Another year, another round of coffeeneuring. Whataneuring, you ask? See my coffeeneuring reports from previous years to get the backstory. Quick answer: Coffeeneuring is a challenge put out each Fall to bike (or run) to seven different coffee shops (or coffee outside locations) over the course of seven weeks, providing documentation. There are a few more rules, but that’s the gist of it. Each year the challenge has a theme, and participants have the option of embracing the theme in their own way, or creating a theme to add to the fun. This year’s theme was “C+1”, and I decided to make that about inviting someone along for each outing. I also find myself unable to resist keeping track of which Bloomers I wore each time (because that’s my thing, as in literally, that’s my side hustle).
The following is my report:
#1: Date: October 24, 2021
Where: La Tropezienne, Mid-City Los Angeles
Beverage: Cappuccino
Lynn and I enjoying our goodies at a sidewalk table in front of La Tropezienne
Distance: 23.5 miles
Bloomers: Dazzling Amethyst
Dazzling Amethyst Bloomers & official coffeeneuring socks
C+1: Lynn
Angie at the Helipad, sporting her Leopard Print Bloomers
My friend Angie and I sometimes ride to Griffith Park together, so when she reached out to ask if I’d like to ride together this time, I was happy to do so. Then another friend, Lynn, ended up joining us. Turns out Angie needed to skedaddle on home right after our ride through the park, but Lynn was game for a coffee run. I hold fond memories of delectable goodies from La Tropezienne, and wanted to visit them again this year. Along with my cappuccino (they do those right), I enjoyed an almond croissant that featured all the perfect flakiness and almondy goodness.
#2: Date: October 30, 2021
The Mt. Vernon Trail runs along the Potomac River
Where: Lot 38, Washington, D.C.
Beverage: Macchiato Caramello
The Memorial Bridge, a Capital Bikeshare docking station, and my yummy treats at Lot 38
Distance: 16+
Bloomers: Pinkadot Black
C+1: Spirit of Frederick Douglass
Exploring the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
Every year, during coffeeneuring season, I make a trip to our nation’s capitol to attend a conference, where I make use of their bikeshare system and bike routes. One year I was lucky enough to meet up with one of the many coffeeneurs in the area, and share a coffeeneuring ride together, but this year I was unable to find a ride buddy who was available at the same time I was free. Through the marvels of Instagram, I had been following the development of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (I love biking over bridges), so I decided to designate the spirit of Frederick Douglass as my C+1. We had a great time despite getting a wee bit lost on the way there (missed my turn off the Mt. Vernon Trail, so took the Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River instead of crossing by way of Hains Point). Before getting to the new Frederick Douglass Bridge, however, I had to get to Lot 38, a coffee shop nearby that was going to close soon so I had to save the exploration for after my treats. The macchiato caramello and cinnamon bun were well worth the trip. Afterward, I had fun riding across the new bridge with its fantastically generous bike lane as well as exploring both sides of the Anacostia River. It was a glorious adventure, and I relished the opportunity to see some autumn colors along the way.
#3: Date: October 31, 2021
The back entrance to Stories Books & Cafe
Where: Stories Books & Cafe, Echo Park
Beverage: Drip Coffee with Milk & Caramel
Distance: 12
Restocking the little free libraries
Bloomers: Rustica Leggings (not Bloomers!)
Proof that I don’t wear bloomers every day
C+1: Quoc
Quoc and my goodies
The very next day, I was back in L.A., and was able to join the Street Librarians for their monthly visit to re-stock some little free libraries in the Silver Lake / Echo Park / Koreatown areas. The group meets up at Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park, typically enjoying goodies before the ride begins. This time I had the pleasure of meeting someone new to me, Quoc, my C+1 for this ride. It was Halloween, so we embraced a spooky theme, and I had fun dressing for the occasion.
#4: Date: November 6, 2021
Where: Sidecar Donuts, Fairfax District
Beverage: Vintage Brew Coffee
Distance: 25
Heading up Nichols Canyon
Bloomers: Conventional Black Bike Shorts (again, no Bloomers!)
C+1: El Cochinito
This was an unplanned coffeeneuring excursion of the best kind. El Cochinito and I had simply planned to ride one of my favorite routes togethers, the Nichols Canyon / Franklin Canyon Loop that features quiet roads, beautiful scenery, and just enough climbing to feel legitimate without being too taxing. As we were back on the flats and working our way home, he surprised me with a stop at Sidecar Donuts. I was delighted to try this new location, and the Dulce de Leche Churro donut I had was divine, complemented by a brewed coffee with milk and honey. Sweetness with my Sweetie!
#5: Date: November 14, 2021
Tour of the urban forest
Where: Mendocino Farms, Culver City
Beverage: Lemonade
Patricia
Distance: 23
Bloomers: Party Pants
C+1: Patricia
So maybe the theme this year was really figuring out how to turn each weekend’s bike ride into a coffeeneuring ride. Certainly that was the case here, as I didn’t want to miss a tour of the urban forest in Culver City, led by Patricia Bijvoet. Patricia is a local urban landscape architect whom I met through Women on Bike Culver City. I was unfamiliar with urban forestry and what that meant, and this was a fascinating educational experience. Does having lemonade with the ride leader count as coffeeneuring? I think so.
#6: Date: November 20, 2021
Celebrating the new mobility lanes in downtown Culver City
Where: Akasha, Culver City
Beverage: Drip Coffee with Caramel
Jennifer and our goodies
Distance: 15
Bloomers: Dazzling Amethyst
C+1: Jennifer
I found myself back in Culver City the very next weekend, this time not wanting to miss the grand opening celebration of the new mobility lanes that transform the streets through Culver City’s charming downtown from scary-insane to delightful. After all, they didn’t just add bike lanes and a bus lane, they painted pretty flourishes along the way. Afterward, Jennifer gladly joined me as my C+1 for coffee and treats at Akasha. I had a drip coffee with caramel and half & half, and a delicious pistachio croissant.
#7: Date: November 27, 2021
Where: Pailin, Hollywood
Bike parking right in front of Pailin
Beverage: Thai Iced Coffee
Kat
Distance: 8
Bloomers: Red Hot Aqua Dot
C+1: Kat
Time was running out, and here I was, looking for a way to turn my next outing into a coffeeneuring ride. El Cochinito had made arrangements for us to meet up with a former student of his at a nearby Thai restaurant, so we biked there and I made sure I had me a Thai iced coffee with my lunch. I had some time hanging with the former student’s partner, Kat, while our respective dates were outside for a bit. Kat was fun to visit with, and was gracious about letting me photograph her to document my C+1.
And with that, just under the wire, another season of coffeeneuring was completed.
My first few years participating in the Coffeeneuring challenge were heavily-planned exploits with carefully crafted themes. Last year, things had devolved into a matter of simply ticking the essentials off the list. Then, along comes 2020, a year that will go down in infamy for so many things, most notably a global pandemic that has thrown a monkey wrench into just about everything. Enter the official theme for this year’s challenge: One Good Thing. An excellent way to ground and focus us on an attitude of gratitude, key to managing during crazy times.
Since the challenge requires seven rides over seven weeks, the extent of my overall planning consisted of deciding I would come up with something each week that would qualify, including being open to whether or which coffee shop I might visit when I headed out on my bike. I let myself off the hook from past notions that involved extensive planning and placed greater value on only visiting coffee shops that were new to me, or making sure I ventured to different cities or parts of town with each ride. With all that is disrupted this year, and so much time spent at home, just getting out for a bike ride is a super important thing, and there’s no value in ruining it with pressure to push special rules.
Prizes from prior years (still agonizing about where to put them)
So this blog post is my control card, a full report of my sixth year completing the Coffeeneuring challenge. It is presented here so that I can link to it for my formal submission to the Chief Coffeeneur, enabling me to claim my prize. If anyone actually reads this, well, then, bless your sweet heart. If you want to check my submission against the rules, you can find those rules here.
Highly Likely Cafe is just down Jefferson Blvd from the Baldwin Hills Overlook. El Cochinito sure loves his coffeeneuring socks! And that cute bicycle print mask? I’ve been sewing these up; giving some away, and selling some on my Etsy shop (click photo to see it).
Date: 10/10/2020
Beverage: Cortado for me & Cappuccino for him (with croissants)
Bike ride: My beloved, also referred to as El Cochinito, had invited some of his students to meet him at the Baldwin Hills Overlook, one of L.A.’s treasures that many overlook (pun intended). More accurately, many Angelenos haven’t heard of it. It was an easy ride, except for the one steep hill, a necessary element when one seeks to ride to a view point. I knew this outing would put us in a good position to head east on Jefferson to visit Highly Likely on our return to home, one of those cafes I want to support, as I hope they can make it though the pandemic.
Bloomers: Crazy Daisy under Mermaid (a Nuu-Muu dress)
Mileage: 13.6
One Good Thing: Sidewalk dining is an easy solution in Los Angeles, and it allowed us to enjoy a restaurantish experience for the first time in months.
The Griffith Park Helipad is a great place to meet up with friends in a socially-distanced way, and to watch the sunset (and yes I’m wearing a cookie gaiter and cookie socks from Phil’s Cookie Fondo)
Date: 10/18/2020
Beverage: Reed’s Ginger Brew
Bike ride: A group of bike friends has a summer tradition of meeting once a week at the helipad in Griffith Park to watch the sun set while enjoying a beverage and the good company. This year, someone had the bright idea to shift it to Sundays after the sunsets start coming too early for weekday work schedules. This was the first such re-scheduled Helipad Happy Hour. An easy way to socialize outdoors and while maintaining social distance.
One Good Thing: We may not be able to participate in the same organized group rides and events as in the past, but we can still find ways to hang with our bike friends. The helipad provides a great space for safely distanced social interactions.
Control No. 3: Franklin’s Cafe, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California
Riding up to the Griffith Observatory via Vermont Canyon takes you along the Greek Theater and through a tunnel (today’s gaiter is brought to you by Bike Lane Uprising)
Date: 10/24/2020
Beverage: Hazelnut Latte
Bike ride: I have ridden up to the Griffith Park Observatory so many times, it would be impossible to count. This is my go-to ride. Most times, I ride up to the Observatory via the Crystal Springs loop to Mt. Hollywood Drive (aka Trash Truck), and sometimes I ride up Western Canyon from the Fern Dell entrance. Either way, I descend via Vermont Canyon. It’s been bugging me that I had never ascended via Vermont Canyon. It’s so fun to come down (you can hit some sweet speed on that one), that I’d assumed it must be a steep climb to go up that way. Of course, this was a deficiency I had to address: what is it really like to ride up the Vermont Canyon way? That’s what I did, and guess what? It’s not such a hard climb. Yeah, there’s a steep part, but it’s not that bad. According to Strava, there’s a 3/4 mile ascent with a grade of 7.6%. There’s a little more to it than that, but that just means you start climbing (with a lesser grade) before you get to that part. The advantage, I realized, is that by going up this stretch, instead of down, I noticed a lot more as I rode past the Greek Theater. For example, after riding past it dozens of times, I discovered a cafe that I’d never noticed before because it had always been on the opposite side of the road while I was flying downhill, with all my attention focused on the road. So that’s where I just had to get my coffee this time.
One Good Thing: Griffith Park is so amazing, there’s always more to discover. I’m so lucky to have this gem in my neighborhood.
Control No. 4: Zia Valentina, Fairfax Farmer’s Market, Los Angeles, California
The Original Farmer’s Market in L.A.’s Fairfax district features an old timey gas station, a delightful variety of vendors & restaurants, and is home of Zia Valentina’s Waffleshot.
Date: 11/3/2020
Beverage: Waffleshot (an affogato in a chocolate dipped edible cup)
Bike ride: My beloved was going to teach his classes (over Zoom) from the crepe stand at the Fairfax Farmer’s Market, a place I love to visit, and it was Election Day (who can concentrate on work during this crazy election?), so I offered to meet up with him when he was done teaching, and take this opportunity to make up for having skipped a weekend of coffeeneuring. I knew there had to be a coffee shop there I hadn’t yet tried, so I did some research. That quickly led me to the discovery of Zia Valentina and their Waffleshots. It’s a shot of espresso served in an edible waffle cone in the shape of an espresso cup. I was tempted to get the hot chocolate in the edible cup, since it was already afternoon, but the affogato (espresso over ice cream) was irresistible. By the way, those dipped cones in the shape of an espresso cup can be ordered online, in case you’re eager to give it a try at home.
One Good Thing: Another treasured gem of Los Angeles is the Original Farmer’s Market, a collection of shops and restaurants that has been there since 1934. I’m so glad it’s there, and I hope these small businesses are getting enough to get them through the pandemic. I’m grateful it’s a pleasant bike ride away, even if there are no bike-friendly streets to get you there (they do have bike parking, and I just ride the sidewalks when the street traffic is too wild).
Control No. 5: Bloom & Plume, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California
Celebrating the election results with some bike friends
Date: 11/8/2020
Beverage: Mocha (with a chocolate croissant)
Bike ride: I reached out to a couple of bike friends I used to ride with all the time, but hadn’t seen lately, to see if they’d like to help me celebrate the election of our first female Vice President. I was curious to try a new coffee shop that was on a list of black-owned coffee shops in L.A. The Echo Park location was appealing, and leant itself to serve as the beginning or ending to a ride to Elysian Park, which I proposed to my friends. I’d mistakenly pitched Bloom & Plume to them as black-women-owned, thinking it was a great way to celebrate our black female VP-elect, only to later realize I’d confused this one, owned by a black male floral designer named Maurice Harris. So at least we can like the idea that the owner shares the new VP’s last name. We loved the place as soon as we laid eyes on it. Clearly someone with a real sense of design and color is responsible for the whole look, and I ate it up. Had to take a lot of photos here. We started out with treats and drinks here, and then meandered our way through Echo Park, alongside the Echo Park lake (but on the street because the path inside the park says “no bikes”). At the north end of the park, Lynn noted that we were close to Aimee Semple McPherson’s architecturally interesting church and, well, we just had to swing by. I enjoyed hearing Lynn’s telling of the story, as I had only had an impression that McPherson was a bit nutty and had developed a bit of a cult following and had some story involving a potentially staged death/kidnapping. Lynn described her as the founder of the Four Square Church and someone who had intentionally started her ministry in what had been a neighborhood of the poor and destitute, and who reached illiterate followers through the use of drama and theatrics. From there, we moseyed our way to Elysian Park, stopping to take in the view from Angel’s Point before riding around to the exit onto Broadway and then taking the Spring Street Bridge to Los Angeles State Historic Park, on through Chinatown and downtown L.A. on our way home.
One Good Thing: Los Angeles has so much interesting history. There is always more to learn, and it is fun to keep exploring these different neighborhoods and find out more about how they came to be.
The two interesting buildings are part of Aimee Semple McPherson’s original Four Square Church; the right column and bottom row of photos were all taken in Elysian Park (today’s mask is also from my homemade/Etsy collection)
Control No. 6: Tierra Mia Cafe, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California
After looping through downtown, exploring our all-terrain urban adventure, and then through Elysian Park, we refreshed ourselves with some of the Daily Brew at Tierra Mia.
