Downtowners: Don’t Drive To Ralphs

So with great fanfare Downtown’s first supermarket in decades has arrived. The Ralphs Fresh Fare at 9th/Flower opened this past Friday to an enormous crowd of Downtown residents eager to make their neighborhood a… neighborhood. And as a Downtown resident, I can prematurely say that it has done just that. What used to be a fairly dead intersection (albeit housing a beautiful little urban park and an ample flow of cute fashion design students) has like magic transformed into a vibrant destination bustling with life and pedestrian flow that ripples for blocks beyond the store. What’s more, this is one of the best supermarkets I’ve ever been to, Ralphs or otherwise, any Downtowner would be a fool not to patronize this spectacular store. On a similar note, any Downtowner would be a fool to drive to this spectacular store!

The Ralphs Fresh Fare is truly unique among supermarkets I’ve seen in Los Angeles in that there is no parking lot in front of the store. There’s a few spots along the street, but other than that, it’s just a wide sidewalk and then the entrance to the store. This is a true urban grocery store, unheard of in this city! That’s not to say that this particular Ralphs doesn’t have parking - it does in the form of 127 spaces under the store. But part of the call of living in an urban area is walkability, right? So let’s see if we can leave those 127 spaces empty and get to Ralphs without a car!

Using what I call the half-mile rule, we’ll first explore how to get to Ralphs easily by just walking. The half-mile rule simply states that for most healthy, capable people, a half-mile takes about 10 minutes to walk, and thus is a completely reasonable distance to walk. Now you may be worried that walking a half-mile with groceries that would normally fill your trunk and back seat is going to be difficult. I don’t deny that, but thankfully you live Downtown so you’re not going ot shop like you’re in the suburbs any more. Afterall, if you need something you’re only a ten-minute walk away. When you go to the store, try to shop with a basket instead of a cart, it will give you a better idea of what you can carry so that you’re not screwed when you check-out. Take a look out our Metro Gear article from a few months back that looks at a few products that will make carrying your groceries easier. A simple thing like using a canvas bag (or two) instead of plastic bags can make your walk easier and more comfortable as the cloth doesn’t tear into your hands like the plastic does and they can usually be strapped over your shoulder to reduce the burden - not to mention it’s “green”. If you’ve got a family and need more groceries than can be carried in your hands, consider a folding utility cart. I noticed that the Dowtown Ralphs is really promoting these, and has a bunch for sale at $21.99. A sound investment if you ask me! Load it up and roll home.

Look, Ralphs even wants you to walk!  Usually this space is taken by styrofoam coolers. 

Here’s a list of residential buildings within a half-mile radius of the Downtown Ralphs at 9th/Flower according to the D.C.B.I.D.’s Downtown LA Interactive Map:

• Market Lofts (obviously)
• The Gas Company Lofts
• Roosevelt Lofts
• 655 Hope
• The Pegasus
• Library Court
• Delano Lofts
• The Brockman
• South Park Lofts (represent)
• Sky Lofts
• Mandel Lofts
• Eastern Columbia
• Chapman Flats
• Orpheum Lofts
• Parkside Apartments
• Renaissance Tower Apartments
• Reserve Lofts
• Packard Lofts
• Elleven
• Luma
• Met Lofts
• Hope Village
• Telacu Plaza
• Flower Street Lofts
• The Metropolitan
• Skyline Condominiums
• The Medici

The walkable area surrounding the new Ralphs Fresh Fare in Downtow Los Angeles.

So if you live (or plan to live) in any of those developments, and you are not disabled or unfit to walk (for reasons other than “I don’t wanna”), then I better see you walking to get your groceries!

But what if you live beyond the half-mile bubble that surrounds Ralphs, as many Downtowners do? I’m not going to tell anyone to walk 20-minutes to pick up some groceries (although if you’re up for it, I’m not going to tell you not to), but thankfully L.A. has an extensive mass transit system, and Downtown is it’s hub. If you live beyond a ten-minute walk from the new Ralphs, there’s very likely a bus or a train that will take you within a ten-minute walk (or closer).

According to blogdowntown, LADOT’s Dash service has changed it’s route to accomodate the new Ralphs. Route C, which serves the South Park area will now run both ways on Hope St. between 7th and 11th streets with a stop on the corner of Hope/9th right in front of the Ralphs Fresh Fare. Of course, Route C connects with the other Dash Routes at 7th/Hope in front of Macy’s Plaza. In addtion, Route DD, the weekend Dash Route, also adds stops for Ralphs.

Of course, Dash isn’t your only transit option to get to the new Ralphs. The Red Line and Blue Line also serve the area. The 7th Street Metro Station is a quarter-mile (about a five-minute walk) away and the Pico Blue Line Station is a ten-minute walk. So residents in the Historic Core can walk to the Pershing Square or Civic Center stations and be to Ralphs in a matter of minutes. Sometimes though, it’s easier to just hop on a bus, and Downtown has plenty of those! Chances are a bus serving the Ralphs area has a stop right near your residence. Buses serving the Ralphs area include: 66, 81, 366, 419, 714, 37, 38, 76, 78, 79, 96, 376, 378, 431, 437, 70, 83, 84. Phew! Of course, check with the Metro Trip Planner to make sure the schedules work with you.

These buses serve the Ralphs Fresh Fare area (also home of Grand Hope Park).

The bottom line is that those 127 parking spaces under the new Ralphs should be reserved for tourists taking a road trip from West Virginia. Downtown locals, you got yourself a new urban supermarket to be proud of, use it right!