Before Charles Bukowski was a famous poet, novelist, screenwriter and columnist in the underground press, he was a real life barfly, drinking hard and running wild, getting thrown out of apartments and fired from jobs, delighting in torturing himself and everyone around him.

Bukowski’s lowlife experiences in the 1940s and ‘50s would provide the rich subject matter for his mature writing. His home during much of this pivotal time was a series of cheap rooms in the Westlake District of Los Angeles, and his companion was the hard drinking older woman Jane Cooney Baker, who would be the muse and love of his life. And he would return to Westlake decades later, when Barfly director Barbet Schroeder chose the Royal Palms as the exterior and the Bryson for the interior of Wanda’s (Jane’s) apartment.

Join us for a walking tour that celebrates a lost world of day time drinking and all night carousing, featuring real places that figure in the life and legend of Charles Bukowski, and some of the colorful characters who inhabit his fiction. From Barfly locations to the site of the toughest love poem in Los Angeles letters, gritty SROs and elegantly aging landmarks, it’s a side of the city that will surprise and inspire you.

Tour hosts Kim Cooper and Richard Schave have dedicated themselves to preserving Bukowski’s Los Angeles, through their work helping to landmark Bukowski Court in East Hollywood, the Downtown to East Hollywood bus tour Haunts of a Dirty Old Man, advocacy to protect the SRO hotels and rent controlled apartments where creative people can afford to screw around, and through their acclaimed second audio track on the recent Blu-Ray reissue of Barfly (imprint, 2022).

This walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone.

MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:

Tour begins at 10:30am sharp, with check-in time 10am is in the courtyard of the Olympic Hotel at 725 S Westlake Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90057. The courtyard is accessed through the lobby of the hotel.  Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations.

TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:

BE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours. There are a few hills along the way but mostly we will be walking over level ground at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect, please email us.

COVID SAFETY: At this time, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours.

CAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine.

PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:

The nearest paid public parking lot is at 730 S Lake St 90057. This lot has an attendant to take your payment. The attendant only takes cash.

The nearest Metro station is Westlake/MacArthur Park station on the B and D lines. If using public transit, this link can help you plan your trip.

CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:

Emailing is the best way to communicate with us, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone, 213-915-8687.

CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:

If you feel like you’re getting sick, if you test positive for Covid-19, or if you have knowingly been in contact with a positive case of Covid-19 in the last 7 days, please do not attend the tour. Let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure, we can refund or reschedule your booking. If notified at least 24 hours before departure, we can honor the booking on a future date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name, email address and phone number to make this switch.