Date: 11/15/2020
Beverage: Daily House Brew (with cream & sugar)
Bike ride: I know, I just rode Elysian Park last weekend, but this time I was riding with El Cochinito, and he had a hankering to ride into Elysian Park via this hilly street near our friend’s house, and he needed to first drop something off with a colleague in downtown. Thus, it made sense to enter the park from the Chinatown/Broadway side. That appealed to me as an opportunity to explore the reverse route to what I rode last week. So off we went. But no sooner had we entered the road into the park off of Broadway when we noticed the road ahead (beyond where we would turn left to follow the usual route into the park) seemed to offer a nice view, plus there was another road veering off to the left up ahead, behind a gate. I’ve never been on that road; might that need to be explored? So we explored. I imagined it might be a back road that leads to the Buena Vista viewpoint, which I don’t believe I’ve visited. We saw a lot of trash along this little road, and a few interesting characters here and there, who seemed like they might not have a typical reason to be hanging out in the park. This was definitely not a main park road, and certainly not the road to Buena Vista I’d been thinking of. I began to think about the fact that I was riding my flashy new Celeste green Bianchi and the fact that this might make me a target for bike thieves. But we just kept on riding and no one disturbed us. And then we saw the end of the road at a fence separating us from the 110 freeway. But there was a dirt walking path that paralleled the freeway, so we walked our bikes along it. And then we saw a hole in the fence that gave us access to a pedestrian walkway that runs alongside the freeway. So we rode that and continued on. And that led to a spiral stairway. We carried our bikes down that and landed at the interchange between the 110 freeway and the 5 (that’s L.A.-speak for Interstate 5). We rode further, now on a pedestrian path on the opposite side of the 110, that took us to a trashy looking stairway that led to San Fernando Road near the roundabout that offers an access point to the L.A. River Bike Path. So we rode the river path north until we found an inviting exit point that allowed us to explore a cute residential neighborhood sandwiched between the river and Riverside Drive (an area I believe is referred to as Frogtown). We came across an intriguing lot filled with rows and rows of some kind of futuristic looking sanitation vehicles we’d never seen before. A large fleet of them —- might those be called upon in the event of a chemical spill? Inquiring minds want to know. We then continued on Riverside Drive until it led us back into Elysian Park from Stadium Way. We made our way through the park and came out on Academy Road. This is where the steep road up to our friend’s house can be found. And up we went, or so we tried. Neither of us was able to bike the entire hill. We made it a little over halfway before having to walk the rest. We circled around and dropped back into the business district of Echo Park and took a right onto Sunset Blvd. At Alvarado, I noticed the Tierra Mia coffee shop, and realized this was our perfect coffeeneuring stop. And so it was.
One Good Thing: That road that intrigues you, calls to you, leads you on a new adventure: Take it!
Highlights from our urban adventure
Control No. 7: Undergrind, Castle Heights/Beverlywood, Los Angeles, California
The three of us in front of our friends’ building; a peek at Lynn’s Chuck Taylors (worn in honor of VP-Elect Harris) under the table outside of Undergrind.
Date: 11/22/2020
Beverage: Dutch (dark chocolate/milk/espresso) plus shrimp & grits
Bike ride: I reached out to Lynn and Jennifer to see if they would like to join me on a ride to rectify the tribute to our new VP-elect by visiting a black woman-owned coffee shop. Of course, they were game. We met up at the Culver City Expo Line station and rolled over to South Robertson (or “SoRo”), just a bit north of Hamilton High School. As we rolled up, my eye caught sight of a red pick up truck painted colorfully. Then we came upon a gorgeous mural on the side of the building at the corner of Robertson & Gibson. Jennifer started exclaiming that she knew this building; that this is the building our friend (another bike person) Aubrey owns, and that this is the gallery of an artist she has met. We drooled over the mural, took pictures of our bikes in front of it, and then proceeded to Undergrind. If you like chocolate with your coffee, then you must try their Dutch, which features dark chocolate and a shot of espresso plus your favorite kind of milk. It was decadent and delicious. I’d also seen from the reviews that Undergrind is known for its shrimp & grits, and I was hungry. Those were the tastiest shrimp & grits ever, and I will definitely be going back again for more. While enjoying our goodies, Jennifer called Aubrey, and by the time we’d finished eating and drinking, along came Aubrey and his wife, Melba, the owners of the building that houses their own direct mail business and also the Barbara Mendes Art Gallery. So we got a tour of the gallery, some stories about its history, a preview of some Haitian art that was about to have an opening in the adjacent gallery space when Covid-19 came along and put those plans in limbo. Then Barbara Mendes, the artist herself, showed up and we got to learn a lot more about her amazing work. Most remarkable is a giant mural she painted that depicts, with both detailed images and Hebrew script, every verse of Leviticus. After that visit, we got back on our bikes and toured the curvy streets and beautiful homes of the Beverlywood/Castle Heights neighborhood, then circled back on the Expo bike path toward the Culver City Station where we’d met up.
One Good Thing: Nothing lifts one’s spirits like stumbling across some colorful and expressive art!
Highlights from the Barbara Mendes Gallery; Aubrey & Melba posing with Barbara Mendes (center) in front of her Leviticus piece.
And, with that, Coffeeneuring 2020 is a wrap. I hope the good folks at Coffeeneuring Central will forgive me for not using a reusable cup at most of my controls. Under COVID protocols, our local places will not fill the customer’s cup (I even remembered to bring it!), and most are using only disposable cups. As for a theme within the theme, I’d say more than one theme emerged upon reflection. Besides managing to do each ride in a different Bloomers/Nuu-muu Dress combo (I do love me some bike style), I found myself living a theme of using each coffeeneuring ride to embrace what my world offers: wonderful bike friends, a city of never-ending fascination, and delightful small businesses doing their best to endure in the face of unprecedented challenge. They are so worthy of our support.
Little tidbit: I did 6 of the 7 rides all on my gorgeous new Bianchi. Can you spot the one exception, when I rode a different bike? Extra credit if you can identify the make & model.
Obviously, there was so much more to savor about each ride than just “one good thing”. What a great way to focus on all that is good during a time when so much is not. May we hold all of it dear, remembering those who are suffering, and remind ourselves to keep doing one good thing to support someone, while also embracing one good thing we are lucky to have in our lives.
Final tidbit: here’s a photo of the interesting vehicles spotted in Frogtown. According to Google Maps, this is the location of Los Angeles Sewer Maintenance.
If these are just regular sewer maintenance trucks, why haven’t I seen them before? Do they only come out at night?
My fifth round of participating in the Coffeeneuring challenge happens to be the eighth year since it was first launched by Coffeeneur-in-Chief of Chasing Mailboxes. She proclaimed “Eight is Great” when announcing this year’s theme. In years past, I’ve had fun working my own theme into the master theme, with themes like making sure each coffee shop is in a different city, or trying different donut shops, or showing off a different pair of Bloomers for each ride. Last year, I honored the master theme of “Best Intentions” by backing away from elaborate planning of special sub-themes, and simply focusing on intention. This year, I had zero interest in planning a theme for my rides, or carefully selecting new coffee shops to try for each ride. I decided to let myself roll through the challenge themelessly. I am quite pleased that I managed to avoid re-arranging my life around coffeeneuring. Rather, I worked the coffeeneuring into whatever was going on each week.
Here is my control card:
Control No. 1: 10/13/19 – Kaldi in Atwater Village, Los Angeles
Beverage: Iced Americano (with pumpkin scone)
Bike-friendliness: Excellent bike parking – large bike corral right in front
Mileage: 26
Outfit: Crazy Daisy Bloomers under a Mermaid Nuu-Muu dress
Notes: El Cochinito had a meeting to attend in Atwater Village and invited me to ride along. Well, what a great way to kick off coffeeneuring season, especially since I hadn’t been to any coffee shops in Atwater Village. Plus, it’s not far from Griffith Park, giving me a great opportunity to spin my wheels while he was at his meeting.
Control No. 2: 10/20/19 – The Helipad in Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Beverage: Delivered by thermos from Kettle-Glazed Doughnuts (along with some donuts!)
Bike-friendliness: Doesn’t get any friendlier than Griffith Park, especially the Helipad, where local bike friends gather regularly to take in a great view of L.A. together.
Mileage: 20
Outfit: Tealicious Nuu-Muu dress over Black Bloomers (not pictured)
Some of the gents looked so dapper, matching their outfits to their bikes.
Notes: Many Thursdays this summer, I joined a group that bikes up to the Helipad after work to watch the sunset and sip beer. As the sunsets became too early in the Fall, the group switched to Sunday mornings and coffee. An advantage to doing it in the morning is that I could then continue riding on through the park. The photo in the lower left panel is the view of the Hollywood sign from the Griffith Observatory. Lower right is a favorite mural I pass on my way home from the park.
Control No. 3: 10/26/19 – Cameron Cafe in Alexandria, Virginia
Beverage: Cafe au Lait (with an apple turnover)
Bike-friendliness: Conveniently close to the Holmes Run Trail and offers bike parking right out front. I was rolling on Capital Bikeshare that day, and there are no docking stations anywhere in that area, so I just parked it in front, next to the bike rack (with timer still running!), and kept an eye on it from my window seat inside.
Mileage: 13
Outfit: Purple Drape Neck Top over Black Hitchable Flounce Skirt & Pinstripe Bloomers (prototype for new style)
Notes: Every year in late October, I attend a conference in the Washington, D.C. area, right in the middle of Coffeeneuring season. In fact, two years ago, I was able to join a fellow coffeeneur who lives in D.C., and share a Coffeeneuring ride together! This year, I was staying in Old Town Alexandria, and thought it would be fun to explore the Holmes Run Trail and visit a coffee shop along the way. Cameron Cafe turned out to be an excellent choice. Both the coffee and the turnover were delicious. Plus I enjoyed visiting with a couple who’d also biked there and had been curious about my use of the bikeshare bike (given that we were well outside the Capital Bikeshare territory).
Control No. 4: 10/27/19 – Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park, Los Angeles
Beverage: Cappuccino (with coffee cake)
Bike-friendliness: There are bike racks on the sidewalk out front on Sunset Boulevard, but some of us like to bring our bikes into the patio area in the back, off the alley. The bookstore is always kind to the Street Librarians who gather there on the last Sunday of each month for drinks and eats, to gather some books generously offered to us from the clearance rack, as we head out on our bicycles to re-stock the local Little Free Libraries.
Mileage: 16
Outfit: Zen Nuu-Muu dress over Pinka Dot Black Bloomers
Notes: The Street Librarians Ride always has a theme. This time the theme was Day of the Dead. As we stop to do our re-stocking at each Little Free Library, we also take a moment to share a reading, usually in line with the theme. For my turn, I read from a children’s book called “What is Death?”
Control No. 5: 10/28/19 – Bar Nine in Culver City
Beverage: Mocha (with a cheese biscuit)
Bike-friendliness: Well, they got rid of the bike rack they used to have out front, but we are inclined to forgive them since there is now an electric car charging station in its place. Several of us rolled our bikes inside, and no one seemed to mind.
Mileage: 12
Outfit: Blue Toad & Co. dress over Leopard Print Bloomers
Notes: This was a meet up with the Women on Bikes Culver City group. These women have a regular tradition of meeting up at a different local coffee shop every other Monday morning. They are especially great at supporting women who are new to city biking.
Control No. 6: 11/3/19 – Blue Bottle Coffee, Downtown L.A.
Beverage: Cafe au Lait (with a maple pecan scone)
Bike-friendliness: There may be bike parking right in front, I forgot to look. I parked across the street in front of the Grand Central Market.
Mileage: 21
Outfit: Jade Nuu-Muu dress over Shimmering Sapphire Bloomers, topped off with a green Bikie Girl Bloomers Boat Neck Tee
Notes: El Cochinito had a field trip in downtown L.A., having his Economics students explore relevant principles at the Grand Central Market. He first has them walk across the street to see the beautiful Bradbury Building, often used in filming, most notably the original Bladerunner. I rode along and enjoyed my treats at Blue Bottle Coffee, right there on the corner in the Bradbury Building, while they did their field trip. Afterward, he and I continued on through Chinatown into Elysian Park to take in some iconic views of the city.
Control No. 7: 11/10/19 – Hot & Cool Cafe, Leimert Park in South Los Angeles
Beverage: Cinnful Coffee (with coffee cake)
Bike-friendliness: There is bike parking right in front and the Ride On Bike Co-op is next door, should you need any parts or repairs.
Mileage: 15
Outfit: Wildfire Nuu-Muu dress over Romantic Ruby Bloomers
Notes: El Cochinito and I will be doing a bike tour in Cuba over the upcoming holidays, and I wanted to make sure we squeezed at least one ride into this busy weekend. I also wanted to make sure we climbed some sort of hill to get some training value out of a short ride. I decided the perfect route would be to nearby Kenneth Hahn Park in the Baldwin Hills. This 400-acre park atop some sizable hills in the midst of a large metropolis offers great views. I used to think there was no way to ride a bike to this park until a group ride I was on a couple years ago took us there. I was delighted to be able to show this route to El Cochinito (who otherwise knows his way around L.A. more thoroughly than I do). He also hadn’t been to this park in well over 20 years, since before the basin at the top had been made into a grassy meadow. This was once the site of a reservoir that spilled down the hillside in 1963 when a dam broke and the ensuing disaster took five lives and damaged over 200 homes.
We then descended gleefully down into Leimert Park to enjoy one of my favorite local cafes. If you like some flavor and a hint of spice in your coffee like I do, I strongly recommend the Cinnful Coffee. Their coffee cake is a delicious accompaniment.
What looks like a dead-end street actually goes through via a small bridge for pedestrians & bikes.
Control No. 8: 11/17/19 – The Free Cafe in Leimert Park in South Los Angeles
Beverage: Iced Coffee
Bike-friendliness: It doesn’t get any friendlier than this – the host is a bicyclist who sets up the cafe in his backyard. Bikes are welcome, and can be leaned against the fence along the driveway.
Mileage: 7
Outfit: Sirena Nuu-Muu dress over Shimmering Sapphire Bloomers
Approaching the bridge from the south is much prettier.
Notes: The Free Cafe is a friend’s project intended to cultivate community. He invites all his neighbors to come to his yard for coffee and conversation about once a month. Occasionally, he sets up the Free Cafe at other locations, such as parks or other host homes. I enjoy riding there, as it’s only 3 miles from home, and it takes me on some bike-friendly streets through pretty neighborhoods, and over a small bridge that crosses the freeway. I love going over this bridge, because it is a hidden delight.
Originally this was to be my celebratory “Eight is Great” ride, but I completely forgot to snap a photo of my bike or my coffee! I don’t think that made it any less great. In fact, it was a great way to cap another great season of coffeeneuring.
The following week, I was able to sport my new socks!
Entering my fourth year of participation in the Coffeeneuring challenge, generously sponsored by the Coffeeneur in Chief of Chasing Mailboxes, I knew I needed to approach this round in a fresh way. The general idea is to bike to seven coffee shops in seven-ish weeks, each ride at least 2 miles, and no more than two rides can qualify per week. My first few years of it, I focused on using the challenge to explore new coffee shops I might never have tried and to explore different geographic locations. Last year, I extended that to a theme of exploring new donut shops. These were good aspects of the game, but I feared I might get into a rut with that approach, in which I had created my own little “rule” requiring new shops and differing cities (we have so many to choose from right here in the Los Angeles area).
The declared theme for this year’s challenge was “intention”, and that inspired me to ensure I approached each coffee ride with conscious intent – not simply doing something the way I had done my coffeeneuring planning in years past. I confess that I wasn’t quite sure what I meant by “intent” at the outset, and occasionally that intent was more apparent after the ride was over, but I continued to embrace it regardless. Because, like daily flossing, I just knew it was good for me. In addition, I approached each ride with the intention to make the most of whatever riding experience I had in store for me that particular day.
Part of my intention for this year’s season included a relaxing of any rules that might add to my stress (without, of course, compromising my intention to fully comply with the official rules of Coffeeneuring). My work life provides enough stress, thank you very much, and bicycling is supposed to be my stress-reliever. I thus gave myself permission to double up on my ride planning, by hitching a coffeeneuring ride onto another planned ride. In past years, most of my coffeeneuring rides were solo rides, which I do enjoy, but I have come to appreciate a special delight in social rides, and then there is an added joy to spreading the Coffeeneuring love around. I ended up with a mixture of social rides, solo rides, and solo coffeeneuring tacked onto the beginning or end of a social ride. What follows is my official Control Card and report for the record books. I’m rather pleased that the series does not follow some rigid theme.
Control No. 1: My friend’s Sukkah*
Date: October 14, 2018
Beverage: Butter Coffee in a bottle purchased from Whole Foods en route
Bike-friendliness: Excellent. We parked our bikes in the hallway of her home.
Observations: One of my bike friends invited me to visit her Sukkah, which was still standing in her back yard after the recent holiday. Another bike friend wanted to join me for a ride to get in some extra miles and hills. So we combined the two ideas, and I picked up some bottled coffee to bring along in order to qualify. I took this opportunity to try butter coffee, since so many have sung its praises, despite it sounding like an odd idea. I liked it well enough, but do not feel any desire to have that again. The coffee may not have been impressive, but all the rest of the adventure was superb, particularly the opportunity to see our hostess’ art. Her works in bronze are extraordinary.
