How to Get to CicLAvia

INFORMATION FOR APRIL 2011 – MOSTLY THE SAME FOR OCTOBER 2011 – but check back as we’ll be revising. Getting to CicLAvia on 4.10.11, we encourage folks to arrive by foot/bike/transit, but it’s ok to drive, too!

BICYCLING:

There are a few feeder rides – where groups will meet up and ride together to CicLAvia. (If your area isn’t listed, comment below and we’ll add.) If you’re planning to drive, consider parking at one of these spots and biking in. Some of these folks will bike back afterward – check with ride leaders.

• Culver City/Palms – depart from Media Park at 8:30am. Media Park is located at the corner of Venice Blvd and Culver Blvd.
• Eagle Rock – meeting at Occidental College at the corner of Alumni Avenue and Campus Road at 10 AM– email gpasciuto [at] oxy.edu
• Fairfax District – Meet at I.Martin Bicycles at 8330 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 90036.  Store will open at 8:30; ride departs at 9:00am. The ride is family-friendly and will mostly follow 4th Street from Cochran to CicLAvia. Contact: jeff.jacobberger [at] gmail.com
• Downtown Los Angeles – Meet at Downtown L.A. Bicycles at 1626 South Hill Street. Shop will be open at 8am, and will be doing  free safety checks and simple tune-ups. The 10-block feeder ride is very short very family-friendly – departing 9:30am. For more information: danny [at] downtownlabicycles.com
• Highland Park – Meet at Flying Pigeon Bike Shop (next to Bike Oven) at the corner of Figueroa Street and Avenue 37. For more information see details at this article or email to info [at] flyingpigeon-la.com
• Mar Vista – group leaving at 9:30am from the BikeRoWave, 12255 Venice Blvd, L.A. 90066 – see Midnight Ridazz event.
• San Fernando Valley – CSUN Bike Collective rides to Van Nuys then along the Orange Line Bike Path to the North Hollywood Metro Red Line Station. Multiple departures, more information as we get it. Meet CSUN 7:30am, depart 8am. Meet up at the Van Nuys Orange Line Station at 8:30am, roll out shortly after the CSUN group arrives. Information at facebook event and via CSUN Bike Collective facebook page.
• San Gabriel Valley –  The Eastside Bike Club rides from Walgreens at Main Street at Fremont Avenue in Alhambra – meet 8:30am, departs 9am. Information via Eastside Bike Club facebook page. Also their facebook event page.
• Santa Monica – Departing Santa Monica Pier at 8:30am, head east on Broadway to Santa Monica Blvd and pick up riders along the way. Passing thru Century City where we pick up BikingInLA Ted Rogers and to Beverly Hills where we pick up more riders from Better Bike Beverly Hills. More info and last minute updates on SMSpoke.org and @SMSpoke on twitter and Facebook.
• Silver Lake – Treats & Beats the Ride gathers at Sunset and Griffith Park Boulevard (triangle mini-park) and departs for CicLAvia at 9am. Information via Treats & Beats facebook event.
• South L.A. – TRUST South L.A., SAJE, Mercado La Paloma and other folks working on CicLAvia South L.A. expansion are meeting at Exposition Park, in front of the Swim Stadium at 3980 Menlo Avenue. Ride departs at 8:30am and goes north on Central Avenue. Information via South L.A. Ride facebook event.
• South Pasadena/Highland Park border: C.I.C.L.E. is hosting a ride down the Arroyo Seco Bike Path and into CicLAvia. Meet at the upstream end of the bike path, next to the stables, immediately south of the York Boulevard/Monterey Road Bridge – 1001 Arroyo Verde Road. Depart 9:15am – information at CICLE ride facebook event.
• UCLA – updated! Meet at the Bruin Bear on the UCLA campus at 9am, depart by 9:30am. Contact Ross Bernet ross.bernet [at] gmail.com

TRANSIT:

The 4.10.11 route is very easy to access via Metro Rail. Note that bikes are allowed (no extra charge) on all Metro Rail space permitting:

• Metro Blue Line – from Long Beach to Downtown L.A. – exit at 7th/Figureoa (called “7th and Metro”) Station – CicLAvia is on 7th Street right at the station.
• Metro Gold Line – from Pasadena to East L.A. – exit at Little Tokyo Station (at 1st Street and Alameda Street) – walk one block west to 1st and Central
• Metro Red Line – from North Hollywood to Downtown L.A. – numerous stations on and very near the route, including Vermont/Beverly (walk one block west to Beverly and New Hampshire), Westlake-Alvarado-MacArthur Park (walk one block south to 7th Street) and 7th & Metro.

There are also many, many bus lines that intersect the route, mainly in Downtown Los Angeles. (Note: each bus carries only two bikes on its front rack.) For complete rail and bus information see Metro website. If you have questions about getting to CicLAvia by bus or train, comment below and we’ll try to give you advice.

The route is also very near Union Station, which does have Amtrak trains and very limited Sunday Metrolink trains. To walk or bike from Union Station to CicLAvia: turn left/south on Alameda, then right on First Street. (alternately take the Gold Line or Red Line.)

CAR:

More than other modes, if you go by car, we recommend arriving early. Major streets will be open and smaller streets and alleys will be blocked. Many route-adjacent blocks will be open only to local traffic. Carpooling is encouraged. Folks might also try driving to Metro Rail stations, then arriving by train (Metro station parking information here – most free, some pay.) See parking suggestions below.

PARKING:

Street parking is generally available within a few blocks of the route – folks, especially arriving relatively early, should be able to find on-street parking anywhere along the route. L.A. City metered parking is generally free on Sundays. Due to street closures, we recommend not searching for parking too near the route, but parking ~4-6 blocks away and walking or bicycling the rest of the way. If you park, please use common sense security measures against theft: lock your car and don’t leave valuables out in the open.

CicLAvia has two designated paid parking lots this year. Parking here supports CicLAvia. Event parking is $7 upon entry, cash only – lots are open at 8am.

• East Hollywood: Los Angeles City College parking structure on Heliotrope. Entrance is on Heliotrope Drive at Monroe Street. Lot closes at 6pm.
  >> Access from the 101 Freeway: exit Melrose, go east on Melrose Avenue, turn left (north) at the FIRST left on Alexandria Avenue, then turn right on Monroe Street. Parking lot at the end of Monroe.
• Little Tokyo / Downtown L.A.: City of Los Angeles lot 2 and 7 located at the corner of Temple Street and Judge John Aiso Street (one block east of Alameda Street – surface parking lot adjacent to MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary.) Entrances on Temple and on Aiso.
  >> Access from the 101 Freeway: exit Alameda Street, go south on Alameda, turn at the FIRST right onto Temple Street, entrance to parking lot is on the left side of the street.

Some suggestions for parking in various areas along the route – listed east to west:

• Boyle Heights – suggest street parking east of Hollenbeck Park
• Little Tokyo – limited street parking available, consider using pay parking lots
• Downtown L.A. – limited street parking available, consider using pay parking lots
• Westlake MacArthur Park – Quite a bit of street parking should be available either north or south of the route. From the north, perhaps take 3rd Street and turn south on any smaller street between Alvarado and downtown. From the south, perhaps take Olympic Boulevard and turn north on any smaller street between Hoover and Downtown.
• Koreatown – Every day of the week, parking is not easy in the denser residential neighborhoods here. Early in the day, it may be not too difficult to park along commercial corridors, including Vermont Avenue.
• East Hollywood – Be careful of residential permit parking in this area (including some on Heliotrope.) Suggest looking for parking on residential streets west of Heliotrope.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

See our earlier article with suggestions on Ten Ways to Get to CicLAvia