For those of you who need a jump start in your holiday spirit go out and participate the first night of Los Angeles Departmenet of Water and Power’s 14th Annual Festival of Lights at Griffith Park this Thursday, December 3rd. Apparently this is the only night you can ride your bike to view each of the displays. After that, you’ll have to hop on a shuttle to see the display from December 4th until December 17th. From December 18th until December 30th is for car traffic.
I’ve only been there by car in previous years and never by bike so this will be an exciting experience. I think out of the 3 choices, this would be the best way to see the display since you dictate the pace and can stop and go as you please without impeding traffic. It’s ironic how LADWP is touting that they are going green when they only have one night dedicated to bicycle traffic and 13 nights for cars. Having car free nights with the shuttle is a good step but it could be better. Perhaps powering each light display like how folks at Copenhagen is doing it for their Christmas tree might be better?
Photo provided by sgroi on Flickr
As of yesterday, I have officially finished my 8 weeks trial period without a car. Through this time I have expressed some displeasure in the process but now it’s finally done! 
I would be lying if I told you I did not drive my car during this time period. I had to drive it in 3 separate occasions. The first incident was for 2 doctors visit in one day. I would have taken public transportation but even though the appointments were 2 hours apart, I was not going to be able to make it considering I wouldn’t know when I’ll be out after the first appointment. I suppose I could have considered that incident a “rental” incident but I think I can prevent something like that from happening either by scheduling them on different days or scheduling earlier. The second incident was a drive down to Orange County. I was heading down to our friends’ place so that I can leave the car for a weekend trip to San Diego. That would have been considered a legitimate “rental” opportunity. I would have even driven the rental down to SD. The final incident was because I had to bring my car in to get it tuned up and fixed maintenance issues. That actually has nothing to do with needing a car since the reason alone is enough to justify why I needed to drive. It was this last trip where it finally sealed the deal in my decision to give up my car permanently. I am tired of throwing my money away maintaining this proverbial ball and chain.
Here are some highlights of my 2 months experience.
- Bought rain gear, but did not bring it when it did drizzle. Still had fun riding in the wet.
- Rode 855 miles during this time which included commuting, some group rides, and my Santa Monica excursion.
- Had 4 people ask about the Xtracycle.
- Had motorcyclist compliment on my Xtracycle.
- Realized that LA still has a long way in becoming a bicycle friendly city and there are dedicated individuals who are out there fighting for a better LA as we speak.
- Los Angeles have so much things to experience outside of a car.
- I could go practically anywhere in LA if I planned it right.
- People generally are surprised and doubtful when you tell them that you’re giving up your car. They’re almost sympathetic for the cause and some do offer rides.
- Some people don’t think it’s possible to be car-free in LA. Some think it’s social suicide.
- Your iPod is your best friend on public transportation.
- My friends are realizing that I’m not messing around.
- Using the bike rack on a bus is easy.
For the next step, I am going to get my car washed and detailed and will be putting it on Craigslist for sale hopefully by today. It is going to be good to lose this 3,000 lbs from my life. The revolution has begun!
Photo provided by nyoin on Flickr.
After a “long week”, I attended a Happy Hour over at Henry’s Hat last night. The attendees at this particular Happy Hour are my co-workers who are part of the company’s racing team. Racing as in triathlon, running, etc. Upon arrival I was told by 2 separate individuals that they saw footage of me on TV. Specifically, it was a video about the 2009 Nautica Malibu Triathlon race recap on Fox Sports West. When I got home, I immediately scoured the net and found the video on the actual Nautica Malibu Triathlon website. It is the first video segment of the 2009 video series. I am seen running at the 1 minute mark for 2 seconds. Woohoo I’m famous! 
Here’s a screen shot of the page and video just in case they remove it in the future:
I remember about 2 years ago I was oblivious to the Metro network in and around Los Angeles. I was chained to the day to day grind of driving back and forth to work from my parent’s home. 
Ever since I started riding my bike, I slowly found that not only is bicycling great but the Metro network of buses and trains are an enjoyable way to travel around town. I am still picking up new routes even to this day. Combine both the Metro and bicycling, you can practically get anywhere in Los Angeles. That is why I am excited that the Metro Gold Line will be opening up the expanded route from Union Station into East LA on November 15th.
If you had told me 2 years ago that this was happening, I would have easily dismissed this as anything significant. Why would I care about an expansion of a Metro train? 
I would not have realized that this opens up a way of getting to a part of LA in which I would not have gone in any other circumstances. This was true about a year ago when I took the Gold Line from South Pasadena to Highland Park. I definitely wouldn’t have been comfortable going there in previous scenarios. I now hang out at that area more frequently than my own town. This new expansion means more business to each of the local communities that is fortunate to have a train stop at their neighborhood. It allows people to be able to mobilize easily between East LA to Pasadena which connects multiple cultures, a multitude of different wealth class, and open up opportunities for the people in the communities that line up against the path of this train track.
If you find the time on Sunday, try to get to a station on the Gold Line and see for yourself. I heard you will be able to ride free that day and may even get to attend a block party to see a Mariachi Festival in Boyle Heights. Heck! They promised a special appearance of Santa at one of the stops. What better way to kick off the holiday season than with Santa? 
Photos provided by waltarrrrr on Flickr.
I saw this story floating around Twitter last week and was in complete awe. Here I am complaining on how tired I was on my 55 miles jaunt around LA when Lan Yin Tsai aka Eiko who is 84 years old and rides 150 miles in one day every year for the past 26 years! She’s not dressed in any kind of exercise uniform but rather a dress, tweed jacket, and high heels. When asked why she rides in high heels, she humbly responds that was what she normally rides in. In addition to her dedication, she is doing this for a good cause. The ride benefits MS patients in the New Jersey area. Her persistence is envious and I can only wish I will live that long and still be on a bike. Find a photo of her below. She should be the forth photo in.
Photo provided by theskepticaloptimist on Flickr
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