JIA-CHI

Orchid Velasquez of Orquidia Violeta was at Heliotrope too, where I started.

So was this churros guy.

Robin Abad Ocubillo was helping out danish Gehl Architects & Planners on a documentary on New Hampshire and Beverly Blvd.

The Power Rangers were at MacArthur Park on 7th St.

Solar DJs The Sycons were bumping tunes on the 7th St. Bridge over the 110 Freeway.

Lenore Smith of Happy Camper Crafts and Alexis Lantz & Alissa Walker of Los Angeles Walks were at 7th and Broadway, jumping rope!

Ron Milam of Ron Milam Consulting (for your life) was on Spring Street.

As was Jenn Su of swearonourfriendship.

Aaron Kuehn’s newest posters were on 1st St. by City Hall.  Eric Garcetti was here, and I chatted with him a little bit.  Then my tire blew up. So I walked over to Broadway to the nearest bike store.

This guy was making ice cream, powered by the wheels of his bike, on Spring St.

This guy was renting a bike from DTLA Bikes on Broadway, where I bought a new tire for my bike.

Nikos Eliot Flaherty-Laub of Girls In Suede happened to be in front of DTLA too.

He rode with Amy Kim of Amy Sue Kim.  They were waiting for Kevin and Genevieve to show up and meet them there.

Kevin Biggers then showed up, and borrowed by bike pump to fill his tires.

Genevieve Santos of le petit elefant was with him too!

I rode back to City Hall to start my Route Angel shift.  And this lady, with allllllllll her parakeets on her body, was asking for directions on how to bike to west la.  Sadly, she was disappointed to hear that it was far.  Too far to ride with her birds on her.  So she put them all back in a cage that she was hauling on the back of her bike.

Andrea Denike Martinez of Bodacious Bike Babes was on 9th St. as I was headed to the African American Firefighter’s Museum.

Nat Gale and Ashley Atkinson were at the museum, enjoying free coke and reggae music.

As was Kathleen Miles of the HuffingtonPost.

Nat, who works with the city, had some killer socks on.

The LAPD was also at cicLAvia, wearing their Sunday best.

After the event, I rode with Megan Costello, who is an LA Derby Doll, and who was working the same route, and helped to clean up Spring St.  She was fast.

Eventful CicLAvia.  Great seeing everyone out there.  Enjoy LA more!

My favorite day of the year!  A re-envisioning of LA’s streets.  Such as Somerset playing cello with his band along New Hampshire…….

….. And Greg Wittman sitting with his house plants and Chester on the 7th St. bridge over the 110……..

…… Or LAPD lined up outside the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on Central Ave.

Always something new, everytime.  I volunteered this year, and would recommend anyone to volunteer in April, at the next cicLAvia.

10.10.2010

cicLAvia. the city closed down a 7.5 mile stretch of streets to cars from boyle heights to HelMel (colloquial for Heliotrope and Melrose, bicycle kitchen/scoops area).  South american countries (started in Bogota) have been doing this since the 1970s, closing major streets down on Sundays for pedestrians and cyclists, public programs, social interaction, and community gathering.  LA, along with some other big US cities, are trying to adopt the idea.  Big first step.

decided to venture out by myself and see the sight for myself.  started on Virgil and 6th, and headed west, towards downtown.  It wasn’t surprising to see the streets void of cars.  Rather, it was more surprising to me to see the moving crowd of cyclists on the streets.  Tandems, wagons, babies, grandmas; everyone was out.  I bike everyday.  And except for set pre-planned rides, i have never seen or been a part of such a massive amount of cyclists in this city.  i felt so happy and safe, that i rode without my helmet.  i always wear a helmet.  you know that driver who always makes sure his passengers all have their seatbelts on before he starts to move?  i’m that guy.  but with bike helmets.

passed through macarthur park.

down 7th street.

stopped by a spontaneous dodge ball game, hosted by the Eagle Rock Yacht Club.

made it to downtown around 2pm.

met up with Phil at his friend Henry’s place on sixth and spring, penthouse.

for the 2 hours that i was on the route, it was possibly one of my happiest days in a long time, just seeing the streets being occupied by cyclists and pedestrians.  i didn’t even know this many people in LA owned bikes.  where are they hiding them?  I bike to work everyday, and mmmaaayyybbeee encounter 5 bikes on my daily route.  organizers have said that there were well over 100,000 who were out on the streets.  100,000!  dodger stadium holds 56,000.  double that, spread out over 7.5 miles, on bikes, and you have something worth fighting for.  cicLAvia every sunday!  as of now, organizers are only planning a couple a year.  working on monthly ciclavias.  i want to get involved.  i think i will.

finally made it to city hall, where a band was playing.  ran into my friend tanya, dancing.  good stuff.

went to the echo park time bank member potluck at the ep film center with Germain, Ryan, and Rachel.  watched an old reel of Ruth Stout’s Garden.  inspirational and entertaining.  her method of gardening: 8 inches of hay over everything.  she never had to water her garden, for 35 years.  good tip.  she also gardened in the nude.  best tip.

ventured over to gold room with germain, rach, and tony for their famed $4 beer and tequila shot deal (with free tacos and peanuts).  now,i know it doesn’t seem appetizing, but after 2 shots and 2 beers, the mere mention of “free tacos” was too good to give up.  at the time, soggy tacos with special red sauce seemed like a good idea.

then ventured over to last act of Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide Festival.  East Side poster-child Jenny Lewis was on hand as part of the cat Jenny + Johnny (Jenny Lewis + Johnathan Rice).  that woman is everywhere.  the set wasn’t mind-blowing by any stretch, but the fact that we were outdoors, in the middle of the street, in echo park, with Jenny (voice of our generation)  right behind taix and the church.

met ashley and kathleen in the crowd.  5 of us headed over to costa alegre on sunset to kill some time before the next act.  never been in this iconic corner lot restaurant.  i don’t think i’ll go back.

the final act of the festival was an acoustic set by Seawolf at the echo park united methodist church.  interesting, the church had seats, not pews.  so there is no squeezing, set capacity.  so it was packed.  very warm.  and moist.  left a couple of songs in to meet up with megan and steph at el prado.  then walked over germain’s house, where they broke out in middle-of-the-street musical number from RENT.

in the end, one of my more eventful sundays.  Set out to echo park just for time bank potluck.  ended up visiting lots of different establishments, all within walking distance.  a move to echo park soon?