TNS does LACM
The last Friday of the month came around so we took an opportunity to go roll around with a couple of thousand cyclists and a hundred or so of LA's finest, purely for the amusement of the spectators. It was a solid 28 miles all told, and all of it was downhill... ok, not really.
The ride started out at 7:30 pm sharp, cutting east on Olympic after a short trip south from the Western and Wilshire train station on Western. A left on Fig took us up for the obligatory 2nd Street tunnel crossing, complete with fresh blood, flashing lights and sound-pressure-levels around 120db between 1 & 3k (that's really loud... like Hank Jr. on a moonshine bender loud).
We circled the block around the Occupy LA protests (yeah baby, fight the power!) and then took the 2st street bridge over to Pickletown. A right on Cesar Chavez and a right on Pleasant took us back to 1st @ Mariachi Plaza, and we rolled up to the Food4Less on 1st for the first stop.
After enjoying the pauses that refreshes, we cut back through Boyle Heights and were treated to the always spectacular 6th Street bridge approach to downtown. We went south a block and rattled across downtown in a PAINFULLY slow dirge led by the LAPD (What's the deal guys, too many doughnuts?) before crossing back up to 6th by the Good Sam Hospital. Then the ride cut past MacArthur and Layfayette parks, north on Mariposa to 3rd, and then headed west before the po-po decided it was a good idea to kettle the kids between 2nd & 3rd on Larchmont.
The ride ended up at Hollywood and Western as usually, but we dropped that bunch like a bad habit when the kettling started and headed over to the Grove @ 3rd and Fairfax where the fried foods and milk shakes were consumed in mass quantities.
We weren't a massive skater contingent this month, but perhaps we'll be a bit larger next. Whaddya say skaters, who's down for a Skater Mass in November?