*This one might not qualify, since it is not an official coffeeneuring destination. I added this note only after feeling confident I have plenty of bonus rides to spare, because I’m clever that way.
Control No. 2: La Tropezienne Bakery
Date: October 20, 2018
Beverage: Caramel Macchiato
Bike-friendliness: Very good. In addition to bike racks on the sidewalk, the umbrellas at the outside tables provide a nice spot to lock up the bike.
Observations: I first visited this bakery as part of a visit to the three top winners of a croissant competition, and I knew it was well worth a return. This is where to go if you want a properly flaky pastry treat in the French style. And the coffee is excellent as well. It was also conveniently on my way to the start for a social ride to visit the Music Box Steps in Silverlake. Our group ride visited the stars of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (they are not near each other), learned some history about these stars of the silver screen, toured the Mack Sennett Studios, and ended at Laurel and Hardy Park, where the neighborhood hosts a party where the film, The Music Box, is screened, and Laurel and Hardy themselves make an appearance and perform a reenactment of the famous scene in which they attempt to carry a piano up a long flight of stairs.
Top: Hollywood Walk of Fame; Biking on Hollywood Boulevard; Lower left: Mack Sennett Studios; Lower right: Laurel & Hardy reenactment of the famous scene from The Music Box, where it was originally filmed in Silverlake
Observations: Since my intention of ride number one above, to get in more miles and hills, was compromised by a late start, I took this opportunity to ride solo and explore Elysian Park, a place I’ve ridden through a number of times on group rides, but without ever feeling like I’d gotten to know the park as well as I’d like to. It’s not far from Griffith Park, where I do most of my riding, and both are treasures with plenty to explore, so this was my chance to visit both parks in one ride. Each park offers some hills to climb, rewarded with spectacular views of Los Angeles.
Upper left is along my favorite route to Griffith Observatory (domed building at hilltop), with downtown L.A. skyline in the distance; Lower left is a completely different view of downtown from Elysian Park.
Control No. 4: Coffee Commissary*
Date: October 22, 2018
Beverage: Cold Brew (a generous pour that kept me buzzing all day)
Bike-friendliness: Awesome – check out that bike corral right out front!
Observations: This makes three days in a row, and exceeds the maximum of two Coffeeneuring rides in a week for the challenge, hence the designation as a “bonus ride”. Over the past year, I have enjoyed getting to know the Women on Bikes Culver City group, which meets every other Monday morning at a different coffee shop. I try to go when I can, and this one was relatively close to my part of town.
*This one does not qualify since I had already done two this week, and no matter which day one declares the beginning of the week, I would end up with three in the same week if this one were to be included.
Control No. 5: La Colombe
Date: October 26, 2018
Beverage: Hot Chocolate
Bike-friendliness: Very good, at least I know it is accessible by bike share
Observations: I love it when I can work a bike ride into my travel plans when visiting another city. This time I was in Philadelphia for the Philly Bike Expo, where I would be pitching my Bikie Girl Bloomers at a booth shared with Sarah Canner of Vespertine NYC. I had a little free time on Friday in the late afternoon, and knew that was my one opportunity to get out for a coffee ride, as I would be busy at my booth all day Saturday and Sunday. I made use of the city’s bike share system, IndeGo, which had a docking station a few blocks from my AirBnB. I wanted to go somewhere not too far, and in the heart of the city, so settled on La Colombe, right next to City Hall and Dilworth Park and in easy reach of a docking station. I didn’t mind that I missed it the first time I passed, causing me to loop around the square a bit in the midst of a frenzy of rush hour traffic, plus zigzag some until I found the docking station. It was fun, albeit a little scary, and I knew I needed to add some extra riding to hit the minimum two miles for my trip. The hot chocolate was selected for comfort on a brisk afternoon, and to avoid caffeine so late in the day. It was served without any sweetener, and I was offered a bottle of simple syrup so I could sweeten it to my own taste. That took me a couple of tries to get it right, but the drink was delicious.
A major highlight of this trip was that I got to meet the Coffeeneur in Chief in real life at the Philly Bike Expo. That was fun!
Yours truly, with Mary, Chief Coffeeneur, and Sarah of Vespertine NYC
Control No. 6: Spoke Bicycle Cafe
Upper right: Angel’s Flight sculpture in Elysian Park
Date: November 4, 2018
Beverage: Orange Ginger Cubano (OMG I LOVE this drink)
Bike-friendliness: Top Notch – loads of bike parking right next to the seating area, plus bike repairs and rentals available
Observations: So glad I gave myself permission to visit a coffee shop that isn’t new to me. I wanted to do more with Elysian Park, and also to revisit my original intention to go from Elysian Park to Spoke Bicycle Cafe, which is along the LA River Bike Path. (I had messed up that plan on control number 3.) Besides, the meet up for this day’s Sunday Funday social ride with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition was Spoke Bicycle Cafe, so why not do my coffeeneuring there? The social ride was easy and flat, continuing north on the river path to Griffith Park, and ending at a Harvest Festival there. Some friends and I wanted to continue riding after the group ride was over, so the four of us rode up to the Griffith Observatory together. One young 73-year-old in our group had never ridden up there via Mt. Hollywood Drive, and is not big hill-climber type, but we all agreed to take it slow and stop for a rest whenever she needed one. It was a difficult climb for her, but we enjoyed taking it slow and having plenty of time to stop and snap photos. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed celebrating with Jennifer at her achievement once we reached the Observatory.
Good times in Griffith Park
Control No. 7: Highly Likely Cafe
Date: November 5, 2018
Beverage:
Bike-friendliness: Not ideal – no bike racks and staff let us know that they had experienced bike theft themselves on that street, so they let us bring our bikes inside (there is a fair amount of room for bikes in the cafe)
Observations: Once again, the Women on Bikes Culver City group held their Monday morning meet up at a coffee shop close to my part of town – and in a completely different area this time! I was delighted to have such a short ride (no excuses about being too late to the office) and to try a new spot not far from home. I hadn’t known there were any cafes in this area, and this place is quite popular.
Control No. 8: La Colombe (Bonus ride, except I definitely need this one)
Date: November 11, 2018
Beverage: Draft Latte (you have to try this!)
Bike-friendliness: Very good – right off the LA River Bike Path; small bike racks, but in a safe area of the patio.
Observations: Due to the Woolsey Fire raging in Malibu and Thousand Oaks, the air quality was poor, so we hesitated about whether we should pass on riding this Sunday. But my friends and I couldn’t miss our one day to ride this weekend, so we decided to keep it short and simple. We rode downtown, took the Chinatown way to the LA River Path, and checked out the new La Colombe that recently opened just south of Spoke Bicycle Cafe. We tied bandanas over our faces to minimize the particle exposure, although that may not have been sufficient filter out the problematic small particles. I was impressed with the Draft Latte, their signature drink, a tall glass that is at least half foam and has a rather heavenly texture to it – unlike any latte I’ve ever had.
Clockwise from top left: I Am Finley mural in downtown L.A., riding the LA River Bike Path, riding the bike lane on Sunset Blvd, and three amigas coping with smoky air from local wildfires
Control No. 9: Stir Crazy Coffee House (Bonus ride in case #1 doesn’t count)
Date: November 18, 2018
Beverage: Cafe au Lait (good, solid classic)
Bike-friendliness: Not so much. No bike racks, but we were able to lock our bikes in pairs around the parking meters.
Observations: This was a ripe opportunity to recruit new Coffeeneurs. I invited fellow members of the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee to join me for a short coffee run before we began our meeting. I picked a spot that was 1.5 miles from our meeting location, and that could be accessed via local bike-friendly streets in a loop, so we wouldn’t have to take the exact same route back. I was happy to find that five others joined me for the ride, and all were happy to learn about Coffeeneuring.
Control No. 10: Bar 9 (Another bonus ride, just in case)
Date: November 19, 2018
Beverage: House Pour Over (a generous pour and so good, even I could drink it black)
Bike-friendliness: Good. There’s a bike rack on front, although one of those unfortunate designs that seems to only secure the front wheel, but they also have posts that can be used to secure the bike.
Observations: This coffee shop is rather hard to find, and Google maps does not help much. This was another meeting of the Women on Bikes Culver City, and it was a good location for our large group, as they have a big table where we could all sit together.
Control No. 11: Caribou Coffee (OK, one more bonus ride, because.)
Riding with El Cochinito in Atlanta’s Midtown, followed by a stop at Caribou Coffee
Date: November 25, 2018
Beverage: Turtle Mocha (a.k.a. liquid dessert)
Bike-friendliness: Must confess I didn’t really notice the bike rack situation here. It is just a block from a bike share station, and that made it an excellent choice for an out-of-town visitor arriving by bike share.
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Bike: Relay Bike Share
Bloomers: Oh, no, busted without my Bloomers! I was wearing Levi’s jeans this time! (But I always wear long pants and support socks on days I will be flying across the country.)
Mileage: 5
Observations: This is not exactly in keeping with my intentional approach to coffeeneuring. But sometimes you just have to go with the flow and be ready for anything, especially a chance to ride a bike. I had brought my helmet, saddle cover, and reflective vest along with me on a short weekend trip to Atlanta, knowing that I would get out for a bike ride if I could squeeze in a chance between family events. Although I had the intention to try to work in a coffeeneuring ride during this short visit, I knew it was neither necessary nor worth compromising on the plans with others for this family-oriented weekend. On Saturday, I had done so, as the rain let up and I took bike share from a station near where we were staying to the restaurant where we would meet family for lunch. I was glad to have my handy saddle cover with me, as it had been raining and the saddle was well-soaked. The 3-1/2 mile ride was gorgeous – all of it through parks on bike paths or bike lanes, the city bursting with autumn colors. It occurred to me later that, had I snapped a photo of the coffee I drank after lunch, this could have qualified as a coffeeneuring ride. Alas, on Sunday, my husband and I had a few hours free before our flight home, and he suggested we get on some bikes and explore Piedmont Park (the man knows what makes me happy). My helmet, saddle cover, and high-viz vest were packed away in my suitcase, but not really needed, so off we went. At least, I thought we were only riding in the park, so who needs a helmet for that, right? But I should have known that we would end up spending most of the ride exploring other streets, and without searching for bike-friendly roads. I am glad to report that the absence of helmets did not cause us any problems. We did enjoy a lovely 5-miles of meandering, and after docking our bikes, we were both feeling thirsty. We found a Caribou Coffee shop right nearby, a chain I only find when away from home, and which I love for their delicious turtle mochas. I’m a sucker for chocolate and caramel!
Transportation is an essential part of how we get things done. Most of the errands we run in our regular daily lives involve short trips. Those trips can often be done more easily by bicycle, and yet, most are not. Sometimes we need a little nudge to help us see how easy it can be.
Enter the Errandonnee: a challenge organized and led by the woman behind Chasing Mailboxes and Coffeeneuring. She’s a randonneur, and loves to meld concepts to create new terms to describe her cycling challenges, which serve to encourage folks to keep biking during the off season. Errandonnee is a fun play on the combination of “errand” and “randonnee”. Like a randonnee, the errandonnee has a set of rules participants are to follow in order to successfully complete the challenge and document their achievements. For this one, participants must complete 12 errands over the course of 12 days, March 20th-31st. The errands must fall within at least 7 of 10 categories, and no one category may be used more than twice. It is permissible to carry out multiple errands in a single day, and there is no minimum mileage per errand. One need only report the total mileage for all 12 errands, and that total must be at least 30 miles. As if all that fun isn’t reward enough, you can even get a patch!
A patch from a prior year’s challenge
This is now my fourth year taking on the challenge. I have found that it is really quite doable, provided I set aside a little time for planning to make sure I hit a sufficient variety of categories. It’s easy to hit the “work” and “store” categories, and I have learned to let my dry cleaning (of which I tend to have very little) pile up so I can take it in as a “non-store” or “personal business” errand. Also easy is “personal care”, as I can always count a recreational ride in that category. Going to an event or meeting a friend for dinner is an easy “social call”. The category that entices and intrigues me, is the “you-carried-WHAT-on-your-bike”. Some errandonneurs have come up with remarkable feats of bicycle transport of sizable loads, and I would love to make my own mark in that category. But, no, I’ve managed nothing more than a giant load of dry cleaning, or several bottles of wine. Perhaps this year I can redeem myself. Then again, perhaps I should just concede this category to one of the cargo bike riders.
Let’s see now, what did I leave out? Other categories are: “arts & entertainment”, “wild card”, and a new one, “peaceful everyday actions”. Yesterday (March 21st) I pulled out my calendar to consider the activities already planned or under consideration, and began making a list of places I’m likely to bike to in the remaining days of March. My list was pretty easy to make. I’d had already taken care of three errands, with two in the “work” category (yesterday’s and today’s commutes), and one run to the “store” on my way home from work yesterday. I think my problem this year is going to be figuring out how to keep it interesting and not too easy.
Observation: We don’t often get overcast skies here in Los Angeles. I noticed today how much cooler and darker the ride home feels under such skies, even when the temperature is rather warmish.
#2, #3: March 21st; Commute to the office (work); stop at store for groceries (store);
Observation: Those ready-to-eat roast chickens available at the grocery store on my way home from the office are wonderful when you need a simple, easy dinner, plus they are easy to carry in a bike basket!
#4, #5: March 23rd: Transport several samples of Bikie Girl Bloomers to my office (personal business); take package to post office for shipment (non-store errand);
Observation: Although the logistics involved in selecting, organizing, and sending samples out of state, plus coordinating with the recipient, are cumbersome and overwhelming, the excitement of having my Bloomers appear in a Bike Fashion Show (at the Pedal Power Bike Expo in Olympia, Washington) is exciting enough to make it all worthwhile!
#6, #7, #8: March 24th: Ride to downtown Los Angeles to attend the March For Our Lives (peaceful everyday action); stop on return at Whole Foods for groceries (store); bike date with El Cochinito to attend the 20th Anniversary celebration of Peace4Kids at Fais Do Do (arts & entertainment);
Observations: seeing families marching together for safety gives me hope; buying fresh produce makes me want to take better care of myself; and seeing people who give their time to help those in need makes me want to be a better person; I really appreciate it when the authorities close off downtown streets from cars – what a great way to ride through downtown L.A.
#9, #10: March 25th: Bike to start and home from finish of a group training ride (personal care); Attend BUSted Storytelling’s 4th Anniversary show at Stories Books & Cafe (arts & entertainment);
Observation: pushing myself (and failing) to climb longer and steeper hills than I can (on the 3rd super-climb, I had to walk the last part of the hill) is still an important part of my self-care — it tells me that I really did do my best, and gives me a goal for next time (I’m so impressed with my ride, I took a screenshot of the route as recorded on Strava); biking to Stories later that same day was still possible even though my legs were feeling it!
#11: March 26th: Women on Bikes Culver City coffee meet up (social call); plus a bonus errand, see below;
Observation: getting up early and heading out on the bike when it’s still cold and dark may be painful, but the fun of riding on a car-free path (Ballona Creek Bike Path) and socializing over coffee makes it all worthwhile. Must do this more often.
I must give credit to a new bike friend, Audrey, whom I met on the group training ride that was #9. She was eager to meet other members of the local bike community, so I had extra motivation to make #11 and #12 happen. Both of these require a certain commitment to getting up early so I can make it to a meeting that is a half hour or an hour from home. Knowing that someone else was expecting me to show up and make introductions prevented me from making excuses or backing out.
BONUS ERRANDS!
Thanks to my thoughtful advance planning for this year’s errandonnee, I knew that my 12th and final errand would be the March 28th social call to join the folks at Camp Coffee. I’ve been wanting to increase my biking miles this year, and nudging myself to get up early for Camp Coffee is a great way to add a chunk of miles int he middle of my week. So, when a few additional errands presented themselves before that day, I decided to treat them as “bonus errands”. Beside, I just wasn’t ready to be finished so soon. It’s too much fun to just tick each one off the list and stop.
