this past sunday a lot of my friends came out for cicLAvia, a day where the city blocked off several streets in a 7-mile route for bikes, pedestrians, skateboards, rollerblades, and anyone wanting to create alternative uses for streets. we joined in around noon, breaking in at city hall and heading east. there was a lot going on at city hall, eric garcetti was just taking the stage to speak when we arrived.

it was a beautiful, clear day, but also a santa ana day of dry hot wind. the difference between sun and shade was pretty outstanding. as we headed back into downtown though, you couldn’t help but notice and enjoy the quiet. no motors, no horns, no background echoing of urban harmonics through the buildings. just some clicking of bike wheels, an occasional bell, and the chatter of people enjoying the ride and encouraging each other.

it was a great day to be on a bike. i heard all kinds of praise for the event and hopes that we’ll be doing it again and more frequently. los angeles desperately needs more bike awareness, and this is just one way for people to get involved, but it’s the most fun in my opinion!

here’s another time-lapsed video if you want to see the route east-to-west.