The city of Los Angeles has been having these civic events for the past few years, actually since 10/10/10.
I don't ride a bicycle, so I have not joined in one of them...
But this one, is drawing me in. We will see if I can carve out enough time over the weekend to attend CicLAvia.
What is CicLAvia, you might ask. It is when an area of streets are closed down to car traffic, so that residents and bicyclists can walk in the middle of the roadways, checking stuff out and just enjoying their day in the sun.
What does the word itself mean? From the CicLAvia site: "Spanish to English, “bike way.” It also describes either a permanently designated bicycle route or a temporary event, the closing of the street to automobiles for use by others."
Wilshire Blvd is an incredible road and the section that they have closed off has a bunch of historic buildings and neighborhoods that reflect different eras in Los Angeles history. One of them in particular, is of interest. The former Ambassador Hotel and Brown Derby sites, over by the Wilshire/Normandie Subway station has my attention.
I took IBM computer training in that area, back in 1981. I haven't been there since.
If you would like to see the history of the route to be closed on Sunday I urge you to read The Militant Angeleno's post. I spent more time then I had on Friday morning, getting lost in LA History. He's a great teacher.
No matter what, enjoy.
Very cool! When I first moved to LA in '98, our office was on Wilshire, about a block east of the Wiltern Theatre. It was not a very exciting neighborhood in those days, but it was convenient for my Los Feliz based commute!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I used to go by the Ambassador, then abandoned, and gaze in to the property thinking about its history.
And the Brown Derby!
Very fun - enjoy.
Thank you for your enthusiasm. I really hope we pull it off tomorrow.
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