BONUS #1: March 26th: Visit to my local bike shop for adjustments (wild card);
Observation: I like maintaining a good relationship with the owner of the shop where I bought my Bianchi last October, and I like maintaining my bike. I’m not so good at the DIY approach with the updated technology since my youth, so I’m happy to have the mechanic make sure it’s done right. After a gentle fall on the group ride the day before, I was concerned that something might be a little off, so I had him check it for me. He said only the rear brake was in need of a little adjustment, but everything else was fine (I’m always nervous if the bike falls to the derailleur side). Since he didn’t charge me for it, I used this as an excuse to buy a spoke light so I’ll be ready for my next nighttime social ride (when all the cool kids light up their bikes).
BONUS #2, #3: March 27th: ATM (personal business), and attending the neighborhood association meeting (wild card);
Observation: It is important to participate in civic discussions when we know there will be NIMBYs and nattering nabobs of negativity trying to shut down any change. The meeting was to discuss a proposed new development immediately adjacent to our lovely historic neighborhood. I don’t like it when developers get waivers to get around all the zoning requirements designed to preserve a neighborhood’s character (as often happens in L.A.), but I also don’t like it when new housing is perpetually blocked by NIMBYs who want it to be done elsewhere. That’s how we end up with urban housing crises. I was happy to learn that, despite all the angry neighbors complaining about the project, the developers have taken a very progressive and “green” approach to their proposal. They are including more set-back, more off-street parking, and fewer units than zoning allows, plus they will include electric car sharing and bike parking, and amenities aimed at attracting families.
I couldn’t bring myself to snap a photo of the actual meeting – it ran so long, and I just wanted to get the bleep out of there! My only photographic evidence shows one of the yard signs announcing the meeting that I passed as I was biking over there.
Although I listed this bonus errand under the “wild card” category, it inspired me to propose a new category for next year: “civic engagement”. Attending meetings like this, working for safe streets and bicycle infrastructure would also count. Many of this year’s errandonneurs, including myself, also participated in a public march to voice concerns about civic issues (in this case, gun violence). It seems to me, we could support a separate category for these activities.
So, TA-DA! There it is: another successful errandonnee challenge completed! Total mileage for all errands combined was 40 miles. Even if we subtract the 4.5 miles of “bonus” errands, it still easily meets the 30 mile minimum.
The question for reflection: was that a challenge? Can I call it a challenge if I had so much fun just doing activities I (mostly) would have done any way? I think so, and for two reasons. First, it was still a challenge to plan and organize how I would hit the variety of categories and fit it all in to the 12 days. Second, I know that I biked more miles and did more social activities than I would have without the errandonnee challenge influencing my decisions. I see no reason why that fact that I finished ahead of schedule and had a blast doing it should negate the accomplishment.
Once again, thank you, Mary, for the inspiration! And thank you to the fellow errandonneurs for their inspiring posts shared on Facebook and Instagram. A great way to grow my network of bike friends. I am so excited for my new patch!
The resolution will not be motorized! My new year’s resolution, that is; wherein I resolve to bike more miles this year. I want to do more rides, and I want to do longer rides.
I had so much fun checking out various donut shops during this past Coffeeneuring season, it left me wanting more. There were so many donut shops on that list from the L.A. Times that inspired my donut quest last Fall, and some of them rather far from home. I had particularly wanted to visit The Donut Man, and then realized that it’s in Glendora, a good 32-37 mile bike ride (one way) from my house, depending on the routing. I thought a ride of that distance would be best undertaken on a holiday, when traffic is light, and it’s easy to devote the entire day to riding. And as long as you’re devoting the whole day to riding, why not break up the ride with a couple more stops at other donut shops along the way? And biking for donuts is fun; I could invite my friends and make it a social ride, perhaps a full-fledged EVENT!
That’s more or less how this idea was born. I imagined knocking several of the remaining donut shops off my list of places to try in one cross-metropolis sweep, starting at Blue Star in Venice, hitting one of the many options in Mid-City, swinging by Donut Friend in Highland Park, and ending at The Donut Man in Glendora. I started planning such a ride for New Year’s Day, a holiday for which I rarely have anything planned anyways. I don’t even like to party on New Year’s Eve, so getting up early for a bike ride the next day would be no problem.
Then it occurred to me that some, perhaps many, donut shops might be closed on New Year’s Day. So I figured I’d better make some phone calls. I was relieved to find out that Blue Star Donuts would indeed be opening, albeit at 9:00, on New Year’s morning. After learning that my two most appealing destinations, Donut Friend and Donut Man, would both be closed on New Year’s Day, however, more research was required. Another one on the list was Monarch Donuts in Arcadia, but they close at noon, and according to the LA Times, they can sell out even before noon. That’s too far to ride with any hope of getting there in time, even without the holiday, especially with a group. I still very much wanted to do an epic cross-metropolis donut ride on New Year’s Day, but I would have to be willing to extend my list of potential destinations beyond those listed in the LA Time article.
On further review of the LA Times article, though, I discovered The Donut Hole. It hadn’t caught my eye on the first read, as it is located in La Puente. I really didn’t know where the bleep La Puente is, but it just sounded like it must be really far away. And now, the potential distance is precisely what makes it a worthy contender. It wasn’t just written up for its good donuts, however, the LA Times calls it an “architectural landmark” that was built in 1968. It’s a drive through that passes through two giant fiberglass donuts! Who wouldn’t want to ride their bike through that?! The distance seemed about right: 38 miles from Blue Star in Venice. By this point, I was getting rather excited.
But where to stop on the way? In Mid-City, I had considered SK Donuts, a place so many have raved about, one that was on the LA Times list, and certainly one I’ve been wanting to try. I rode past it one Sunday morning while out for a spin, and noticed a very long line of waiting customers. Also on the list was Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, recommended for a delightful variety of creative flavors that go beyond mere novelty, and actually taste good. My telephone research led to the news that SK was getting ready to close for remodeling, but Trejo’s would be open on New Year’s Day, so that made the Mid-City choice easy.
Looking at a map of the LA area, it seemed East Los Angeles would be the logical midpoint between Hollywood and La Puente. Yet nothing in East LA had appeared on the LA Times list, giving me pause. Maybe they aren’t into donuts in that part of town? I turned to the google, and read reviews. There were two shops that seemed to have fairly consistent positive reviews, although nothing that stood out as stellar. I jotted down the names and numbers on an old envelope to carry with me so I could call when I had a chance.
Beloved and yellowed article I saved from a September 2017 issue of the L.A. Times
You see, I had been talking up this plan for an epic donut ride with my various bike friends since November, but now it was getting into the latter part of December, and I was about to leave for an 8 day trip to Cuba, returning late on the 30th. I always meant to set aside some time to get this route sorted out, but there was always something big that I had to deal with first. We had a big family trip to Orlando the week of Thanksgiving, celebrating my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday. And any time I’m getting ready to go out of town for a stretch, I have to scramble and make sure all my work is done that has to be done in time for various deadlines for my clients. So the last week before a trip and the first few days after are always busy. Then we were hosting our annual pig roast party on December 9th, featuring an artist friend who comes to visit from New York and help with the party preparations the week before. Plus El Cochinito and I had a wedding anniversary to celebrate on the 10th. Next thing I knew, I was scrambling to get work done before the Cuba trip, which is extra challenging, since I know I won’t be able to get online very readily while I’m there. So that’s how I ended up planning this while on my way to the airport as I was getting ready to head to Cuba, just 10 days before the big ride, eager to post updates to the Facebook event page before I boarded my flight to Havana.
One of the two East LA shops I’d identified was not going to be open on New Year’s, but the other was, so that settled it. I was pleased with the way the route had worked out: we should be able to burn off one donut’s worth of calories (more or less) with the 12+ miles of biking between each shop. And the distance would be no problem with built-in rest stops along the way. I know it’s risky to host a group ride without first testing out the route, but I figured we’d manage if a route adjustment became necessary on the fly.
I was excited to check in with my Facebook event page as soon as I returned from Cuba. We had a nice little group forming. I had shared the event with a variety of cycling groups, because, why not? As it turned out, everyone who had decided to participate was a friend I already knew, so I didn’t have to get nervous about the possibility of someone bringing mysterious expectations or strange vibes into our ride.
I got up bright and early, making sure I had everything I would need as a responsible ride leader: cue sheets, water bottle, empty travel coffee mug that fits into my second bottle cage (because I can never finish a cup of coffee that quickly), sun screen, lights, reflective vest, jacket, leg warmers, power bank, handle bar bag, pannier basket, helmet. I had even loaded a route on my phone in both Google Maps and RideWithGPS, just in case one system worked better than the other. I wanted to be sure I left the house in plenty of time to be the first one to arrive at Blue Star Donuts, and I had an 11 mile ride to get there. This meant leaving the house by 7:45 or so, when it was still quite cold out.
Biking from Koreatown to Venice between 7:45 and 8:45 on New Year’s morning is smooth sailing! I have never seen Venice Boulevard so quiet. None of the usual bikes versus cars battle for the bike lanes to which I have, unfortunately, grown accustomed. I did see a few cars out, and expressed my gratitude with a friendly wave whenever a driver made a point of waiting for me to pass before pulling into the lane from a side street or driveway. There was one driver who was either clueless or heartless in the way he started his car in the parking lane just alongside the bike lane in Mar Vista as I rolled by, began driving slowly in parallel with me but just a ways behind me, and then made a right turn immediately in front of me, cutting me off. I watched in amazement, yelled, “HELLOOO???!!”, and was grateful that I had been able to stop before colliding with his car. If I wasn’t awake before, I certainly was now!
The gods of the traffic lights were good to me, and I made it to Blue Star in plenty good time. I snapped a bike portrait in front of the shop and posted it to Instagram. Soon others began to arrive. I got me a cinnamon donut and some coffee to fill my travel mug. The donut was divine. Blue Star gets major points for presentation; their display case is quite chic. This is a donut shop worthy of a return visit. So many flavors that beg to be tasted!
We ended up having a nice group of 7 riders. Here’s the official start photo (minus Jennifer, who’d been last to arrive and was probably inside getting her donut when this photo taken):
Ready to roll: Francois, Lynn, Alison, me, Joni (not pictured: Jennifer & Michelle)
We rode up Venice Boulevard all the way to Cochran Ave in MidCity, where we headed north. We zigged and zagged a bit into Hollywood, arriving at the bright pink Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland. Word to the wise: Trejo’s does not have a public restroom for customer use. There is a Mobil gas station catty corner from Trejo’s, so several riders headed over there for relief. Trejo’s has a remarkable variety of donut flavors, and I couldn’t resist trying one of the more unusual ones. I bought a bottle of ginger kombucha (that I could only handle a few sips at a time – it lasted me all day and then some) and a margarita donut. It really tasted like a margarita – rather tart, but with a lovely, light donut texture. Glad I tried it, but I would not get it again. There are other flavors to try.
Jennifer flashes a peek at the Pinka Dot Black Bloomers under her jeans, while Alison flashes her nasty woman tee shirt.
Our bikes parked outside Trejo’s; my margarita donut and giant bottle of ginger kombucha wait in my basket pannier.
The full group outside Trejo’s: Lynn, Michelle, Jennifer, Alison and Francois, with Joni & me down in front.
Alison, who had started from her Santa Monica home, decided this was a satisfactory end point for her, and took advantage of the convenience of a bus she could catch right there on Santa Monica Blvd to expedite her trip home. A couple of the others who also aren’t accustomed to longer rides were thinking they would ride at least to the next shop, and I was glad folks had embraced the invitation to join for as much of the ride as they wanted. We said farewell to Alison, and ventured on toward downtown.
From downtown L.A., we took 1st Street over the L.A. River and into East Los Angeles to Sun Donut. Readers tempted to repeat our route are advised that this establishment also lacks a restroom for customer use. We had to travel a significant distance to find a public restroom. Plan accordingly!
Sun Donut is a win for value shoppers. Donuts at this cash-only shop are only 75 cents, and a bottle of water was one dollar. I had a chocolate glazed donut, which was perfectly satisfactory. The woman at the counter was the least friendly server we encountered on this day’s adventure. Not rude; just unamused and disinterested. I bought the bottle of water after she informed me that, no, she could not refill my water bottle for me. I found this donut shop to offer nothing to complain about, and nothing to rave about.
My chocolate glazed donut looked better before I got reckless carrying it in the little sack.
I was excited for the next, and longest, leg of our ride. The trip to La Puente took us along a short stretch of the Rio Hondo Bike Path, and later a few miles along the San Gabriel River Trail. I hadn’t been on these paths before, and it’s nice to be off the streets for a stretch. The longer stretch of bike path also provided an opportunity for Lynn and Francois, our strongest riders, to let loose and go for some speed.
Regrouping as we begin on the San Gabriel River Bike Path
The part after the trail was just as stressful as the river trail was peaceful. We had to ride on Valley Boulevard for two and a half miles, with high-speed traffic alongside us. Where we needed to, we took the full right lane, and sometimes rode on the sidewalk. At least on Valley Boulevard we were able to find a gas station (not the first one we tried, but another across the street) that had a restroom. By this point, all of us were in need of relief! Not too much longer after that pit stop, we made it to The Donut Hole. I have to say, as the place came into view, a wave of euphoria came over me. We had arrived at our target destination!
My moment of triumph! (Yes, that’s a Hitchable Flounce Skirt and Hot Pink Zebra Bloomers from Bikie Girl Bloomers.)
The giant donuts encircling the drive through shop are indeed an inviting spectacle. We rolled up the driveway and got in line behind the cars to go through and place our orders. The donut case is as long as the entire left wall of the building as you pass through. They offer a wide selection, from donut holes, to apple fritters, to conventional donuts, to giant flaky pastries. I got a giant flaky cinnamon twist and a cinnamon crumb donut and some chocolate milk! Each was entirely satisfying. The twist was so large, I was able to share it with others and still have plenty for myself.
Better than even the donuts, however, was the friendliness of the couple who served us. They were most welcoming of our group on bicycles as we came through the drive through tunnel. I told the gentleman we’d ridden our bikes all the way from Venice just to try his donuts, and he seemed duly impressed. He was also kind enough to step outside and take a group photo for us. I heartily recommend this place, and consider it well worth riding a bike from one end of Los Angeles County to the other!
Jennifer, Lynn, Joni, Francois, Michelle, and me
By this time, the sunlight was beginning to dim. We donned our jackets and/or reflective wear, and began the 7.3 mile ride north to the Irwindale Gold Line Station. By the time we got there, it was dark. This last leg of our ride brought our total mileage from the start at Blue Star Donuts to 50 miles. A half century donut ride to ring in the new year.
Note Joni’s coordination of the tee shirt with her awesome donut socks.
A special pleasure of this ride with our group was seeing the excitement on the faces of Michelle and Jennifer, both of whom had originally thought they would end their portion of the ride at Sun Donut. Neither had ever biked this far before, and on this day, they rode 50 miles! They did great, and it was fun to see them delight in the realization that they could ride farther than they thought they could.
We took the Gold Line to Union Station, and it was fun to fill the train will all our bikes. We were all glowing as we reveled in the satisfaction of a mission accomplished, and chatting with fellow passengers. From Union Station, Jennifer and Michelle transferred to trains that would get them close to home, and Joni, Lynn, Francois and I biked together from there. Joni had realized that biking the rest of the way home (or perhaps even just to the expo line) would bring her mileage for the day to 61, a personal goal of hers to mark her recent 61st birthday. I believe she ended up exceeding that goal by a few miles.
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It only occurred to me much later that all seven of us donut quest riders are over 50 years in age, with several over 60. This kind of fun isn’t just for kids, or rather, it’s for kids of all ages!
We all agreed that this should be an annual tradition.
For my third time, I took on the Coffeeneuring Challenge, which is now in its seventh year. Successful completion of the Challenge requires some reporting, which brings me to this post. I find that it’s one thing to share a few photos in near-real-time for each adventure to the Bikie Girl Bloomers Instagram account and to the Coffeeneurs Facebook group, but I’ve yet to master the art of writing up a complete blog post soon after each ride, as some of the expert Coffeeneurs do. (I tell myself they must be retired, although that’s probably not the case.) I like to use the blog to present my full report, as my social media posts often leave out one or two of the required details, and I refuse to let the reporting get in the way of the actual experience!
