CicLAvia! A few times a year, streets through Los Angeles are closed to motorized traffic. This year the route led 15 miles down and back, from City Hall to Venice.
Above: Most people chose to ride west, from downtown to Venice. My friend, photographer Ted Soqui, and I rode east, with relatively clear sailing. We had jumped onto the course at about the mid-way point.
Much of the route led down Venice Blvd. By mid-day, the street was packed with riders. There were so many cyclists - perhaps 150,000, according to semiofficial reports (and I think it was closer to 300,000), that choke points developed at some of the places where motorists could cross the boulevard on a green traffic light. In fact, there were too many people on the ride for Ted and me by mid-day, and we bailed as we reached the edge of Culver City and West Los Angeles.
Above: There were some odd vehicles, like this table on wheels; the seated people, in addition to enjoying a fine lunch, complete with wine and an accordian player, were turning pedals, hidden below the tablecloth.
Above: City Hall, cyclists, and some bikes permanently parked near the start of the route.
I ended up the weekend with some terrific memories, some photos I like enough to have posted here, and I added 75 miles added to my yearly total.