Stan’s Obligatory Blog

The latest Ciclavia is a six-mile trip down Central Ave in Los Angeles, from Adams Blvd to 103rd St. Usually, we tend to avoid Ciclavia, since they tend to be very crowded. But the last time they had one in Watts, it wasn’t too crowded. So we figured this would be similar. And besides, we could go see the Watts Towers, which is always a bit of a treat.

To get there, we rode down our usual route into downtown L.A., and then down along the river through the Arts District, where we stopped for a moment to look at the new 6th St bridge under construction. After crossing over the railroad yard south of downtown, we picked up the Ciclavia route. We rode straight down Central Ave to the end, and then we took a couple blocks side trip to the Watts Towers. The big towers are being renovated, so they had scaffolding and netting around them, so we couldn’t see them that well. But that was all right, since we’ve seen them before.

For the route back, we took Main St all the way up through downtown, and then the Arroyo Seco bike path.

48 miles.

Route map and elevation profile

Last week’s ride was to Hollywood Forever to see Judy Garland’s grave. Since only two of us were there, we did the same route this week. The weather was much nicer, and I also remembered that there is also a memorial to Toto at Hollywood Forever. So that was the ride for today.

We stopped for snacks at La Colombe in Frogtown. I particularly like that they have sparkling water on tap there. Overall, it was a nice ride.

41 miles.

Route map and elevation profile

I recently read that Judy Garland is now buried in Hollywood Forever. For a long time, she was at a cemetery in Westchester County, New York. But apparently, a few years ago her family decided that it would be more appropriate for her to be interred in Hollywood. Since celebrity graves are a good ride theme, Hollywood Forever was the destination for today.

The day started off with a slight threat of rain, but this route tracks close to several Metro Rail lines, so we have bailout options. Still, there were only two of us today. We rode through downtown L.A. and then out to Larchmont Village and then to Hollywood Forever, which is located right next to Paramount Studios. When we got there, we ended up having to ask the guy at the information booth where Judy is located. But once we found her, it was pretty obvious.

Continuing on, we headed for home by way of Frogtown. We got as far as crossing the L.A. River and starting up Figueroa St when it started raining. So we turned off on Ave 26 and got on the train at the Lincoln/Cypress Metro station. When we got back to Pasadena, it was raining lightly, but it was all right to ride the two miles home from the station. Then, about five minutes after I got home, the sky opened up, and we had pouring rain. So that was lucky good timing.

32 miles, counting the two miles home from the Allen Metro station.

Route map and elevation profile