Coffee-whatting you may ask? Click here for more complete information on this annual 6-7 week challenge during which participants visit 7 different coffee shops (or create their own special coffee shop experience) and report back on the distance traveled (a modest 2 mile minimum per trip), the bike-friendliness of the shop visited, and the coffee-ish beverage imbibed. It’s a fun way to keep the joy of bicycling as autumn weather sets in, and a great resource for learning from fellow cyclists about places to try new coffee-ish beverages. Best of all, it’s a wonderful way to experience community with fellow lovers of cycling & coffee around the globe. Sometimes I see posts from folks living in places I once lived, and it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling of connection. Other posts make me want to add new destinations to my ever-growing bike-it list.
Each of the rides reported below was planned in accordance with my chosen theme for the 2017 challenge: The Donut Quest. Coffeeneuring is a theme unto itself, but participants are welcome to introduce a theme within a theme at their discretion. I love themes, and not much thought was required to arrive at this year’s theme. It was inspired by an article listing the best donut shops in the L.A. area that appeared in the Los Angeles Times on September 8, 2017. I knew right then and there I just had to explore these donut shops for myself.
I don’t make a regular habit of eating donuts. I’m more the type who doesn’t mind eating a donut if someone is offering one, but it’s not the sort of treat I regularly seek out. Somehow that made it appealing as a theme for my coffee rides, as it presented me with an excuse to explore something I otherwise wouldn’t. It seemed “safer” to explore donuts in conjunction with bike rides, as well, given that I would stand a better chance of burning most of the unnecessary calories one consumes when eating donuts (I figure I need to ride at least 10 miles per donut). I also like to explore different parts of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolis on my bike, and so I liked that the L.A. Times list included donut shops spread far and wide.
I know I can get a little chatty at times, so if you find my descriptions a bit much, you can get a summary of all my rides by scrolling from one bold-faced list of bullet points to the next. For me, choosing my route, encountering friends or foibles, discovering new things by bike, are all part of the joy of my urban bike adventures! Why do I include in my report which bloomers I wore? Well, you must understand that I wear them nearly every day, and this is my passion. And now, here are my 7 coffeeneuring/donut rides.
Several of the donut shops on the LA Times list are not far from my home, and Bob’s in particular is in a familiar location: the Original Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax. This market goes back to 1934, when some depression-era entrepreneurs thought it would be great to have a village-type experience where farmers could offer their fresh produce. The market includes a large number of permanent stalls, and includes a variety of merchants, not just farmers, where shoppers can buy everything from produce, cheese, and meats to toys, postcards, and gifts, as well as enjoy prepared foods from a large selection of restaurants. On the day I visited, I was treated to live music as well.
Since Bob’s is only a nudge under 4 miles northwest from my house, and the ride to the Farmer’s Market is rather familiar to me, I first had to consider how I might make the route a wee bit more interesting, and a nudge longer to meet my 10-mile minimum. Lately, I have been intrigued with working on a better route for riding parallel to Pico Boulevard, just a little south of me. Google maps always seems to think biking on Pico is acceptable, but trust me, it’s better to find alternatives, or at least be ready to use the sidewalk. So I zigzagged my way west and south, until the point where I needed to drop further south in order to be able to cross La Brea, a major north-south arterial that would be suicide to cross without a traffic light. For that, I had to leave the otherwise quite suitable 12th Street, and head south on Longwood to San Vicente, a street that angles northwesterly, and where a bike lane offers some protection from the fast-moving traffic. This street gave me a token hill to climb (does a ride really count if it’s completely flat?), and then carried me all the way to Cochran, a rather bike-friendly street for heading north through MidCity.
My token hill on San Vicente
This got me to 3rd Street, a street with whom I have a conflicted love-hate relationship. Sometimes I just take the lane, because there are some places you can’t get to except via 3rd Street, and why shouldn’t I? Sometimes (especially at night) I ride on the sidewalk. Today, I took the lane, but the stress of it wore me down, and when I got to the last long block, I hopped over to take advantage of the paved path along the outside edge of Pan Pacific Park.
Pan Pacific Park offers a nice wide path that is far more peaceful than 3rd Street
Then I faced the intersection that screams “NOBODY RIDES A BIKE TO THIS PLACE!!” It’s the access point to The Grove, the Disneyland-meets-Vegas of shopping malls, which was developed, quite intentionally, directly adjacent to the Original Farmer’s Market, creating a fascinating juxtaposition of authentic character and faux glitziness. This intersection is horrible because a continuous stream of automobiles is turning onto the very street I need to cross to access the shopping area, and they are turning from both the westbound and eastbound directions of 3rd Street. This means that, even when the light is green for bikes and pedestrians heading west to the mall and market areas, the threat of a right hook is ever-present. And it’s not as though routing yourself to the area from the north or the west would help, as all of the bordering streets are horrible.
Would you like to bike here?
Despite all the intimidation designed to discourage biking to this place, there is a refreshing abundance of bike parking at the Farmer’s Market (and also in the parking structure for the mall, for those wondering). I locked up my Gazelle, and began strolling though the Farmer’s Market, looking for Bob’s Doughnut shop. One can easily get lost in this place. There are a couple dozen merchants in addition to over 30 restaurants in this place, and the somewhat narrow aisles between stalls can get crowded. I found Bob’s and gawked at the doughnut selection, trying to remember which one the LA Times had recommended. I asked the server what she recommended for a person trying this place for the first time. She suggested the apple fritter, or the cinnamon bun, as well as the classic glazed, but that bun looked good to me. Since it was a hot day, I went for the ice blended mocha as my beverage, and took my treats over to the other end of the market, where a live band was performing.
Between the people-watching and the music, it was a lovely place to enjoy my treats. The cinnamon bun had all the delightfully light texture and sweetness of a quality glazed donut, with just enough cinnamon to qualify as a cinnamon bun. I liked that it was not the kind that gets gooey by the time you get to the middle (although that type of cinnamon roll has its place). I tried to mark the occasion of my opening entry into this year’s Coffeeneuring series with a ceremonial dunking of my donut in my drink, but that turned out be be a bit awkward, given the size of my cinnamon bun and the thick texture of my drink. This would surely work much better with a normal donut and a normal cup of coffee. But it’s just too hot and sunny on this Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, so I could not imagine drinking a hot beverage today. Although the ice blended mocha offered an element of refreshment, the blended part was a bit too thick, and it wasn’t something I would order again. A simple iced coffee would have been a better choice.
I took advantage of being at the market to get some necessaries for home. I don’t normally patronize butcher shops, but thought it would make for a nice treat for el Cochinito and me to get some quality goods for our dinner. He has a thing for pork chops on the bone that are sliced more thinly than the usual way they are provided at the grocery store. I asked the butcher if he could cut some to about half the thickness of the pork chops in his display case, and he obliged. I had never watched pork chops being cut before. It was a surprise for me to see the huge piece from which the chops were cut. I also got a few other choice items from the case, and then went over to the produce market, making sure I knew how much room remained in my basket before I got too carried away with the vegetables. It turned out I was able to fit quite a good bit of loot in my pannier basket.
It occurred to me that I could try avoiding the stress of biking on 3rd Street by heading north out of Pan Pacific Park, which is just across the street that borders the west edge of the Farmer’s Market and The Grove shopping mall. It was a nice day to ride through the park, passing children on the playground and men playing soccer. I enjoyed heading east on Oakwood, and adding a modest extra mile or two to my return trip.
Soccer players at Pan Pacific Park; Hollywood Hills in the background
Perhaps the most rewarding part of this successful first ride to open Coffeeneuring season was the delicious pork chop dinner el Cochinito cooked up for us that evening.
Bike parking: None; improvised with cable wrapped around light post
My second Coffeeneuring ride of the season took me to Dad’s Donuts & Bakery in Burbank. I was excited for this first Coffeeneuring ride on my new bike, a Bianchi Volpe I bought just a week prior as a replacement for the Specialized Dolce Comp that was stolen the month before. As painful as it was to lose my beloved Dolce – we shared a lot of great memories since I got her in 2004 – it was delightfully exciting to explore my new choice in the road bike category. I had not done any long or strenuous rides since the acquisition, and this was my first test that would really tell me whether I’d made the right choice. The Volpe did not disappoint.
One donut shop that made the LA Times list was in Burbank, a city over in the San Fernando Valley (aka, “the valley”), a place I don’t visit often, and a place that it is easy to turn one’s nose up at from my side of Mulholland. In fact, my only real exploration of Burbank occurred by bicycle during my first stab at Coffeeneuring in 2015, and it gave me a nice appreciation of this suburb to my north. Yes, the valley still has its multi-lane roads that seem to do nothing more than take you from one strip mall to the next, offering little in the way of character, or inviting places to wander, but it also has some nice tree-lined residential streets, and the lovely Verdugo Hills along its northeast border. I happen to like the way you can get to Burbank by biking through Griffith Park, my go-to place for bike rides when I just want to ride without having to plan a route. So I knew where to start for this one, and I knew it would get me a ride with some decent mileage.
I love the bike lanes that await me when I head north out of Griffith Park and turn onto Riverside Drive. The road is nice and wide, and pretty, and in addition to the bike lane, there is some special infrastructure for those traveling on horseback. The north end of Griffith Park includes a horse stable, where folks can rent horses, and this is just one of the riding stables in the area. I post some pics of the special separate bike and horse lanes (and signal indicators) in my 2015 post about biking in Burbank.
It’s not unusual to see a peloton pass by in Griffith Park – it’s a great place to ride.
I didn’t have to go far from there to get to Dad’s Donuts. Like many donut shops, it sits in an unassuming strip mall. I couldn’t find a bike rack anywhere in the vicinity, but I did find a light post secured in a large concrete base. Luckily, I had the heavy duty cable that came with my kryptonite lock, and was able to use that to secure my bike. Although it was less than ideal bike parking, I felt quite confident that my bike would be safe there.
Inside I found a wide selection of donuts to choose from, as well as a variety of baked goods, including bagels, muffins, and bread. It was difficult to choose between the Buttermilk Bar, which was recommended by the LA Times, and the cronut, so I got one of each. They were both heavy and quite filling, but anything I can’t finish is likely to be welcomed by el Cochinito when I get home. As if that weren’t enough for my sweet tooth, I once again fell for an iced mocha. This one wasn’t put through a blender, and the “mocha” part was a generous pour of chocolate syrup that coated the sides of my cup. I found it quite refreshing on yet another hot day. Both the cronut and the bar were delicious, in a super dense and rich sort of way, and I was glad I was having them on a higher mileage day.
From there, I thought it would be fun to head west on the Chandler Bike Path, a nicely-paved and manicured bike path that follows along the Orange Line Bus Route. The Orange line is Metro’s way of providing subway-like service with a dedicated bus path that is separated from the main travel lanes that other vehicles use. I have only biked this path twice before, and couldn’t resist an excuse to ride it today. I figured I could take this over to Coldwater Canyon, a road I’ve taken to descend from Mulholland into Beverly Hills many times, but one I was a wee bit nervous about from the valley side. I figured I’d just give it a shot.
Did I mention it was a hot day? The high was 96 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was already noonish. I knew Coldwater Canyon would not be the most bike-friendly street, but I took to mentally preparing myself for that, and being ready to use my best urban biking skills. I was feeling the heat, and noticed an ATM, so decided to make a quick stop to get some cash and guzzle some water before I started south toward the climb. I had barely begun the climb when I realized that both the heat and the traffic were bothering me. I noticed a shady spot off to the right, so I pulled over and decided to hydrate some more, and make sure I felt ready to take on the climb. I took a good long rest, and made sure I felt up to it and ready. Although I felt quite re-energized as soon as I started pedaling again, it wasn’t long before the climb began to feel grueling. Coupled with the winding curves, narrow shoulder, and fast-moving car traffic, I was not enjoying it. This seemed notably beyond my current level of conditioning, or maybe I just can’t handle the heat. I decided to give myself permission to stop anytime I saw a space for it and felt the need to refresh myself again. I ended up stopping twice more on the climb, and after I each rest, I had the same experience of a disappointingly short burst of renewed energy. I found myself wondering why I’d chosen such a lousy route, wondering if I’d made a serious mistake, wondering if I was misjudging my ability to handle this climb, wondering if I was going to make it to the top, yet aware that I didn’t have much choice, as walking my bike up that hill would not be any safer.
My bike, resting in the shade before tackling the big climb
When I finally got to Mulholland Drive, I was so relieved. I was also aware that I wan’t quite exactly sure how I would descend on the other side. I knew that Coldwater Canyon does a shift at Mulholland, where the northbound and southbound portions of this road don’t line up, and that I might be able to descend via Franklin Canyon by turning right somewhere near there, but I wasn’t quite sure where. I saw what looked to be that option, and I turned. I felt so thrilled to be done with that awful climb in the hot sun.
Heading down through Franklin Canyon was a welcome treat. It’s just plain beautiful. No more heavy traffic. No more grueling climb. And scenery to savor. Once I took in the beautiful surroundings, I wasn’t mad at myself for my choice of route any more. This was awesome, and tranquil, and just what I needed.
From there, I took a fairly direct route back home. I was feeling well aware that I’d done enough for the day, and remained eager to get out of the heat and be done with it. The ride left me feeling spent, but proud (and perhaps a wee bit stupid) that I’d powered through it.
Bike parking: Bikeshare docking station nearby; bike parking in front of shop
The next week, I was in Washington, D.C., for the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Annual Meeting. I go to this meeting every October, and last year, while in town for the meeting, I met fellow Coffeeneur Ilga at the Women & Bicycles Coffee Club. We had tried to coordinate a Coffeeneuring ride together during that visit, but our schedules just didn’t sync up. This year, my schedule was more flexible, and so was Ilga’s, so we were able to bike together to District Doughnut in Barracks Row, an area of D.C. I’d not seen before.
Ilga’s theme was meeting someone different for coffee each time, and so I was happy to contribute to her series, and glad she was open to participating in my donut theme. The trickiest part for me was finding an available bikeshare bike on this gorgeous Sunday. I had seen all the new dockless bike share bikes out on the sidewalks during the week, and had ridden one of the Mobikes back from a brunch date in Georgetown the day before. I was excited to perhaps get a chance to try one of the other dockless bikes for this ride, but quickly noticed that none were available. I knew I could just walk a short way to get to a Capital Bikeshare dock, if necessary, but those bikes were all gone as well. I walked from Woodley Park into Adams Morgan, and docking station after docking station was empty, and none of the dockless share bikes were around either. I finally found a bike, and grabbed it, deciding I would gladly pay overage charges if necessary in order to hang onto a bike for the full adventure.
That one last bike I found, however, was in rather poor shape, and I had a little time before I was scheduled to meet Ilga, so I tried to bike to another docking station near her place that the app showed had some bikes available. The problem was, the area has a lot of one-way streets, and I kept finding myself stuck going the wrong way. After a few frustrating loops, I finally back-tracked a block on the sidewalk to get to it, and made the switch. The new bike wasn’t much better, but I pedaled on, grateful to have a bike at all!
Ilga led the way south, toward the White House, and we headed east on Pennsylvania Avenue. I love that bike lane that runs right down the middle of the street, heading towards the Capital building. I noticed also that the bike lane has received some added improvements to better protect cyclists from turning cars. That’s the biggest drawback to a bike lane in the middle of the street: you have to guard against conflicts between vehicles crossing the bike lane as they make left turns or U-turns.
Barracks Row refers to a commercial district developed in the Eastern Market area of Capitol Hill. It’s close to the Navy Yard and some old Marine barracks, and in the vicinity is a large swath of new developments built in recent years as part of a revitalization effort after the area had experienced decades of decline. The biking was fine, except for navigating around an awkward freeway that cuts through that part of town.
District Doughnut is on this cute 8th Street SE, and directly across from the Marine barracks. It’s close to the intersection with I Street, where I was able to dock my bike. There was also a bike rack directly in front of District Doughnut, so Ilga was able to park her bike there. While bike parking was easy, choosing a donut was not. There were so many intriguing choices, I ended up getting four! I had to try to Dulce de Leche donut and the Caramel Apple Strudel donut, and I thought the Brown Butter donut looked good, too. There was also an odd-looking Everything donut. It looked just like an Everything Bagel, and that was the idea. I got that one for el Cochinito, who had joined me in D.C. for the weekend, but was holed up in our B&B for the day, grading papers for his students. He doesn’t have the same sweet tooth I do, so I thought he might like the more savory Everything donut. (I thought wrong, by the way; he thought it looked disgusting, and tossed it!) I think he preferred what was left of the others I tried.
