Cycling along LA River Trail to Venice beach and Santa Monica Pier
During a short business visit to Los Angeles, accompanied by my trusty steed - the Brompton folding bicycle I managed to get a day off on the weekend to explore the LA River trail and then cycled to the coast to Venice beach and further to the Santa Monica Pier.
East Coast First - Accion HQ
But before arriving in LA, I had a whirlwind visit to the east coast, visiting customers in Roanoke (VA) and Columbus (OH) before arriving in Pittsburgh at the Accion HQ and to attend the Pittsburgh Tech 50 award ceremony where Accion was shortlisted as a finalist for the fastest growing tech firm. The view from our office window showed evidence of the fall colors. It was great to meet up with the Accion Pittsburgh team!
Jugaad Innovation for the Brompton
I carry my bike in a hard case to avoid damage during transit. Despite that, this time my bike's front hook was broken. In the true spirit of Jugaad Innovation, I cannibalized a clothes hanger from the hotel room and bent it into shape to serve as a temporary hook.
Arriving in LA!
After the cold and rainy weather in Pittsburgh, the fabulous weather in LA was a welcome relief! And I was greeted by this gorgeous view of the sunrise from my hotel window. With my bicycle fixed and ready to ride, I used it to commute from my hotel to the location of our business workshop and back. But I was itching to do a longer ride on the weekend!
LA River Trail
After a hectic workshop with several streams of work, I was excited to have a day free before my flight back to India the next day. I looked up the map to find the Los Angeles River Trail. I rode on the northern section from Burbank to downtown LA (ref). The trail has the river on one side and a highway on the other, and is not as scenic as some of the trails I have ridden on in other parts of the country. However, it does have some nice sections and the surface is great!
I took a short break at the Spoke Bicycle Cafe, where I re-inflated my tires and had a nice breakfast of sunny-side eggs and a hot coffee. There were quite a few cyclists who had stopped by, and some of them were using the services of the workshop as well. A perfect pit stop on the trail!
Venice Beach Boardwalk
I cycled along Venice Boulevard to the Venice beach boardwalk, and then cycled along the beach to Santa Monica Pier. Though it was bright and sunny, it wasn't hot, and the cool sea breeze kept blowing all the way. I took a short rest under the palm trees and watched the humming birds feed off the flowers. Cool coconut water and a salad for lunch, and hot coffee just before starting back.
Santa Monica Pier
I rode along the beach boardwalk from Venice beach to Santa Monica Pier. Here is a short summary of the ride!
On the way back, I cycled up to West Hollywood, with my phone battery almost dead. For fear of losing my way without Google Maps, I took a cab the rest of the way to my hotel. With the Brompton in the trunk, sharing stores with the Philipino was a great way to end the day!
