Micheltorena Steps, Stairs in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, United States
Micheltorena Steps is a concrete stairway in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. It climbs a hillside in short flights with small street crossings, connecting Sunset Boulevard to the houses above. The lower flights are covered in rainbow stripes and red hearts, while the upper portions remain plain gray concrete.
The stairway was built in 1925 by contractor George D. Nichols as part of the hillside pedestrian network. In 2015, artists Carla O’Brien, Mandon Bossi, and Corinne Carrey painted the lower flights in rainbow colors and hearts, an act later recognized by the city after years of community upkeep.
The lower painted stretch, called Stair Candy, works as an informal outdoor gallery where visitors stop for photos, wedding portraits, and selfies. People from the neighborhood and beyond treat the steps as a shared open-air artwork rather than just a shortcut.
Early morning or the hour before sunset gives softer light for the colorful steps and fewer people around. Parking is easiest along Sunset Boulevard or nearby residential streets, but watch for driveways and resident-only spots.
A sister copy of the painted Stair Candy design exists in Queensland, Australia, where the original artists came from. Visitors also discover a small detail almost hidden on the first landing, a stamped date from the stairway’s original construction in the 1920s.
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