For my beverage, I had a cold brew coffee with milk. Ilga had iced tea and some donut indulgence as well. The cold brew was good, and the Dulce de Leche donut was extraordinary. The Caramel Apple Strudel donut was my second favorite. Those two were so decadent, the Brown Butter donut seemed a bit plain, but it may have been overshadowed by the richness of the other two.
We had a nice ride back, riding past lots of large new residential towers, and went farther west to check out a new development along the waterfront. There was a huge amount of bike parking in the new commercial district, which looked quite vibrant. I would have stayed and explored with Ilga, but I needed to get back to meet up with el Cochinito for our evening plans. I was nicely positioned, however, to curve up Maine Street to the Mall area, and catch 15th St NW to head north back toward Woodley Park.
Bike parking: Excellent; both places had bike parking right in front of shop
Today I doubled up on the donut quest, and tried two coffee/donut shops to celebrate an enjoyable climb up Nichols Canyon. This ride also served as my redemption and reassurance that I can still climb hills, especially when it’s not 96 degrees out. I also got a nice early start this day, because I knew I would have to ride on Mulholland Drive, and the earlier I do that, the less traffic there will be. I also had plans for later in the day, and wanted to be sure I had plenty of time for my climb and my coffeeneuring stop beforehand.
Nichols Canyon is one of my favorite climbing rides, but I don’t do it that often (and I don’t do climbing rides that often, which doesn’t help my conditioning or my confidence, and hence leads to less inclination to do climbing rides). It was a nice cool morning, with a heavy marine layer keeping the air damp. I was grateful, as I was itching for a long ride, and did not want heat and sun wearing me down.
The climb was immensely satisfying. I was pleased with both my stamina and my new Bianchi Volpe. I wanted this new bike to be suitable for challenging rides and also sufficiently comfortable for longer touring rides (of which I hope to do more). My last road bike was so nimble, and allowed me to feel strong on climbs. I wasn’t sure yet if the Volpe would give me that same feeling. I’d felt so weak on the Coldwater Canyon ride a couple weeks earlier, I needed to try another climbing ride, and one that I could compare to previous climbs up the same road on my old bike.
I was pleased to find myself spinning comfortably up the switchbacks, and glad that I never felt strained until I got to that last block up Woodrow Wilson, which connects Nichols Canyon Road with Mulholland Drive. That block is super steep, but short enough that I’ve always been able to muster what I needed to get up it. I was so excited when I got to that point, I just kept my focus on the nearest bit of ground before me, knowing that soon I would be at the top. Once I got there, I was certainly very winded and in need of a rest, but thrilling in the triumph.
I rode along Mulholland, grateful for a clean shoulder to ride on and a fairly low traffic morning. I’d noticed my rear brake was still squeaking as it had when I first brought it home from the bike shop, so I decided to stop at one of the pull-outs and adjust it before I get to the downhill part of my ride. The place where I pulled off had some pretty cacti, so I made that the backdrop for my proud-moment-bike-portrait. Normally, I would snap a photo with the view of the valley, but the marine layer was still thick enough to completely block that view.
I was able to get rid of the squeak from my brake and get on my way. I like to descend from Mulholland on Coldwater Canyon. This drops down into Beverly Hills, which has nice, wide streets lined with big trees and mansions to gawk at, a part of the ride I always enjoy.
From there, I made my way to the Fairfax district, to visit Cofax Coffee and taste their cornflake donut. It tastes better than it sounds. It was actually light and fluffy, compared to some of the densely rich donuts I tried on other rides. The cornflake topping is not overdone, nor is it overly sweet. It was a light, delicate donut with a little sweet, crunchy topping, rather than being all about the cornflake idea. The macchiato I had with it was good, and it was nice to have a warm coffee drink on a Coffeeneuring ride for once. Somehow that feels more legitimate.
Cofax is a tiny shop, and I felt very lucky that I was able to get one of the two seats at the window, facing the street. The place has very little seating, and most of it is in the midst of the line of folks waiting to place their orders. Fairfax is not a bike-friendly street, but I was able to ride on the sidewalk as needed, and to park my bike at a good rack right in front of Cofax Coffee.
I had kept my plans fluid, not knowing how I would feel after the Nichols Canyon ride, and whether I might need to stop at home afterward. But I was feeling good, and so I decided to extend my ride so I could sync up with my friend, Joni, when she would be arriving in downtown LA., a good 8 miles away. Riding in to downtown would also give me a chance to check out Birdies, another donut shop on the LA Times list.
I began to realize my timing was off, and that I would get to downtown far too early, so I figured I could head south a bit before heading east. This seemed like a good time to explore the east end of the Expo Line Bike Path, which opened last year. Although I’ve ridden it many times, I had only taken it from La Cienega west to Santa Monica. When I got to the La Cienega Expo Line Station, I was dismayed to realize that the skinny little bike lane I had seen on Jefferson Blvd IS the east end of the Expo Line Bike Path. The part of the new bike path I’d been on is a paved and mostly-off-street path as it follows the Expo Line through Culver City, west L.A. and Santa Monica, but apparently they were not able to make it as nice for the rest of the route.
The Expo Line “Bike Path” is that skinny little bike lane alongside the tracks.
So I took that skinny little bike lane all the way to the University of Southern California (USC), cut through the USC campus, and on into downtown. Once I got to Birdies, I was pleased to see that, once again, I was able to lock my bike to a good rack right in front of the donut shop.
At Birdies, I wanted to try the pistachio-lemon-thyme donut that was mentioned in the LA Times. I also got a cute panda donut that I figured I could deliver to Joni when I met her, or perhaps take home to el Cochinito. Joni had mentioned not wanting to be late for a 4 pm concert, so I figured I could bring her a donut, in case she did not have time for a donut run. The pistachio lemon thyme donut was a bit disappointing for me, as it tasted very strongly of lemon, and I could not really taste the pistachio or the thyme. I would have preferred more balance to the strong lemon flavor. The mocha I had to drink with it, however, was quite good.
I thought I had a little extra time before meeting Joni, so I planned out a little loop around downtown. As I headed northeast on the Olive Street bike lane, however, I heard a little plop sound. I turned around and saw that, sure enough, my box with the panda donut had fallen off my rear rack. My bungee cord was not holding it securely enough. So, I turned around and walked my bike back to where the box was sitting in the middle of the bike lane. Then a Prius pulled into the bike lane, heading straight for my donut box! I waved my arms, then put my hand up out in front of me, and screamed to the driver, “STOP!!” The driver initially stopped, and looked at me quizzically. I glanced under her car and was relieved to see that she had not run over my box; it was pretty much under the center of her car. I started to walk toward the car, intending to lean down and try to get the box, except I wouldn’t be able to reach it. I tried to tell the driver to please wait while I retrieve the box, but she never opened her window, and I suspect she just thought I was insane. Perhaps she was frightened by the hysterical cyclist walking up to her car, or maybe she just didn’t get it. She started driving again, and promptly ran over the donut box with her rear tire. I screamed at her as she drove on, seemingly obvious to the damage she’d done, and apparently also oblivious to (or unconcerned about) the illegality of driving in the bike lane.
I picked up the partly smushed box and peeked inside. The panda donut was rather disfigured, but not squished. It didn’t look like much of a panda any more. It hadn’t gotten dirty, though, so I figured I’d still keep it, if only to help me tell the story. I secured it back on the rear rack, or so I thought. One block later, I heard the plop of the box hitting the pavement yet again. This time I was able to retrieve it without incident, although it was beginning to seem like a pointless effort. Just as I was fumbling with the bungee cord and the donut box and my jacket and the bag with the bloomers, a nice woman, who’d apparently been watching from the sidewalk, walked over and handed me a plastic shopping bag. I put all of the items inside the bag, and that made it easier to get everything secured under the bungee cord. She not only helped solve my luggage problem, she restored my faith in humanity. I thanked her profusely.
As I proceeded on, I noticed the time, and decided I had better drop my planned loop and head over to the Pico station where the Expo Line train was bringing Joni into downtown. As it turned out, she had more time before the concert than I thought, so we decided to make it a triple and check out Astro Doughnuts, another shop on my list.
Alas, our hopes were dashed when we realized that Astro closes at 3 PM, so it was back to Birdies. Joni wanted to try something else from their menu other than the chocolate cake donut that I had offered to her in the form of a cute little panda. She chose an adorable horchata dulce de leche glazed donut. We visited while Joni got her donut fix, and then parted ways afterward, Joni off to her concert, and me tired and ready to go home.
Control #5 was sandwiched between a planned social ride and a screening of short films about adventure cycling. My friend Jennifer was doing both the social ride and the film screening, and agreed to join me for the in-between trip to Astro Donughts & Fried Chicken in downtown LA.
The social ride was part of a monthly series offered by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) called Sunday Funday rides, each a themed ride exploring a different part of Los Angles County. This one started at Exposition Park, near the University of Southern California (USC) campus, and took us to and along the Expo Line Bike Path that opened in 2016, with a stop in Culver City, and our final stop in Cheviot Hills. Several of us opted for the full route, which meant riding back to Expo Park from there.
By this time, I’d ridden about 25 miles, and worked up a serious appetite. But we weren’t that far from downtown, so Jennifer and I continued on to Astro Doughnuts. They had great bike parking right in front, so we locked up and got inside just before closing time. Luckily, they still had both donuts and chicken available, and Carlos and Eddy served us with a smile. I had an excellent nitro cold brew with my unbelievably divine creme brûlée donut as well as some fried chicken. I was very hungry when we got there and quite stuffed when we left!
We rode on from there to the Filmed By Bike adventure shorts being presented by Bicycle Culture Institute at Boomtown Brewery in the arts district. Despite being full, we were still able to enjoy some beer, as well as some inspiring films.
Control #6 was also sandwiched between a social ride and an evening event, but this time I did not include the 14.6 miles of the social ride in my coffeeneuring mileage, since I took a short break at home in between rides, and changed to a different bike. But I did once again bring along a friend from the social ride to join me for the coffeeneuring ride. Joni (the same one who went to Birdies with me as part of Control #4) had been on the Flower Power Ride that morning, which took place in downtown Los Angeles, and featured a visit to the L.A. Flower Market, followed by lunch at the Bread Lounge. In keeping with the theme of the ride, I wore my Crazy Daisy Bloomers.
Joni is familiar with the donut shop I was planning to visit, Sidecar Donuts & Bakery in Santa Monica, and was interested in joining me. She wanted to visit a market near my house, and I wanted to stop at home to switch bikes, drop off the flowers I’d purchased, and coordinate my evening plans with el Cochinito. We then took a fairly direct route west, first along the Venice Boulevard bike lane, and then hopping onto the Expo Line Bike Path into Santa Monica.
Sidecar Donuts also has bike racks right out in front. Once we went inside, I again faced too many good-looking donuts to choose from, so I bought a box of four. I knew I had to try the huckleberry donut, which was highlighted in the LA Times article, and is unique to this donut shop. I also got the carrot cake, butter, and cinnamon crumb donuts to take home for breakfast the next day. Joni got the pumpkin spice donut, in large part because she caught one that had just been cooked. Since it was getting close to 6 pm, I didn’t want coffee, and opted for a steamed milk, which went nicely with the donut.
From there, Joni went on home, and I rode over to the nearby Ingo’s Tasty Diner, and met up with el Cochinito for dinner before the two of us headed on to hear a panel discussion on racial justice at the UU church in Santa Monica. Afterward, we put my bike in the back of his truck and drove home together.
For my final ride of the 2017 Coffeeneuring season, I rode to Kettle Glazed Doughnuts in Hollywood. This one was a bit disappointing, mostly because I don’t like biking in Hollywood, and the donut experience wasn’t good enough to compensate for that.
There’s something about Hollywood that makes me want to like biking there. Perhaps it’s the landmarks, or maybe knowing that it has that rough quality that reminds you of all the people struggling to get by in this area and makes you think it should be bike-friendly, or maybe just because there are plenty of otherwise worthy destinations within a reasonable biking distance from my home that make the idea recur on a regular basis. It’s not all bad, either. I’ve had reasonably pleasant experiences biking to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, and that is close to the Arclight Cinema there, where el Chochinito and I like to see movies from time to time. But anything outside that zone seems to be hard to access without having to venture on streets that leave a cyclist feeling quite exposed.
I knew enough not to take the first route suggested by Google maps – straight up Vine. I think the only reason Vine street is considered “bike-friendly” is because it has sharrows and it’s the best north-south street for getting through Hollywood. Unfortunately, it’s also what most motor vehicles use for north-south travel through Hollywood. Instead, I much prefer to take Rosewood west a wee bit, and follow it as it turns north and becomes Wilcox. But today, my destination was on Franklin, which is way north into Hollywood. I used Yucca to go east from Wilcox to Argyle, passing the iconic Capitol Records Building. Sure, there were sharrows and signs asserting that this is a bike route, but it sure didn’t feel like it! It doesn’t help that Yucca is plenty wide, and invites speeding cars to do their thing. Argyle then crosses under the 101 freeway to Franklin, and there sits the strip mall that is home to Kettle Glazed Doughnuts.
I got to Kettle Glazed after having to navigate a left turn mid-block, crossing heavy traffic in both directions. I scanned the parking lot of the little strip mall, and realized that, even if there were a bike rack around, I probably would not want to use it. A homeless guy was busy retrieving items from the dumpster, and had an air about him that made me think he considers himself the owner of the parking lot. There really wasn’t anything that looked like I might be able to lock my bike to it, anyway. I decided to see if I could take my bike inside. The shop is small, and another bike was leaning against the one area of open wall space. I decided to lean my bike against the trash cans by the door, but locked it and took my pannier with me, since it was so close to the entrance.
There was a nice variety of donuts that looked worth trying. I like a classic old fashioned donut, and theirs looked good, but I wanted to try their specialty, the kettle glazed croissant style donut. They offered their cronut with either cinnamon or chocolate on top. How was I supposed to choose between those two? Once again, I had to get one of each, and take the second half of each home to el Cochinito. To go with it, I had a cup of coffee, which was entirely unspectacular. They pointed to an insulated pump dispenser. At least this time, the last of my seven rides, I finally remembered to bring along my own coffee cup, rather than use another throw-away cup. This environmentally friendly idea had been suggested to the group by a fellow Coffeeneur, but I had trouble remembering to bring a cup along for each of the preceding trips.
Since I was so close to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, the biggest and best in L.A., and close to the Bed Bath & Beyond store, where I wanted to pick up a few things for the house, I headed south on Vine and turned it into an errandonnee trip as well. I ended up getting so much at Bed Bath & Beyond (that beyond part always gets me!), there wasn’t room on my bike to add anything more from the farmer’s market. So I headed on home from there, at first trying to make peace with Vine Street, but eventually turning off onto side streets and cutting over to Van Ness, another street I find much more bike-friendly (and pretty) than Vine.
Full pannier & rack
Some streets are pretty!
And with that, my seven coffee (and donut) stops by bike were completed. Of course, the LA Times article listed 29 donut shops, flung far and wide across the extended Los Angeles area. I only made it to seven of them, and I’m still curious to try several more. I’ve had so much fun with biking for donuts, and I particularly enjoyed doing these adventures with friends, that I’m now planning an epic donut ride for New Year’s Day. My tentative plan is to start in Venice at Blue Star donuts, and work my way east, all the way to The Donut Man in Glendora, nearly 50 miles from Blue Star. It just so happens that 3 more of the donut shops on my list are positioned in between these two, each about 10 miles apart. We (that’s including anyone who cares to join me for this adventure) can bike the whole way, and then be full enough to require no more fuel stops for the ride back, which can start out along the San Gabriel River Trail, and the Duarte Trail, providing some variety for the return trip. Those not interested in biking more than 50 miles, can hop on the Gold Line at the Azusa Metro Station, which will get them to Union Station in downtown, providing access to the Venice bus, which runs all the way from downtown back to Blue Star, if needed.
