Stories

by Dana Variano, Digital Manager

I took a walk over to the Alex Theatre on Brand Blvd in Glendale this morning. I wanted to take a closer look at one of the neighborhood’s landmarks, and I’m glad I did. The theatre’s exterior is absolutely stunning, and the feeling of film history as you stand in the courtyard was inspiring. As a film and history buff since my teenage years, I can’t wait to have this historic landmark as the backdrop of the upcoming CicLAvia.

by Dana Variano, Digital Manager

Last week, I went to Glendale with Gabe to meet with a superstar in the active transportation field: seventeen year old Kenny U., from Glendale, California. You see, I've wanted to meet Kenny for quite sometime now. About a year ago, a new player in the active transportation social media scene emerged. @KenU092 started sharing his public transportation journeys, and being the first to like and retweet my social media posts. Since then, he’s become one of CicLAvia’s biggest social media fans and supporters. Kenny was super excited that CicLAvia was coming to Glendale, his hometown.  So we had to meet in person to find out a little bit more about our biggest fans –and I’m glad we did. We met at the beautiful Glendale Transportation Center, and chatted about his passion for public transport, CicLAvia coming to Glendale, and guava cheese pastries.

Our friends at barrio.LA took a field trip to Atwater Village in advance of June 11 CicLAvia - Glendale Meets Atwater Village presented by Metro. Check out their adventure below! Plus, don't forget to participate in the CicLAvia Produce Program on Sunday, June 11! Get a free limited edition CicLAvia tote bag when you purchase fruits or veggies from participating vendors at the Atwater Village Farmers Market! Pick up a field guide at the event to learn more.

by Alex Merlino, Finance Director

What happened when CicLAvia joined forces with Ivy Station at CicLAvia - Culver Meets Venice? We saw thousands of smiles and appreciative people who took advantage of the Ivy Station-sponsored Bike Valet. Those thousands of happy people joined more than 100,000 active participants on the 20th CicLAvia on March 26th. And Ivy Station’s Bike Valet was a hit! It gave people the opportunity to safely park their bikes, while enjoying and exploring the local shops of downtown Culver City, Mar Vista, and Venice.

by Alex Merlino, Director of Finance

Earlier this week, I spoke with Tom Wulf at Ivy Station, sponsor of CicLAvia - Culver City Meets Venice free bike valets. Ivy Station is the newest Transit-Oriented-Development (TOD) to begin construction in Culver City in 2017. TODs are vibrant, livable, sustainable communities located within a half mile of public transit. Ivy Station, consisting of a state-of-the-art office, residences, a boutique hotel, restaurants & cafés, retail and open space, is sure to become a new destination for both visitors to Culver City and local residents alike, and is located at the base of the Culver City Expo line station.

by Dana Variano, Digital Manager

I spend most of the week staring at my computer. Sometimes, I see fun colors and my eyes sometimes start crossing with website code. When I reach this point, my sensitive and amazing coworkers plea with me: "Dana! Get out of the office once in a while! Please!" So I finally listened to my coworkers this week, dusted off my walking shoes, and hit the CicLAvia - Culver City Meets Venice route to explore Mar Vista. My travel buddy for the day was Jen, a resident of Mar Vista who owns a website called barrio LA that finds and markets unique made-in-LA goods. I found about Jen and her brother Rick's amazing project on Instagram, and the synchronicity of their passion with CicLAvia's was too great to be ignored!

"barrio.la is all about looking up, down & around, making sure we take in everything this city gives to us – like it’s amazing parks, community gardens, outdoor markets & street art."

Jen said she loves going to CicLAvia with her daughter, and that it shows her that "if streets and neighborhoods rally together, they can support each other." I hit the streets of the Mar Vista with Jen to talk about her neighborhood, and what she loves about it.

Hello, everybody! My name is Brandon and I'm a new team member here at CicLAvia – I’ve been here 3 weeks now. This past Friday, I experienced why CicLAvia is as special as it is. Don’t get me wrong - I’ve felt it when I ride the CicLAvia events, and I’ve heard it in the conversations about opening streets across LA. But now- being part of the team - I see the heart behind what we do.

In our new series, we'll be highlighting the partners that make CicLAvia happen. Digital Manager Dana Variano sat down with Chris Blevins, Founder and COO of Pick My Solar, and chatted a bit about their reflections on 2016.

by Ronnie Takkens, CicLAvia blogger

One of my favorite parts of CicLAvia is exploring new places for lunch or a fast snack. Fortunately, Southeast Los Angeles offers plenty of options! Here are just a few places where I've enjoyed lunch on my Road to CicLAvia, but believe me: there are many more amazing places to discover!

by Aaron Paley, CicLAvia producer

I visited Evan Greenspan at his eponymous store earlier this year on Tweedy Mile. Evan is the third generation in his family to keep Greenspan's in continuous operation since it started in Watts in 1928 and then moved to its present location in South Gate in 1939. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I knew I was home.