Ciclavia

CicLAvia is the largest "open streets" event in North America, celebrating active transportation, a healthy and sustainable environment, and a love of exploring our city from a unique perspective (aka... not in a car). CicLAvia's website shares, "CicLAvia closes the streets to car traffic and opens them to people, turning the streets into a playground for Angelenos, and connecting people across all communities on car free streets regardless of geographic location, economic class, culture, ethnicities, educational background or age. CicLAvia allows Angelenos to envision an alternative future for Los Angeles – a bike and pedestrian friendly city, a healthy city with alternative transportation beyond the single-passenger automobile." How awesome is that?

Last Sunday, 6 miles of streets were closed in Downtown Los Angeles for people to explore on anything with wheels - from skateboards, hoverboards, roller skates, bikes, wheelchairs, etc. It was a completely unique and mesmerizing experience to travel through downtown Los Angeles by bike and see no cars for miles and miles. It also felt pretty damn fantastic to not have to worry about finding parking anywhere (parking in LA can be a nightmare, especially when downtown). I took full advantage of the road closures and rode all over from Boyle Heights, the Arts District, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, the historic core, and to MacArthur Park. Not only was the ride itself a lot of fun (I forgot how freeing it feels to ride a bike!) but we also took advantage of the convenience of not having a car and made pit stops throughout the day for coffee, food, and beers (but don't worry, mom - not enough to get a "biking under the influence" ticket).

After an exhilarating 8 hour jam-packed day, we ended up at the LA River, underneath the 6th street bridge, which was another check off my LA bucketlist. By the end of the ride, I could barely walk and was drenched in sweat and grime. The next day, I was completely exhausted and it hurt to sit down or move at all for that matter! But the CicLAvia event was entirely worth the soreness and fatigue after, and I am so grateful that I got to experience the heart of LA by bike. It really got me thinking that when you're in a car, it can be difficult to notice everything that surrounds you as you're driving. When you're focused on watching the traffic lights, changing lanes, navigating through traffic, etc., you can forget to take notice of the city you're driving through. I loved biking through the heart of LA because it felt like I saw this area in an entirely new light. I loved taking pictures throughout my ride (yup, props to me for not falling once...very thankful my dad taught me how to ride one-handed when I was a youngin'!) and reviewing them all the next day. I also appreciated the friendliness of so many of the people that attended CicLAvia (I've never before gotten so many "hello's" and friendly waves/head nods in LA...cyclists are some of the most warm people out there!), and the positive energy throughout the day was entirely infectious.

It was such a surreal experience to be surrounded byTHOUSANDS of other Angelenos who love to explore our city and be active at the same time. This was one of my favorite LA experiences to date and a day in which I will remember fondly. Bottom line: I can't wait for the next CicLAvia event! Click HERE for more information and updates on the next CicLAvia event.