As is apparent, the Donut Quest is never ending! If you’re ever in Los Angeles, and want to bike for donuts, message me and we will take it from there.
P.S. Interested in outfitting yourself (or a friend) with something from the Bikie Girl Bloomers collection: Treat yourself to the special discount for Coffeeneurs: use code COFFEENEUR to get 15% off an order of $50 or more.
Joni, Vannessa, and yours truly flash our bloomers on the Flower Power Ride
As I write this, I am on my flight to New Orleans (I started writing this post on June 19th; it’s now halfway through July). This is an exciting trip for me for two reasons. First, I have been itching to ride a bike in New Orleans ever since El Cochinito and I spent a weekend in the Big Easy last September. I hadn’t been there since 2001 (post 9/11, pre-Katrina), and it was just enough fun to make me want more. I also saw lots of folks biking around town, which I hadn’t seen before, and many of them were women – in dresses no less! (All hail the skirt rider!) Second, I’m bringing my Bikie Girl Bloomers skirts, tops and shorts with me. I’m going to be one of the vendors in the Exhibit Hall at the Convention Center, where my fellow Unitarian Universalists (“UUs”) are holding their annual General Assembly. I know how much UUs care about taking care of the planet (see Principal 7 of their statement of values), and this is the ideal crowd for my mission to encourage more women to use bikes for transportation. If I can’t inspire UUs, who can I inspire?!
Public art in front of the Convention CenterA poster I made to display at my booth for the UU eventHere’s my plan for my free day before the event begins: first I will have a Lyft driver deliver me and my luggage full of Bikie Girl Bloomers merchandise to the Convention Center so I can set up my booth. Then I’ll walk a mile to the nearest bike shop, A Musing Bikes, where I have reserved a bike rental for the week. I can then have the rest of Tuesday to explore the city by bike, perhaps check out a shop I love to follow on Instagram: Dashing Bicycles, and then use the bike to commute between my hotel in the Marigny neighborhood and the Convention Center, which means riding through the French Quarter each day.
So that was the idea, until I realized that a tropical storm by the name of Cindy would be dumping rain on New Orleans all day. I decided to hunker down in my hotel room and wait for a break in the storm, and then give it a try in the afternoon. I was waiting for a large box of additional merchandise to arrive that day, so why not wait until it arrives, and then everything goes at once. Well, afternoon came, my package had arrived, and the originally anticipated break in the storm vanished from the hourly forecast on my weather app. I went ahead with my plan, got my inventory and display set up at the Convention Center, and started walking toward the bike shop. It was warm, so I wore my Crazy Daisy Bloomers with a blue tank top, and figured I’d be fine if I got a little wet on the walk. Just as the rain was starting to come down harder, I found myself walking past an intriguing food place: The Fatboy Pantry. I hadn’t had any lunch, so, heck, why not wait out the downpour in here and grab a bite?
Cuban coffee affogato with donut ice cream & caramel sauceFried lobster po boy with more fries than anyone can eat in the same meal as a sandwich like that!
I had the specialty of the house: a fried lobster po boy. They also had a delectable selection of coffee drinks, so I indulged in an affogato made with Cuban coffee and donut ice cream (hey, my server recommended it), topped off with some caramel syrup. It was divine. And the lobster po boy? Holy moly, it was delicious! I ate as much of it as I could.
Well, the rain was still pouring down, but I realized I had better get a move on, as the bike shop would be closing soon. Gustavo was there, and set me up with a cute orange cruiser bike. I could have opted for a hybrid, with gears and hand brakes, but I thought a cruiser might be fun, and it’s not as though New Orleans has hills to worry about.
A Musing Bikes in the lower Garden District, a one mile walk from the Convention CenterThey have LOTS of bikes to rent, including both cruisers and hybrids
When I ventured out on the bike, the rain didn’t seem too bad, so I thought I’d still route myself past Dashing Bicycles on my way to my hotel, and perhaps be on the lookout for a drug store where I might be able to purchase a rain poncho. First, I got a wee bit lost in the Garden District, but it’s so beautiful, it’s hard to object. By the time I was riding through the Central Business District, the rain was really coming down hard, and heavy winds were adding to the challenge. I had not found a poncho, and I was getting quite thoroughly soaked. I knew I needed to just go straight to my hotel, and that was more than enough. By the time I arrived, I was so wet I craved a hot bath. Unfortunately, my room had a shower stall only, no tub. I changed out of my wet clothes and found myself regretting the failure to pack socks for this trip.
Beautiful homes abound in the Garden District
I found it a wee bit stressful to navigate downtown rush hour traffic together with a downpour and heavy winds.
Canal Street in the storm
Pausing for a bike portrait in front of Jackson Square
The storm continued all night. I woke several times during the night, wondering if there was an earthquake (so L.A. of me), before realizing that it was the storm that was making the house shake. Wednesday morning, the weather forecast showed a respite from the heavy wind and rain, at least until about 10:00. I decided this would be my chance to ride out to Metarie Cemetery, a destination I had originally planned for my free day on Tuesday. I didn’t have to be at the Convention Center until about 11:00, so I got me an early start, with my first stop planned for a nearby Walgreen’s to purchase that poncho I knew I would be needing.
The ride was delightful. I enjoyed bike lanes much of the way, and stopped to snap photos and post on Instagram along my route. So many big, beautiful trees providing canopies over the streets, and the gorgeous artchitecture revealing the intriguing history and culture unique to New Orleans left me agog. Shortly before I got to Metarie Cemetary, I passed a few others, including a Masonic Cemetery and a Catholic one. Such a vast expanse of real estate devoted to the dead. I had a bit of trouble figuring out where exactly Google Maps was telling me I was supposed to ride when it came to the very last little stretch. As it turned out, I had to ride on a busy street that serves as an on-ramp to the freeway. It was a bit scary to ride a bike on Ponchartrain, as it seemed all the other vehicles were large pickup trucks travelling at rather high speeds.
Riding to the cemetery in my rain ponchoBut I made it to the cemetery intact, and began my quest. The last (and only other) time I was at Metarie Cemetery was when my late husband’s brother had passed away in November 2001. Bill and I had flown back to Bills’ home town of New Orleans from Los Angeles to attend to his brother’s final arrangements. His brother’s casket was entombed in a family crypt. Yes, one of those fascinating above-ground crypts. I kind of remembered the crypt being near a rotunda or circular something or other, and could visualize in my memory where that area was with respect to the building where we’d met with the mortician. The night before, I’d also done some looking online and noted the location of section 103 where the Tebault family crypt was located.
I toodled around the cemetery for awhile, snapped a few photos and posted them to Instagram, and then noticed I was in the familiar area near the Tebault crypt. I found the intersection of Avenues D and H, which should have put me right near Section 103, but I couldn’t find it.
When the rain lightened up, I took a break from the poncho, glad that I had sense enough not to wear the skirt for my bike ride.I started doubting my internet info, and decided to ride to the building and then head from there to the area that I recalled from 15 years ago. I discovered some fascinating extended areas, and the more I explored them, the more certain I became that I was not getting any closer to my target. After wandering all over the cemetery, the magic hour of 10:00 arrived, and pretty soon, as forecast, the rain was becoming more than just a manageable drizzle. The thought of just leaving without finding the crypt bothered me, so I searched again using my phone, and decided that the intersection of Avenues D and H should have been right. I studied the map of the sections more carefully, and searched in earnest for Section 103. It didn’t help that the sections are not in numerical order. When I finally found Section 103, the rain was really coming down. I checked each and every crypt, and none said Tebault, even though I distinctly remember the crypt had been labeled with that family name. Finally, I parked the bike and carefully stepped between the forming rivers that separated each plot, and at last I found the Tebault site. No wonder I had not been able to spot it on my first several passes; it was no longer an above-ground crypt. Perhaps Katrina or another major storm had destroyed it. What remained was the stone outline and the tombstones engraved with the names of those who had been entombed there.
I spent a few minutes contemplating the end of the Tebault/Passera family line. Bill’s father had died when Bill was a baby, and his mother had died in 2000, followed by his brother, Phillip in 2001. When my Bill died in 2003, no one was left. No parents, siblings, nieces or nephews, as neither Bill nor his brother had had any children. And then a hurricane (presumably) came along and wiped away the family tomb. Ashes to ashes; dust to dust.
Speaking of storms, the rain was really coming down hard, and I needed to move along. I rode over to the Funeral Home, where a covered driveway allowed me to take a break from the storm and refuel with a snack bar before biking on to the Convention Center. My hopes that the storm would give me a break for the six mile ride ahead of me were dashed, as the winds only got more intense. I couldn’t wait any longer, as I had to get to my booth in time to finish the set up before the Exhibit Hall opened at noon.
So, with my poncho over me, and a plastic bag over the tote bag in my bike basket, I headed out of the cemetery. My shoes and feet were already soaking wet from the puddles around the tombs, but I wasn’t really thinking about my wet feet once I started pedaling. It was one heck of an adventure biking in the storm. I felt like I was working so hard just to move forward. At times, the rain was coming down so hard, I could barely see out my glasses. I worried that I might not know the difference between an exciting adventure and taking stupid risks, especially when the winds were strong enough to blow both me and the bike around on the road!
This tree did not survive the stormI made it to the convention center, but it sure seemed like it took me a long time to ride those six miles. I arrived soaking wet, but so many others had been caught in the storm just walking in from their parked cars, I don’t think anyone thought much of my wet hair. I was so glad I didn’t wear my skirt for the morning ride – it was safely rolled up inside my tote bag, and had stayed dry. I just wished I had a dry pair of shoes. My feet sloshed with every step.
I ended up venturing out again that afternoon. An order had come in to the online store for something I had with me, and I thought it best if I just get it into the mail, and I wanted to get it to the post office by 5:00. The storm was still going, but it was much more mild at this point. It was a short ride, and I was happy to get back outside for a few minutes. Mostly, I just enjoyed experiencing a few new streets by bike.
Bike parking across the street from the Post OfficeUnfortunately, the errand wasn’t as quick as I’d hoped, mostly because the post office was inside a federal building, and it took quite awhile to get through the security screening before I could go inside and get in line to mail the package.
We vendors had to stay at the Exhibit Hall until 7:00 that evening. By the time I biked back over to my hotel in Marigny, I was thoroughly exhausted. I didn’t even have the energy to go out and get some dinner. I walked two blocks from my hotel to a funky food co-op and enjoyed browsing the aisles. I selected a few intriguing healthy snacks, plus some chocolate (so comforting!), and a ginger beer.
More orders came in to the store that evening, including a repeat customer ordering 3 pairs of Bloomers from our clearance special. Since I knew the clearance Bloomers would do well at the UU event, I had brought all of them with me. This meant I couldn’t arrange to have my assistant back in Los Angeles ship out the order for me, and I did not want my customer to have to wait until the next week before the order shipped. I was so glad I had brought a few mailers with me. I packed up the order and found another post office not far from the convention center that looked like it might have a self-service machine and perhaps not require a security screen to enter.
Commuting through the French QuarterIt was fun to commute through the French Quarter, and the weather was quite agreeable now that the storm had passed. Even then, as soon as I crossed Canal Street, I found myself struggling against tremendously forceful winds. I pedaled that cruiser bike as hard as I could, but I swear I wasn’t moving forward at all! It got a little scary at one point, as it was hard to maintain my position on the road, and a streetcar needed to pass me. I decided to pull over and wait a bit, although that only solved the streetcar passing problem, not the strong headwind challenge. It was such a relief when I got to the street where I needed to turn and head north to the post office, as I no longer had to fight the wind.
I made a little slide show of some of the interesting buildings I saw on today’s variant of my commute – this time heading a little into the Bywater area before turning toward the French Quarter:
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By Friday, I was feeling like I had my routine down, and I was excited that we vendors were free to leave at 5:00, significantly earlier than the first two nights. This meant a little extra freedom to do what I wished with my evening, instead of just collapsing in exhaustion from a long day on my feet, and perhaps also from biking into gale force winds. My neighbor in the exhibit hall had asked if I’d like to go out and get a bite or a drink that evening. I told her I was planning to pay a quick visit to a bike shop, and then catch a jazz show. She wasn’t interested in seeing a show, but she had never explored New Orleans’ French Quarter and wanted to check it out. I couldn’t believe she had never visited the French Quarter on her past trips to New Orleans! We agreed to meet up after my bike shop visit and after she had tended to some business.
The ride from the Convention Center to Dashing Bicycles was pleasant, with a simple 3.4 mile route of bike-friendly streets getting there. I went inside to check out the shop, and visited a bit with the mechanic on duty. I told him I was visiting from L.A., and that I’m a fan who enjoys following their shop on Instagram. He said the owner wasn’t in, and shared a bit of the store’s history with me (has relocated from a small shop closer to the French Quarter to allow for more space). I told him how much I love the way they post a picture of a customer with their new bike in front of that gorgeous wall, and asked if I could take a picture of my rental bike there. I was so pleased with how well my orange cruiser paired with the bright colors of their wall. I also love their big sign at the roof line, and snapped a photo of that as well.
I started heading towards my hotel in Marigny (MARE-in-EE; just east of the French Quarter), thinking I’d have time to drop off my big tote bag and lighten my load for the evening. The route Google maps set me on seemed like a great one, until a few blocks into it, the street was closed off for police activity. That was a frustrating disappointment, as I had been on a street that cut across diagonally towards my destination, and there weren’t any similar alternatives. But I managed to get almost back to my hotel when Minda contacted me to make our plans.
Our pedicab driverWe met at the entrance to Cafe du Monde, at which point I learned that Minda had never been there, nor had she heard of it. I couldn’t allow her status to stay that way, so we started our outing with beignets. We then used yelp to search for a place close by to grab a little dinner. She’d landed this great parking spot, and had limited mobility, so we decided on a place about a quarter of a mile away. We were a couple blocks from the destination, when she expressed dismay at the length of the walk, and just then, we happened on one of those pedicab drivers who offered to help. He pointed out the location of the restaurant we sought, but did not have a very enthusiastic recommendation for it. Of course, we was glad to recommend a place some distance away, but his sincerity (and the offer to pay what we like for the ride) won us over. We took the pedicab ride all the way back near the convention center (!) and had charbroiled oysters at Drago’s. They were quite good. The pedicab ride back over to Cafe du Monde was in the dark, which made it fun. From there, I decided it was a little too late to catch the jazz show I had in mind, but I was satisfied with my evening On the town.
Enjoying our pedicab rideSaturday morning, I had my act together such that I was able to leave early enough to stop for breakfast at one of the interesting coffee shops I pass in the neighborhood where I was staying. For my first “coffeeneuring” of the trip, I went to Flora Gallery and Coffee Shop. My first delight was the ginormous pile of bicycles locked up at the rather large bike rack out front. My second delight was the dozens (or perhaps hundreds?) of masks on display and covering all of the wall space that wasn’t already covered with paintings or architectural oddities. My third delight was the friendly guy at the counter and what appeared to be a parade of locals getting their morning fix.
Biking around the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods of New Orleans is interesting in that, on the one hand, it’s an easier way to get around those narrow, old streets than in a car, and there are plenty of bike-friendly routes.
Pothole extravaganzaOn the other hand, many of those bike-friendly streets are in a sad state of disrepair, making it necessary for cyclists to be extra attentive to cracks, potholes, and other obstacles. Of course, that’s all part of the urban bike adventure!
Some of the houses there are so cute, I can’t help but stop and snap a photo. This one I had to snap quickly, as a van was backing into a parking spot that would have ruined my shot.
Saturday night, I took myself out to dinner. I had grabbed a late dinner on Thursday night at a fantastic restaurant, The Franklin, just a short block from my hotel, and it had reminded me how much it is possible to enjoy going out for a good dinner even when traveling alone. But for Saturday night, I didn’t have to start late, and it was my last chance of this trip to try out a place my friend who knows New Orleans quite well had recommended, Mariza. This meant biking over to the next neighborhood to the east, Bywater, and past more interesting architecture. On my way, I stopped to gawk at the Marigny Opera House, which appears to be quite old, and perhaps undergoing some needed restoration.
