Navigating LA City Streets

So I'm walking home from the gym on Wednesday (yeah, I've been getting there 3x a week for the past few weeks, being good), and I look up at the Venice street sign as I cross and note that I'm on the 10500 block. Now, because I'm a complete dork, I know what that means, but I'm not sure that most folks do. And it's helpful when navigating a grid-based city like LA, because while the grid is never perfectly shaped, the basic principals apply throughout the city.

So, as I crossed Venice at Mentone, I'm at the 3800 block South and the 10500 block West. This means that I'm approximately located 3.8 miles south and 10.5 miles west of the center of the Los Angeles address grid, which is centered at 1st and Main St. Don't believe me? Go check, take a walk one block north, west, east, and south, and you'll be on the 100 block in each case.

One of the most prominent corridors that demonstrates the expansive address layout is Ventura Blvd. which begins as it intersects with Lankershim Blvd. and begins at 10600. This indicates that the intersection is 10.6 miles West of the City Center, and judging by the adjacent Lankershim addresses, is 3.8 miles North of City Center, almost the same approximation from City Center as I was at Venice and Mentone.

Now an example in practice: My office address is 23945, and while it is not exactly on Ventura Blvd., it is still on an E-W street which carries the same numeric principal on the LA City grid. Therefore, I'm 23.94 miles West of City Center, and since I know that I am 1 block North of former Countrywide Headquarters, street number 4500, my office is approximately 4.6 miles North of LA City Center.

Pretty crazy, right? Hopefully this helps you cruise around the city a little easier. There are a few shifts in the grid that make the distances only an approximation, but it's pretty close. Also, the grids start and stop to shape around the topography, but again, it's a pretty solid general rule. And that will conclude my nerdy rant for this 3-day weekend leading Friday!