Sunday Funday

Heather and I had a great day yesterday, and it all started with a bike ride!

A Bike Ride with the LAPD

This past Tuesday I attended my local Night Out celebration, a nationwide series of events bringing together communities and law enforcement to "take back" neighborhoods from criminals and foster partnerships between police and the citizenry. When I heard there was going to be a bike ride with the LAPD, I couldn't resist hopping on my bike and riding straight to Chinatown to join in the fun!

I was reassured that any scofflaws that tried to steal my bike would have to deal with these people.



I was joined by many fellow cyclists, many of whom I had only met virtually on twitter including AliceStrong GraphikDeziner and Ohaijoe. The ride also had a celebrity drop mid way thru the ride, none other than the future council member of the 4th district, Stephen Box!



The ride was a microcosm for the way in which Los Angeles currently approaches cycling. The mere fact that the ride happened at all is a testament to the changing attitudes among the leaders of the city and police, and I am all for that. But the fact that the police felt they needed 2 bike cops, 2 squad cars and a fire truck to safely go on a bike ride says a lot about how "safe" cyclists are in this city. What message does it send that in order to safely ride thru town, you need that much "backup" to ride a 7 mile loop around the city core? I'd rather see a ride without motorized vehicles of any kind, a true "bicycle ride" in the purest sense.

In related news, I am very thrilled that my mayor has officially joined a fraternity of which I am also a member, that is to say he injured himself while riding on a bicycle. My injury was the result of poor road maintenance (thanks LADOT) and my own inattentiveness. His was the result of an inattentive driver. Hopefully the mayor will see the opportunity his injury presents. He can work to take this city away from cars and give it back to people. By reforming the LADOT and implementing proven urban planning reforms, Los Angeles can become the green city he speaks so eloquently about. But if it is to happen in our lifetimes, he'll need to turn the LADOT into a department of YES instead of NO. As I rode home on Tuesday, I took Fountain to avoid obnoxious Sunset traffic. I smiled as I rode over the fresh sharrows that were installed recently. I also wondered why it took over 2 years of fighting the LADOT for that paint to finally get laid down on the road. Mr. Mayor, seize the opportunity you have, if only that it may be your best chance to create a legacy.

Eat This: Eastside Market Deli

I've stumbled across the Best Sandwich in Downtown Los Angeles! How do I know this? Because cop cars are parked outside at all hours of the day.

Welcome to Eastside Market Italian Deli is one of the last remaining true Italian deli in the Downtown Los Angeles area and surroundings. Eastside Market is considered a landmark and listed as a "must" of all the places to visit in Southern California. Don't wait! Come in and enjoy!

http://esmdeli.com/

Los Angeles Critical Mass July 2010

This past friday's Critical Mass was a big one with and estimated 800-1300 cyclists showing up to have a good time, assert their right to the road and to pay a visit to the scene of the most recent failure of justice for cyclists and people in general. We rode to the Beverly Hills Courthouse to protest the weak sentencing of Celine Mahdavi, the woman who drove drunk, struck cyclist Louis Deliz and fled the scene leaving him to die. Deliz spent 49 days in the hospital. Judge Elden Fox sentenced Mahdavi to 90 days of community service. BikesideLA covers all the infuriating details of this all to common example of cyclists being treated as second class citizens by our government. For the 2nd time, the LAPD was in attendance, escorting the Mass all over town, except when we entered Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. The ride is certainly more organized as a result of their efforts and there seems to be less antagonism between drivers and cyclists, though I did hear of one incident. Overall, it was a great display of humanity and one of the few activities that can unify the disparate and frequently isolated groups in this sprawling metropolis! AMEN!

BikesideLA's Alex Thompson fires up the Mass


Rollout

Regrouping at Olympic & Fairfax

Who's Escorting Whom?

Holding up on San Vicente



Entering Beverly Hills


Outside Beverly Hills Courthouse

Showing off on Hollywood Blvd

Gathering at CVS on Sunset

Recruiter for WNBR

Ironic collision outside Safety Cycle

Critical Mass Tonight

Photo via SKD's LA Street Scenes

Tonight we'll be riding to the Beverly Hills Courthouse to demand justice for all cyclists in L.A. and especially for Birdman!

Blood-In Press Conference from Rick Darge on Vimeo.

Los Angeles Critical Mass on Twitter

Los Angeles Critical Mass on Facebook

Where: Wilshire and Western
When: Friday July 30th at 630pm


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Here's a preview!

Celebrating Independence in the Valley of the Moon

This past Fourth of July weekend (Happy Birthday America!) my darling and I visited one of our favorite places in the world, OJAI! Ojai is a quaint, friendly town nestled in a fertile valley in the hills above Ventura, California. The first people to settle here were the Chumash, who named it Ojai, which translates to "Valley of the Moon." You'll know why when you go on an evening stroll during a full moon!

Ojai is well known for their arts community and especially for the farms and gardens that grow so readily here. The climate, geography and soil make for a perfect environment to grow almost anything. From the moment we arrived, we were dining on locally grown Ojai produce, including the best strawberry shortcake ever from Boccali's Pizza!


Throughout the weekend, we hiked in the hills and took strolls around town, but most importantly, we relaxed poolside at the Herb Garden Pool!


When we weren't busy being lazy in the sun, we continued eating great meals around town, including an Italian themed lunch at Osteria Monte Grappa of Rosé, Stuffed Artichoke & Calamari and Polenta Salad!





The food was as wonderful as the setting:





We saw fruit nearly ready to be picked off the tree!



The highlight of the trip was a visit to New Oak Ranch's Lavender Farm where we picked bunches of lavender in their field.



The smell was simply heavenly, and the bees were so happy to share the blossoms with us!








A horse named Pal came over to see how we were faring with the lavender picking!



Heading back home we had to stop at this fruit stand for the tastiest plums ever, organic and just $1.00 per bag!

Los Angeles "Cycle Path" circa 1896

Is this the earliest photographic evidence of a bike path in Los Angeles? I was browsing the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Archive and came across this photo from 1896.


The "Cycle Path" sign looks a lot like the signs used nowadays in Culver City. Here's the intersection as it looks today:


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I'd love to see more information about the bicycling infrastructure of 19th century Los Angeles...