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CicLAvia: Cycle Down This Weekend

Gabi Duncan |
October 2, 2013 | 5:27 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

The kids loved The Power Rangers at a previous CicLAvia event (Twitter @EmpowerRangers).
The kids loved The Power Rangers at a previous CicLAvia event (Twitter @EmpowerRangers).
Leave your car in the garage and walk, ride, or skate down to CicLAvia this Sunday, October 6, to rediscover and explore the streets of downtown Los Angeles! The Heart of L.A. route spans 7.5 miles and has various stops along the way packed with exciting, entertaining activities for the entire day. Stroll on down so you won’t miss the chance to soak up all of this awesomeness and interact with the community. There is a little something for everyone to appreciate from fun and games to tasty grub and live music. Here are some of the highlights that you’ll definitely want to check out. 

Mariachi Plaza Hub 

Kick off the day with a two-hour Zumbathon and music from live DJs. This hub also has a farmer’s market and food trucks. You can get delicious ice cream at King Kone and juicy barbecue at Bool BBQ. 

Macarthur Park Hub

The kiddies will be thrilled to hang out and take pictures with their favorite Power Rangers characters, while the adults get an opportunity to unwind and enjoy free coffee samples from Don Francisco’s Coffee. REI will also have a climbing wall set up for the adrenaline seekers. Afterward, take a break and chow down on some Italian or Indian cuisine.

The African American Firefighter Museum Hub

The museum will be giving free tours during the day. After a tour of the historic museum, visit the Coca-Cola booth to sip on some complimentary beverage samples.

People will bike, walk, and skate downtown to participate in the festivities (Twitter @MetroLosAngeles).
People will bike, walk, and skate downtown to participate in the festivities (Twitter @MetroLosAngeles).

The Grand Park Hub 

A lot of action is happening here. This hub is a completely bike-free zone and will have several programs dedicated to bicycle safety. Metro will even provide a bus to allow people to practice loading and unloading their bikes. Tern Bikes and Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will have their own booths. The Italian Chamber of Commerce will host a food festival on Spring Street and Piccolo Chef, the L.A. culinary academy for children, will host games and activities for the little ones. The L.A. Galaxy street squad will entertain children with fun competitions, like a kiddie penalty kick game. In addition, The Music Center sponsored Lines + Lanes program will present countless family-friendly activities, like arts and crafts and massive versions of classic favorites, Jenga and Connect 4. Visit the food trucks on your way to the next stop for some seafood at Cousin’s Maine Lobster and tacos at The Surfer Taco.

The Chinatown Hub

Enjoy free concerts throughout the day from local bands: The Knitts, Dream Panther, Jesus Sons, 123 Death, and LA Font. Charles Phoenix, L.A. pop culture authority and comedian, will also offer tours around Chinatown with proceeds benefitting CicLAvia. 

Local businesses are also encouraged to participate in the CicLAvia extravaganza by making themselves visible and bringing their business outdoors. Businesses have seen a 57 percent increase in sales from past events and that is likely to happen again on Sunday. More than 150,000 people are estimated to attend CicLAvia this weekend to experience this cultural, city affair. 

Reach Staff Reporter Gabi Duncan here. Follow her on Twitter.



 

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