Oct 14, 2014 Ciclavia: Heart of the City
I’m not a longtime cyclist or even a good one. My wife and I purchased bikes after my daughter learned how to ride one without training wheels this summer. So our participation in Ciclavia two weekends ago was also our introduction.
It’s a cool concept, blocking off streets so that Los Angelenos (and anyone else) can check out various neighborhoods on bicycles in a car-free environment. The previous event included Miracle Mile and Korea Town, and this time we went from Chinatown to Downtown’s Theatre District. These spots weren’t new to me at all but they were very different out of a car.
Take the 2nd Street Tunnel, for example. I see it regularly in movies and commercials and during the drive from Echo Park toward the Disney Hall. It always looks cool but it how much cooler is it when you’re with a hundred other cyclists whooping and hollering to hear the echo?
From our starting point in Chinatown, we took a detour through the tunnel and then went further down Broadway to Grand Central Market. Everyone loves Eggslut but hates the tiny spaces in the adjacent parking lot. During Ciclavia, that was not a problem since there was a free bike valet service next door.
Across the way, the Bradbury Building was open to visitors. It’s a legendary old landmark that has appeared in Chinatown and Blade Runner as well as architectural guidebooks. So why not finally check it out and take some pictures? It’s not like we were in a car jetting across town.
Going down and back up Broadway, the streets were fairly empty and it was easy for us to navigate even with a little girl in tow. Crossing 2nd Street, it seemed a little more hairy with a lot of cross-traffic but we weren’t going to traverse the city with a six-year-old anyway.
But I do like the idea of being able to ride a bike from Echo Park all the way through Boyle Heights and into East L.A. without worrying about getting run over or slamming into a car door. And I saw people on skateboards or just on foot going for it as well.
The streets are turned into parks. The blocks into neighborhoods. It’s fascinating that the concept came from Bogota, Colombia, and one wonders if the money and awareness being raised to pay for these one-day events can ever be leveraged to do something more permanent in the city.
In an automobile-centered place like Los Angeles, I don’t see something like Ciclavia happening for real in the near future. And to me that makes the events especially cool. Hope to see you in the streets on December 7.
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