Thousands of Angelenos took to the streets today for the  second CicLAvia -- an open air festival where 7.5 miles of city streets were closed to traffic. While organizers billed the day as a 'walking and bicycling' event, bikes dominated throughout the route, which spanned from Hollenbeck Park through downtown and MacArthur Park to the 'Bicycle District' at Melrose and Rosewood.

Kyla Fullenwider, a CicLAvia board member thought the streets felt more crowded this time. Fullenwider suspected there were lots of people who missed out last October and had vowed to join in (if you missed today, there will be more this summer and fall.)

At each of the rest stops, participants grabbed food from trucks and stands, enjoyed the mild weather and watched throngs of bikers speed by. At MacArthur park the band Super Duper entertained crowds; the bike group Midnight Ridazz cooled cyclists down with water guns as they made their way downtown. A dodge ball troupe set up along a side street and invited passerby to join their game.

There were only a few accidents along the course -- usually at car crossing points where bikers congested while waiting for traffic lights to change -- otherwise the day was marked by peacefulness and ebullience. After the official end of the event, 3 p.m., some bikers had a hard time ceding the space back over to cars. A police officer announced, "cars will hurt you."