Coffeeneuring the Second: Intelligentsia in Silver Lake

Official Coffeeneur Log

Entry No. 2

Date: October 11, 2015

Weather conditions: Sunny & mild

Destination: Intelligentsia Coffee, Silver Lake, California

Distance (complete trip): 13.9 miles

Qualifying Beverage & Bonus Edible(s): Riakiberu (or was it kairebu?) brew & Croissant

Bike-friendliness: Large bike rack right in front and visible from large courtyard dining/sipping space. Gives discount to guests arriving by bike!

Bloomers of the day: Blue Denim Bloomers (under a Nuu-Muu dress)

Route map:

Notes:

To earn my coffee and treat, and to enjoy the morning, I had to first ride a loop around the Silver Lake Reservoir. The first part of that loop meant navigating a little construction, but not too much of a bother.

Usually, when circling Silver Lake, I ride in the bike lane on the street, but this time I was curious to try the gravel path that runs along the meadow. It is a well-maintained and firm path, so no problem on my road bike, and well worth checking out.

Riding the path gives a better view of the reservoir, although I still had to put my phone right up to an open space in the chain link fence in order to get this shot:

At one point the path runs close enough to the street that you can see how it compares to the bike lane. Although a road bike can handle the path’s surface, you do have to navigate a lot of dog walkers and joggers.

I enjoyed bike lane, albeit not in the best shape, pretty much the whole way from the reservoir to the business district, passing some nice public spaces:

Best of all, after leaving the coffee shop, I turned onto one of my favorite streets to ride on, Hyperion. This is why I brought the road bike on this day, as these hills would be a bit much for my dutch bike.

All in all, a delightful way to start my Sunday.