The dinner was one of those excellent experiences that can be had when you sit at the bar at the beginning of dinner time, before the crowds have arrived, and chat with the bartender. This bartender mixed me a great cocktail, made some excellent food recommendations, and told me a bit of the history of the neighborhood. The Bywater/Marigny has gone from a low-rent, rather run-down neighborhood, to a hip area of opportunity. Beautiful buildings are being fixed up, but long-time residents have had to move to the other side of the river to find affordable housing.
Sunday morning, I tackled my logistics quite well, if I may say so myself. I had left all of my luggage at the convention center (hiding under the table), and had kept only a backpack at my hotel. I packed all my clothes into the backpack, checked out, and was on my way, able to bike with all my things either on my back or in the front basket. I stopped for breakfast at EnVie Espresso Bar and Cafe in the French Quarter, passing more potholes on the way. I made it a hearty breakfast to last me until the event closing at 2:30 p.m. Note the interesting clientele at this establishment.
Going into the convention center for this last day was exciting. I had already sold enough to pay for my travel expenses and the booth rental, and this last day, although shorter, the event is open to the public, not just those attending the UU General Assembly. I had been running Facebook ads during the week, hoping to draw in some local women bicyclists. Alas, I did have one customer who had seen my ad and decided to come in, since it was close to where she’d been at the gym. She bought a pair of Bloomers (she went for the Leopard print), and that sale paid for the Facebook ad (!), but no others from the general public came by. I had a couple other sales, but it ended up being the lowest sales day of the week. Although that was disappointing, I was still thrilled to have come out just a nudge ahead of even!
After the show closed, I packed up my merchandise, took one bundle of product I just couldn’t fit into my luggage (still less than the large box I shipped to New Orleans in advance) to the FedEx Office store across the street, and hopped on my rental bike for my one final ride to return the rental bike to A Musing Bikes. Although I had enough time to walk the mile back to the Convention Center to collect my luggage, it was raining again, and I just didn’t have it in me to walk another mile in the rain. I gave my rain poncho to the folks at A Musing Bikes, in case they’d like to offer it to the next crazy person to rent a bike on a rainy day, and summoned a Lyft to get me back to the Convention Center and on to the airport. Still a very satisfying logistical accomplishment.
On reflection, I have to admit that it may not make much business sense to take a week off from work (I do have my patent clients to attend to, an important element of making my living) in order to spend 5 straight days selling clothing for bike commuting at a gathering of UUs. However, as an excuse to experience biking in New Orleans, it was absolutely worth it! And I loved visiting with the people who came to my booth. A couple of times, I even remembered to snap a photo of customers who bought bloomers:
And here is what I wore each day (not counting the first two days when I got drenched!). I have fun styling the Bike It Or Not Two Piece Dress in various ways. You can tell which is from the last day by the backpack on my back.
And last, but not least, here’s an example of what the UUs were up to all week. This is a mural that grew a bit each day, based on input from attendees, and reflecting the social justice goals of the organization.
What’s a bicycling patent attorney to do, but keep returning to our nation’s capital? After all, it’s a great bike city, it’s the home of the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and it’s a beautiful place filled with buildings to gawk at, and more museums than you can visit in a lifetime (or so it seems).
Usually, I visit D.C. in connection with some sort of intellectual property related business, and the biking just gets worked into that. But every March, bicycling enthusiasts from across the country gather in our nation’s capital to attend the National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists. They aren’t your typical weekend warrior MAMIL* types, either. These are real-honest-to-golly-jeepers transportation cyclists who have an interest in getting more folks turned on to cycling, who see the future of urban planning enhanced by better bicycling infrastructure, who are actual professionals in the realm of bicycle advocacy. In other words, they are saints. And I love them also because they get my product, Bikie Girl Bloomers.
I first heard about the concept of a Bike Summit back in September 2012, just as I was first cooking up my plans for launching Bikie Girl Bloomers. A National Women’s Bicycling Summit was held right here in Southern California, at the Long Beach Convention Center. I didn’t really have any idea what a bike summit was, but knew I had to go to this thing. I loved it. It was so exciting just to be at a place populated with a huge number of other women who loved cycling as much as I do! I met a lot of interesting women, and I was inspired by the speakers, and I knew I just had to really run with my Bikie Girl Bloomers idea.
A few months later, I learned about the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., scheduled for early March 2013, AND that this would be preceded by a one-day Women’s Cycling Forum, AND the Women’s Forum would feature a Women Bike Pop Up Shop. The Pop Up Shop would be an opportunity to showcase women entrepreneurs whose businesses were inspiring and encouraging more women to embrace bicycling. I had already had my test samples made, revised, and finalized (sort of) for the introductory line of Bikie Girl Bloomers. So the Women Bike Pop Up Shop seemed like the perfect opportunity to debut my new line of skirts and shorts designed to make it fun and easy for women to bike to work.
As it turned out, my first production of bloomers and skirts was still in progress when it came time for the Pop Up Shop. I still went, and I did have some samples to show, and promo cards to hand out. I even had a few hundred 3/4 sleeve boat neck tees imprinted with my logo to sell at the Pop Up Shop. That was a heckuva project (both having them made and figuring out how to get them to D.C.), and I didn’t even end up selling a single tee shirt at the event! But my samples, and the bloomers concept, drew a lot of attention. I even successfully processed my first pre-order! It was a grand and exciting learning adventure. But I digress.
The point is, I’ve been going back to D.C. every March since, as I grow my little enterprise on the side. I love being at the Bike Summit with my bloomers, and I love being around so many people who understand and appreciate my product. So, March 2017 marked my 5th annual trek to D.C. to participate in the Women Bike Pop Up Shop. One new and exciting thing about this year’s visit was that the D.C. Cycling Concierge was offering some guided bike rides around the city to Summit attendees. There was even a free introductory ride planned for the Sunday afternoon before the Summit and Pop Up Shop began, which meant I could actually participate. So I did!
I decided to take up the offer to rent a bike from Bikes to Borrow. I had rented a bike from them when I came to D.C. for my first Bike Summit in 2013. That time, I was joining a special ride held on a very, very chilly (as in, so cold, they had to cut it short) Sunday night for women who’d gathered to celebrate the launch of the League’s Women Bike program. I love the way Sega delivered a bike directly to my hotel, and all I had to do when I was finished with it, was lock it up and let him know where I’d left it. Renting a bike doesn’t get any more convenient than that!
The D.C. Cycling Concierge takes people (alone or in groups) on bike rides around D.C. It’s a great way to see the capital, and he can tailor the ride to different themes or the interests of his guests. For this ride, he wanted to give Summit attendees a preview of some of the places they would be visiting during the Summit. That wasn’t necessarily what I was needing, but this was the ride that best fit my schedule, so that’s why I went. Plus, I love the concept of his business, and was curious to see him in action.
Once I had my bike, which was delivered to the meeting hotel, I met up with the group and off we went, first through Chinatown. I was having fun, and trying to snap photos when I could, and visit with other cyclists along the way, so I confess that I missed much of the informative commentary. I still picked up enough to learn things I’d not yet known after many years of visiting D.C.
Looking back at our group, and at the Chinatown Gate in the distance.
It was fun to meet people from all over. I visited for a while with Deana from Montgomery, Alabama, and with Erick from Austin, Texas. There were people from Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, you get the idea!
We rode past Union Station, the Senate Office Buildings, the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and stopped for photos in front of the Capitol Building.
I don’t think I will ever stop feeling a certain exhilaration at biking past these beautiful government buildings. The barricades that went up after 9/11, in my view, say “bikes welcome; cars, not so much.”
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Typical row houses of D.C.
Friendly bicycling advocates
Foreground: friendly bicycling advocates; background: Folger Shakespeare Library (that I had to photograph for my step-daughter who read all of Shakespeare’s works before age 12).
Bike your capital!
Library of Congress
United States Supreme Court
United States Botanic Garden
That curvaceous building ahead on the left is the National Museum of the American Indian.
It was a nippy afternoon. My peacoat, cable knit tights, and Smokin’ Hot Flame Bloomers kept me warm.
We made a nice loop back to our meeting hotel. All I had to do was leave my rental bike locked up and text Sega the location so he could pick it up. Easy schmeasy!
Our 4.7 mile route
My trusty rental bike from Bikes to Borrow.
The next two days, I was busy with at the Women Bike Pop Up Shop. Although I had to mind the store, I was able to catch part of the Storytelling program put together by Melissa Balmer of Pedal Love. She brought together several women from the Pedal Love Culture & Lifestyle Council, each of whom shared their own story of their bike style. We heard from women of different ages, races, and parts of the country (Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Seattle, and New York). It was inspiring to hear such different perspectives, each woman pointing to how they came to love and live their bike lives in their own way, and in their own city. The program was a great example of the power of authentic storytelling.
It was also fun to set up my Pop Up Shop, meet women from all over who stopped by, and get a chance to visit with the other vendors. I especially loved it when a woman would bring a friend over to my garment rack, telling her that she bought some of these bloomers last year and loves them — yeah!! I also love it when men come to my booth, shopping for a wife or girlfriend back home. It’s so sweet!
The Bikie Girl Bloomers Pop Up Shop at the National Bike Summit
I still had an extra day in D.C. after the Pop Up Shop. Andrea of the local Women & Bicycles group had thoughtfully organized a special meet up of the Coffee Club for that Wednesday morning, so that Maria of New York-based Po Campo and I could join in while we were in town. We met at the nearby Buttercream Bake Shop.
Buttercream Bake Shop on 9th Street NW
Holy cakes alive: that place is loaded with sweetness! I was overwhelmed on my arrival at the splendid array of tempting delectables to choose from. I succumbed to the call of the cinnascone and paired it with a cinnamon toffee latte, both of which were divine!
Sinfully delicious Cinnascone and Cinnamon Toffee Latte
Maria to my left; Andrea to my right
Betsy, Shira, and Andrea
One by one, the others arrived, and five of us enjoyed visiting over coffee and pastries. Afterwards, I walked to the nearest bike share dock to get me a bike for my next adventure. There was just one bike remaining at the dock, but I was unable to get my bike share key to work. I thought at first it was the bike or the dock that wasn’t working, but after walking to two other docks and having the same problem, it finally occurred to me that my key might not be working because the credit card linked to my account had been changed recently due to fraudulent activity. I called Capital Bikeshare and learned that, yes, that is precisely what was preventing my key from working. I was able to log into my account from my phone and update the credit card info, and, voila! My key worked.
Then I noticed the time, and realized I had better get hopping so as not to be late for my reserved entry time to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I was less than a mile away, so it was doable. I was so excited to have been able to land tickets for the recently-opened museum, as I knew that they were hard to come by. To reserve them in advance, you have to book many months in advance, or you can get tickets for the same day by checking the website at 6:30 a.m. I logged on at 6:30 that morning and was able to land a ticket for 11:00 a.m.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The museum is very well-designed. There is more than you can see in one day, but to maximize the first visit, I followed the recommendation to begin at the bottom. An elevator takes visitors down to the bottom, and you work your way up through over 500 years of history, starting with the slave ships, the Colonial era, the Antebellum South, the Civil War, various contributions over the years, such as the Tuskegee Airmen, moving through the Jim Crow era, the civil rights movement, and on into the present-day Black Lives Matter movement. There is an interactive display set up as the Woolworth’s lunch counter, where visitors can choose how they would respond to a given scenario, and then see the consequence of that choice. Along the way, figures from politics, sports, and entertainment are profiled. Throughout the exhibits, it is apparent that care was taken to tell the stories in ways that include both ugly truths and beautiful moments throughout our nation’s history. The upper levels of the museum are devoted to thematic exhibits focused on athletics, military, music, film, theater and television. I skimmed through those sections, but took a longer pause at the extraordinary view from the upper levels.
Looking out over the National Mall from one of the upper levels.
Getting back on bikeshare just south of the Museum, near the Washington Monument. I wore a red shirt in honor of International Women’s Day. I also saw people returning from a rally near the White House on my ride back to Chinatown.
Returning my bike to the dock across from this gorgeous church on 8th Street NW
Today’s riding did not add up to more than a couple of miles, but they were quality miles, due to sunny weather and unbeatable urban scenery. I was so glad I had this extra day to see the city before returning home!
For my final ride, on the final day of the coffeeneuring challenge, I was determined to check out a place in Los Feliz, a rather hip and pleasantly funky neighborhood north of mine that I don’t visit often enough. Los Feliz is also a neighborhood I pass through on a frequent Sunday morning route, when I ride up to Griffith Park. That ride gives me a nice 22-mile or so loop, with my choice of moderate or intense hill climbing (the latter complete with a fantastic view of Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory) that I can complete in 2-1/2 hours or less. This means I can still make it to church at 11:00, or have time for other activities. But that was not going to happen on this particular Sunday in November 2016. It was wet and drizzly out, and I don’t do Griffith Park when it’s wet.
So, I did my advance work, and I Googled for coffee shops worth checking out in Los Feliz. Despite a distracting array of enticing options from which to choose, I settled on Bru Coffeebar. It wasn’t too tricky to map out my route, and yet, I still didn’t quite do it right on the first try. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. First, I snapped my style shot, so I wouldn’t forget to document the Bloomers of the Day like I forgot last time.
Keeping it colorful with Red Hot Aqua Dot Bloomers under a Fruit Punch Nuu-Muu dress (and my orange bike socks!)I rode up Edgemont, one of my favorite bike lane equipped streets. I often take it on my return from Griffith Park, so today I thought it might be fun to try it out on my northbound leg.
The Edgemont bike lane. Griffith Observatory is the big white building on the hillside.Sometimes I get my “F” streets messed up, and I guess that’s where I goofed this time. I turned right onto Fountain and headed over to Vermont, expecting to find Bru Coffeebar near the intersection, but no. I rode south on Vermont a bit, and then realized I must’ve jumped the gun when turning off of Edgemont. So, I checked my directions, circled back to Edgement, and continued farther north this time, to Franklin, that other “F” street. Sure enough, that did the trick, and although Bru Coffeebar is easy to miss, thanks to its stealth signage, I finally saw it right in front of my face, and found a place to lock up the bike.
Bru Coffeebar in Los Feliz. Can you see their sign?It’s a nice, contemporary space, with high beamed ceiling and a cool-looking loft area. I ordered a ginger latte and some kind of syrupy, croissantish pastry that appealed to my sweet tooth. The presentation was lovely, perfect for Instagram, and both the ginger latte and the sweet pastry were delicious. After filling up, I returned to my bike, and was glad to find the saddle on a bit wet. If you’re going to bike in the rain, this is the kind of light rain you can easily manage.
Not wanting to return the same way I’d arrived, I decided to try taking Virgil back. Virgil is often one of the suggested streets when using Google Maps in bike mode, but I’ve been skeptical. Sunday morning is always a good time to take a first try at biking on a street that might be too heavily-trafficked an arterial. It turned out to be quite fun, even if a bit more trafficky than I would like at times. Part of the way, I did have a bike lane, and the slight decline made for a fun and fast ride.
I worked my way back to familiar parts of Koreatown, and enjoyed seeing some of my favorite architectural gems along the way.
The Bullocks Wilshire, one of L.A.’s coolest art deco buildings. Originally a fancy department store, it now houses Southwestern School of Law.Not a bad way to spend a dreary, drizzly Sunday morning.
Yeah, I’m gonna share my loop within the loop.Total mileage: 12.4
Bike: Specialized Dolce Comp
Destination: Bru Coffeebar, Los Feliz, Los Angeles
Control No. 5: 10/28/19 – Bar Nine in Culver City
My chocolate glazed donut looked better before I got reckless carrying it in the little sack.
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Just as the rain was starting to come down harder, I found myself walking past an intriguing food place: 
On my way, I stopped to gawk at the Marigny Opera House, which appears to be quite old, and perhaps undergoing some needed restoration.
my way, able to bike with all my things either on my back or in the front basket. I stopped for breakfast at EnVie Espresso Bar and Cafe in the French Quarter, passing more potholes on the way. I made it a hearty breakfast to last me until the event closing at 2:30 p.m. Note the interesting clientele at this establishment.
WeLove2Bike! 