Hollywood by bike
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Since I won’t be able to go riding tomorrow morning, I went for a ride today.
I rode over to Hollywood by way of Eagle Rock and the Franklin Hills, including crossing the Shakespeare Bridge on Franklin Ave. Then I went straight down Hollywood Boulevard, which is kind of strange on a bike. But even at 9:15 on a Saturday morning in October, there are tourists checking out the footprints in front of the Chinese Theater. Then I took a little detour south to go past our old house, as well as to stop to get a picture of Mickey’s Plants. Mickey Hargitay is probably best known for having been married to Jayne Mansfield, but now he owns a little greenhouse in Hollywood.
After cruising (so to speak) through West Hollywood, I turned and went up Nichols Canyon Road into the hills. This is a typical Hollywood Hills road. Narrow and winding. I stopped for a self-portrait in someone’s driveway mirror, as well as to admire the little creek and marvel at the fact that this idyllic scene is only one mile from the tourists on Hollywood Boulevard. Then, after several miles uphill, I came out on Mulholland Drive. There I saw a ‘deer crossing’ sign. Again, not what you expect in the middle of Los Angeles. And the scenic overlook had a picture of the Valley before it was built up, so we can see the contrast. Finally, I rode down into Cahuenga Pass, stopping to admire the view of downtown L.A. as well as the sideways view of the Hollywood sign. Then I continued down into Burbank, past Warner Brothers and all their big billboards for TV shows I don’t watch. Then I headed home through Glendale and La Canada, complete with a bracing trip up the infamous ‘Hospital Hill’. 51 miles.
October 24th, 2004 at 3:24 pm
Holy cow–51 miles! Is it pretty bike-friendly there? Here it is not, as I’m sure you know, unless you ride on a trail. That is the one and only thing I miss about Phoenix, is that where we lived, there were some great bikes lanes. I couldn’t take the heat half the year though.
October 24th, 2004 at 8:06 pm
L.A. is actually not bad. Austin wasn’t bad either, as far as Texas goes. When I was in college I did a lot of riding in Houston, and that was miserable. But overall, L.A. is pretty good. The best thing about where I went on this ride is that up in the hills is like being out in the country, even if it’s just a few blocks away from the city. And of course, we have the most perfect weather here.