CicLAvia Returns to the 'Heart of LA,' and We're Back Too

It had been a while since we grabbed our bikes and headed to the open streets for one of our favorite Los Angeles events, CicLAvia -- a function both of the pandemic and our busy schedules. But Nathan and I made it out to Chinatown on Saturday, and rode our bikes all the way to Mariachi Plaza and back, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city along the way. 

It's been easy to get a little down on Los Angeles lately. There are a lot of frustrating things about the current state of our city. But being back out with thousands of other Angelenos and enjoying the beautiful day... it brought back some of the passion for LA that had been starting to wane. (Later that evening, we also hit a Lakers preseason game — quite a day in LA!) More shots from our Sunday in downtown:

Scenes from CicLAvia's Return to the Heart of Los Angeles

We never get tired of CicLAvia, the day that miles of L.A. roads are shut down to cars and turned over to bicyclists and pedestrians. For this Sunday's edition of CicLAvia, organizers returned to the heart of downtown, with spokes to Chinatown, Mariachi Plaza, Pico/Central and MacArthur Park. Food trucks, bands, activities, bike repair, retail booths and more were there at every stop. And at the center of it all, in Grand Park, everything from a kids' play area to an Italian food festival greeted participants.



More than 100,000 people took part in October's event, according to organizers, who hope to eventually turn CicLAvia into a monthly event. (Too much of a good thing?) A few pics from this time:


Zumba marathon in Boyle Heights at Mariachi Plaza


The dancing Stop sign at City Hall


Concert stage in Chinatown


Coca-Cola bottling building at Central and Pico


Game area at Grand Park

Riding the Rails: The Gold Line's Eastside Extension

A few weeks ago, the Franklin Avenue Foursome (yes, including the baby) finally took the full tour of the Metro Gold Line's newly opened Eastside extension. (Hey look -- an actual correct "Eastside" reference!)

The line now continues after Union Station -- past Little Tokyo and on to Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.

We took a pit stop at Mariachi Plaza to walk around and have a late lunch at La Serenata de Garibaldi; then, it was back on the train, and all the way to Atlantic -- the final stop, in East Los Angeles -- and then back.

A few sights along the way:


Mariachi Plaza


Entrance to the Mariachi Plaza subway stop.


Turnstiles line up at the train stop.


The Gold Line subway tunnel


La Serenata -- possibly the best-known and revered restaurant on the Gold Line in East L.A.


My favorite part of this mural, of course, is the skeleton's moustache.


Jim's in Boyle Heights


Here comes the train... at the underground Mariachi Plaza stop.


Art at the Indiana stop


East L.A. Civic Center stop


All aboard the Gold Line!


Sunset from a Gold Line stop


24-hour King Taco


I love this Metro house ad -- but wish it included one more scene: The moment where the tagger beats the crap out of the tipster, having spotted him making an anonymous call.

Introducing... the Gold Line Extension, Opening This Sunday

The Franklin Avenue crew (now four strong!) will be riding the rails this Sunday, taking advantage of the Metro's all-day free entry to the Gold Line.

The long-awaited Gold Line extension to the Eastside now makes it even easier to head over to spots like Boyle Heights and attractions like the Mariachi Plaza (now a stop!) and La Serenata de Garibaldi, one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city.

We're already huge fans of the Gold Line -- we'll frequently take it down to Union Station, for example, for an afternoon strolling around Olvera Street, or for French dips at Philippe's. And of course, the South Pasadena Farmers' Market on Thursday night, located right next to the train stop, is a favorite.

We were also there on day one in 2003, when the Gold Line also offered free rides for its grand opening. Now it's time to celebrate again!

Meanwhile, the always informative Militant Angeleno has put together quite a nifty Guide to the existing, Union Station-to-Sierra Madre portion of the Gold Line. Check it out before hitting the rails on Sunday.

More guides to the new Gold Line extension:

-- Streetsblog takes a tour and review of the new Gold Line extension by bike.

-- The L.A. Times surveys the eating options along the Gold Line.

And here's the official Metro site on the extension.