Overview
This multi-cache will take you to 5 car-free, century-old streets in the Carthay Circle neighborhood of Los Angeles, and you will be asked to answer questions as you walk along each one. These streets are designed exclusively for pedestrian traffic, yet they are officially city roads, named and maintained with sidewalks, street signs, and streetlights. These five streets are all named after five California missions.
History
The streets are remnants of the era of the streetcar; when the Pacific-Electric Red Car traversed Olympic, San Vicente, and Wilshire in the 1920s, Carthay Circe residents needed a quick way to walk to the extensive public transportation system. For more information on the history of these streets, this article in the Larchmont Ledger is a quick and worthwhile read. Who would have thought that today, car-centered Los Angeles would have streets on which automobiles weren't allowed?
Driving and Parking
The posted coordinates are virtual, but if you are driving to this cache and intend to walk between the waypoints, the posted coords serve as a great starting point because on the north side of the street there is free 1-hour parking, and on the south side there is metered parking. If this is full, then free two-hour public parking in a covered garage can be found at 321 S La Cienega Blvd (also a parking waypoint). You can also take a chance with finding non-permit restricted parking at any one of the waypoints, as the waypoints can be completed in any order. If you park, you can then walk to all the waypoints, which will take about an hour.
Walking/Biking
If you are walking or biking between the waypoints, I recommend that you follow the waypoint order, as it will be easier to keep track of your keywords in order, the waypoints are set up in a loop, and the final location is close to the fifth and final waypoint. This multi is best attempted during daytime hours, but it is available 24/7.
Completing the Multi
At each waypoint, you will be asked to answer a different question to get some sort of keyword or number that you will then combine with all the others and put into the certitude after visiting all five waypoints. If your keywords are correct, the certitude will give you the final coordinates
Waypoint 1: Santa Ynez Way
The Santa Ynez Way waypoint coords will take you to a street light. If you face this light from the sidewalk, look to the right on the ground and you should see a cover that says __ LIGHTING. Those two letters will be the first two letters of your final keyword.
Waypoint 2: San Gabriel Way
If you stand at the waypoint coordinates and face east, you will see 4 numbers in black lettering. What are they? Those four numbers will be the next characters in your final keyword.
Waypoint 3: Capistrano Way
Here's a shorter street this time. At the bottom left of the lamp post at the waypoint coordinates, you will find a black ovalish placard. On the middle row at the very right of the placard, there is a two-letter state abbreviation. What is it? Those two letters will be the 7th and 8th letters of your final keyword.
Waypoint 4: San Diego Way
This is the longest street of them all, at a whopping three blocks. At the waypoint coords, you will find a lamppost, with the letters TRR written at about chest level. What number is written under TRR? These two characters will be the 9th and 10th characters of your final keyword.
Waypoint 5: Carmel Way
If you face west at these coordinates and look at the wall of the house, you will see some square-shaped holes that make up the shape of a rectangle altogether about waist high on the side of the house. How many holes are there? This number will be the 11th character of your final keyword.
Final Cache
You should now have 11 alphanumeric characters altogether. It will look like a jumbled incoherent mess. Plug these into the certitude below all in one single strand, and if you are correct, you will get the coordinates to the final, physical waypoint.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Congratulations to w0lf for the FTF!