CicLAvia: Valley

I have tons of things to post about, including Best of Winter, but first I wanted to post these photos from CicLAvia: Valley because we just got back and I had SO MUCH FUN.

Ciclovias (the Los Angeles one is spelled CicLAvia) are organized to temporarily close major city streets to cars and reserve them for walking, biking, or skating, creating a festive street fair atmosphere. The first Ciclavia was in Colombia and now they happen all over the world. There are around half a dozen each year in L.A. rotating throughout different parts of the city.

Curling

The Valley route ran six miles between North Hollywood (right near our house) and Studio City, following Lankershim Avenue and Ventura Boulevard from Chandler to Coldwater Canyon.

Dev and the kids went to CicLAvia: Heart of LA last fall and told me about how much fun it was, but this was my first time going myself and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a big public event more.

Women handing out sunflowers to passersby.

Dev took Beatrice and Arthur with him in the bike trailer.  My bicycling has been improving but I still didn't feel comfortable in a big crowd so I walked with William in his stroller.



Inflatable shark slide

"Dog Bar"

Chabad was handing out free matzoh.

William and I walked six leisurely miles over about three hours, stopping to meet Dev and the kids for lunch at Spread PB, an all-peanut-butter-sandwich restaurant in Studio City. William had the time of his life, waving at everybody from his stroller, petting dogs, and getting free snacks along the way.

William enjoying his artisanal peanut butter sandwich.

There were more than 20,000 people participating from every walk of life and I didn't meet a single person that wasn't friendly and excited to be there, from families with babies to groups of middle-aged men on low-rider bikes, from trick cyclists doing handstands on their handlebars to the usual assortment of harmless L.A. eccentrics (a man dressed as a Renaissance queen, an old woman cycling with a dozen exotic birds perched on her head and shoulders).

Very tall bike

Dog snack stand

These women were making and handing out free bows.

And as if that wasn't enough, I was also participating in Spooks and Spokes with Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles (or GHOULA), a paranormal research group to which I belong. (And yes, I did file a report.)

Selfie near Universal Studios

I can't wait for the next event, CicLAvia: Culver City to Venice, in August.

William's stroller with sunflower and bow