Category Archives: Press

Grand Opening: Tongva Park & Ken Genser Square

4 Replies
Our Beautiful Carousel by Judy Raffel

Community Celebration: Tongva Park & Ken Genser Square

Saturday, October 19, 2013 • 11am – 4pm
Free admission, parking & bike valet

The celebration will feature music, crafts, storytelling, food trucks, and tours of the park’s diverse horticulture and innovative design elements. Tongva culture will be presented through traditional stories, songs, indigenous dances, and ceremonies.

Designed by James Corner Field Operations, the team behind New York’s celebrated High Line, Tongva Park was inspired by the Southern California arroyo landscape of washes and ravines that once defined the site.

The entire day if full of great events. See the full program here: Grand Opening Celebration

Tongva Park images

Santa Monica Walking Train: Santa Monica Walks! October 26th, 2013

1 Reply

SMW logo Square

Santa Monica Walking Train with Santa Monica Walks! & Santa Monica Next

Saturday, October 26
Meet: 3:30 p.m in front of the new library in Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Walk: Three miles, checking out Expo Line construction, Pico Neighborhood and the brand-new Tongva Park with Grace Philips & Gary Kavanagh (you can take the Big Blue Bus #7 back to the start, or vice versa)
Beers: 6:30 p.m. at Chez Jay, 1657 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401
See who’s coming and invite friends on Facebook

Los Angeles Walks promoted the month of “Walktober” with a series of events. Los Angeles Walks joins Santa Monica Walks and Santa Monica Next who are co-hosting an event here in our own fair city.
Beginning at Virginia Park the group will take a walking tour along construction of phase II Expo Line light rail and along Michigan Ave. in the Pico neighborhood where the “Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway Project (MANGo) is proposed. Enjoy hearing about MANGo and a bit of history on the neighborhood which had rail service back in the day, and how the building of the 10 freeway divided not only one of our most diverse neighborhoods but is still a source of disruptive devision in our city today despite it’s benefits.

The walk will conclude at the BEAUTIFUL new Tongva Park overlooking Ocean Ave., with the arrival planned around sunset when the park truly shines. Stick around for drinks after at Chez Jay.

la_walks_website1     SMNxt 700

CICLAVIA – HEART OF LA – Feeder Ride from Santa Monica Pier

6 Replies

CicLAvia – Heart of LA is this Sunday 10/6/2013!

Whether you ride down with us or get there on your own – don’t miss it!
CicLAvia – Heart of LA celebrates the streets of Los Angeles for everyone! Temporarily limiting the access of motor vehicles and opening the streets to all users – walking, wheelchairs, skates, bikes, scooters, skate boards, strollers – you name it!

Come experience the classic route, CicLAvia’s Heart of LA

We once again lead a feeder ride to CicLAvia this Sunday October 6th. We meet at the top of the Santa Monica Pier at 8:00am and roll out at 8:30am sharp. Ride is aprox. 15 miles, mostly flat on streets with bike lanes or low traffic volume at our time of travel. See return options on mass transit below. Facebook event here. We will be traveling at an easy pace but do ask you to “stay with the pace” so we can all get there together. Join us Sunday and experience the fun of CicLAvia!

SM_Spoke_Logo_URL
Start           Santa Monica Pier, at the Canon
Meet           8:00am   
Roll out      8:30am (sharp)
Route         Here  includes elevation and cue sheet 
Join us anywhere on the route but be early as we will only stop to regroup. No riders left behind.

CicLAvia_100613

Info on light rail & bus routes to or from CicLAvia

Big Blue Bus Rapid 10 takes the frwy downtown LA to Santa Monica FAST!
Metro 720 route DT Santa Monica south, Venice Blvd to downtown & Union Station
Light Rail: Connect to the Expo Line Culver City Station (timetable) then 
Big Blue Bus Rapid 20 to DT SM, Rapid 12 (to Westwood) or Route 12 (Westwood and Palms)
Bike Venice Blvd Bike lane west.  
Metro 733 route to Santa Monica on Wilshire Blvd from downtown LA

Stuff to bring:

  • helmut (for feeder ride or children under 18)
  • sun screen
  • cash
  • spare tube/ patch kit
  • hydration
  • any special tools your bike requires!
  • SMILES

Oct 6th CICLAVIA – HEART OF LA: Tips on “How to Participate!”

