd, eventually climbing our first staircase—a set of 181 steps built in 1924—to Glendower Avenue and Wright's Ennis-Brown House. Wright built the house, a textile-block design based on ancient Maya temples, in 1923-24. Could be FLW's most famous (or most seen) house...its film history includes 1982's Blade Runner, a TV run on Buffy, and a Michael Jackson video. (And it's not even the biggest house in the neighborhood.) Two more staircases off hilly streets led us down to Vermont Ave. for a stroll past the shops and restaurants, including the Dresden Restaurant (Swingers!) At Hollywood Blvd. another set of stairs led us up to Barnsdall Park. In 1915, oil heiress Aline Barnsdall commissioned midwest buddy Frank Lloyd Wright to build a theatrical community on 36 acres. Wright, who had just come to L.A., completed Hollyhock House in 1921—his first Los Angeles project. In 1926, Aline donated the property, including Hollyhock House and two guest houses to the city of L.A. with provisions to keep the land a theatrical center. Today, Barnsdall Park includes the L.A. Municipal Arts Gallery, a Junior Arts Center, the Barnsdall Gallery Theater, and a 360-view including the observatory, Hollywood Sign, and Wright's Ennis House in the hills. Barnsdall Park is serene, gorgeous, and a Hollywood oasis with a landmark home as a centerpiece. A walk along Hillhurst took us back to the car. Energy and calories spent well.