FAQs: CicLAvia For Beginners on October 9 in Los Angeles

The third CicLAvia public bike tour to hit L.A. happens Oct. 9 and will take over 10 miles of closed streets from East Hollywood to the Eastside.

Organizers are inviting folks to stop and smell the architecture and culture along the way too, with focal points including “historic downtown,” Boyle Heights, the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue, and El Pueblo de Los Angeles and adjacent Olvera Street.

You can even walk it if you want.

FAQs:

Koombaya at CicLAvia.; Credit: CivLAvia

I'm trying to be all Ed Begley Jr. on this, in the spirit of CicLAvia's environmental activism. How do I get my bike to the route without driving?

Go Metro. Bikes are welcome (first-come, first-served) on Metro buses and trains in L.A. If you need help loading up your ride on a bus' front rack ask the driver. Info.

Where do I get my grub on?

Oh boy. If you want to make this into a culinary tour you're on the right path. From authentic Thai in nearby Thaitown to Korean food in Koreatown to Mexican along Olvera Street and in Boyle Heights there will be no end of choice culinary options to keep your carbos loaded. We suggest that street food of any ethnicity is apropos. But check out some selections from LA Weekly's restaurant guide here.

What the heck is CicLAvia — and where'd they get the name from?

Organizers were inspired by the 30-year-strong “ciclovías” of Bogotá, Colombia. They added “LA” to the South American name. The idea, at least here, was to celebrate the beauty and community of our city via traffic-free streets while also opening eyes to a vision of an environmentally friendly way to get around. More.

I'm not Lance Amrstrong, but I want to check it out. Will I just get in the way?

No way. Not only are pedestrians welcome, but they'll be plenty going on if you just want to bring the family and watch the bikes roll by, including Puerto Rican, Indonesian, and Mexican music performances, art installations, “a Wonderland-like game of street chess using life-sized pieces,” and “a costumed colony of furry pranksters.” Really.

Where's the action at?

Organizers are setting up 6 “hubs” at the following places along the route: the so-called “Bicycle District” (see this map) in East Hollywood, MacArthur Park, the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue, the South Lawn of City Hall, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, and Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights.

I pee a lot.

Good for you! See the “hubs” above. There will be restrooms there. Free water to keep you goin' too.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

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