2 Replies

OCTOBER 6th  CICLAVIA – HEART OF LA
CicLAvia offers some tips on “How to Participate!” 

So… No Cars on the Street. Now What?

ladies_waving.1

© Cynthia Rose

CicLAvia - Heart of LA will have 7.5 miles of car-free streets ready to roam in downtown Los Angeles on October 6. Shoes will hit the pavement, tires will roll down the road, music will fill the air and food… oh all the food!

Bring out some skates, bike, skateboard or walk the route? Ride your bike with us from the Santa Monica Pier feeder ride, drive to a nearby parking structure or take public transit? (More on those options in our next post) Wear a fluffy pink boa, orange cape, purple tutu (oh wait that’s for me) or something from your CicLAvia t-shirt collection? The choices are endless!

But, how does one begin to plan their CicLAvia Day? The folks at CicLAvia have gathered some tips!

The folks at CicLAvia want to make your day easy. That’s why they’ve created a fabulous “How to Participate at CicLAvia“ page. Here you will find all you need to know about individual and group participation, ways to enjoy the route, suggestions for businesses and for shoppers, ideas for families, and guidelines for disabled participants and soooo much more! I was also happy to see included on the page Rules of the Road  that outlines tips how we can all share the open road  space to ensure we are all safe and courteous to everyone – not matter what the mode they have chosen to participate.

CicLAvia Presents: Charles Phoenix and His Fantastical Chinatown Field Trips

CicLAvia is proud to partner with Los Angeles pop culture expert and humorist Charles Phoenix for an up-close, enthusiastic and entertaining tour of Chinatown. Three one-hour Chinatown walking tours will be offered during CicLAvia – Heart of LA on October 6. Space is limited for these special tours. Proceeds benefit CicLAvia.
Experience the charm of LA’s legendary Old Chinatown as your tour guide, Charles Phoenix, shares his keen eye for oddball detail and the stories, and glories, of one of LA’s most exotic themed environments and precious pop cultural resources. You will never see Old Chinatown the same way again.

You can also participate in CicLAvia by making a donation to help fund the logistics of putting on the best free community event in LA. Click here to make a donation or text SMILE to 85944 to donate $10.
Make sure to RSVP on Facebook to be kept up-to-date on allCicLAvia - Heart of LA news and share the event with your friends.

GLOW: Beat the traffic, ride with us from SMMoA

1 Reply

BUY LOCAL (BIKE LOCAL) WEEK ends with GLOW Festival

Glow.jpeg

September 28th, 7pm-3am, Click image for more info

Don’t get stuck in traffic, get GLOWing!
GLOW is an all-night cultural experience featuring original commissions by renowned contemporary artists that re-imagine Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory artworks. The event runs from 7Pm-3am all along the beach and on the SM Pier, with many DTSM & local business staying open late and offering GLOW specials!

Beat the traffic and ride your bike with us! We lead a ride from Bergamot with SMMoA to GLOW and free bike valet. Return on your own or join Asuka from SMMoA for a group ride back at midnight.

Make sure you bring your lights, helmets, water etc. Start your evening of culture at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

  • Free parking at Bergamot Station Arts Center (spaces are limited).
    Lot closes at 4 am
  • 5:00pm: Tour of SMMoA’s summer exhibition Joyce Pensato: I KILLED KENNY 
  • 6:00pm: Guided group bicycle ride to GLOW
  • 6:30pm: Arrive at Glow – free bike valet
  • Midnight: Optional return ride with Asuka from SMMoA

SMMoA ♥ BIKES x GLOW