Below is a comment contributed by MexicanSongBird (CogJoint.com):

Blinded by my deep and long involvement in the cycling community it’s easy to lose track of the transformational dynamic that’s hacked into the culture.  After reading the article it hit me; cycling, in all its manifestations and innocence, is bringing on the revolution that will ultimately undermine the hegemony the automobile has enjoyed in its power to define the American urban landscape and shape it into a more liveable, community centric, environment.  It’s gonna be something like a bent out utopian ideal.  I believe in the automobile and it will continue to play a part in the scenario we call modern civilization, however, its time has come as a definitive force and the urban landscape can get on with becoming more human again {or has it ever been}.

As spelled out in a terrific article with Long Beach’s Bicycle Ambassador Tony Cruz in the Gazettes by Jonathan Van Dyke, tomorrow Long Beach and people from all over Southern California will celebrate all things bicycling at the Tour of Long Beach and BikeFest. We are especially honored and excited to have our first booth at the event to honor the memory and passion of our dear friend Mark Bixby. Mark originated the concept of the event and inspired us to join him in creating what has become a seminal event for the City of Long Beach and fundraising opportunity for Miller Children’s Hospital on its journey to become the “Most Bicycle Friendly City in America.”

We hope you’ll stop by tomorrow to say hello and enter an opportunity drawing to win great prizes as part of our membership drive! We’ll be in the first group of five booths right next to Bike Long Beach!

¡Órale Ese! Frog Town was my Home Turf.

See you there! [visit the BicyleKitchen.com]
A group excursion is not planned but we hope to see you dancing!

Article contributed by MexicanSongBird @  BlahBlahFreddie.com

When you’re powering the internal combustion you often can’t crack-out the hidden treasures and it’s just too much damn work to stop and find a parking space in the urban confine to see how anyone else is thriving; when you’re on a jack’d bent trajectory through the city who has time to stop.

Along Beverly Blvd, between Normandie and Vermont, on my way to LACMA* for Earth-Day Festivities, I noticed a little bike shop tucked away between a spread of other booming retail stores.   The proprietor’s name is Jorge and he loves to build wheels and crank the wrench.  Jorge isn’t a bike racer or a city rider; he’s injecting value to the neighborhood.

Magnolia’s Bikes
4073 Beveryly Blvd.
LA CA 90004

*Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Article contributed by MexicanSongBird @  BlahBlahFreddie.com

I jacked myself directly into Earth-Day with a 71 mile grand loop, single speed ride from Long Beach to LACMA* to witness the museum’s festivities, watch the documentary “Riding with the Dutch” by Michael Bauch {Long Beach resident} then ride  home.

Riding in the city is not for the timid but L.A. motorists are surprisingly patient although you gotta show you mean business and when you ride with aggressive purposefulness they’ll respect your right to take the lane but back-off one inch and they’ll slam you to the curb; I think I was honked at less than 3 or 4 times.  90% of the entire route was without a bike lane and the right side of most streets are like Paris-Roubaix, I kid you not.

The ride, the day, the adventure is one for the books.

Best surprise treat of the day: Lays Potato Chips followed by a Stinger Honey Gel; the lingering salt from the chips and the sweetness of the honey blast was a little explosion of delight!

*Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Article contributed by MexicanSongBird @  BlahBlahFreddie.com

CicLAvia

Your next opportunity: Sunday, October 14, 2012 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m

Article contributed by MexicanSongBird @  BlahBlahFreddie.com

What is CicLaVia?  According to CicLAvia.org

With three hugely successful CicLAvias (10/10/10, 4/10/11 and 10/9/11) under our belt, we are currently preparing for the April, 15 2012 CicLAvia. 10 miles of streets were car-free from 10 AM – 3 PM on Sunday October 9th 2011. In 2012, we’re doing the initial route again, and adding new spurs to El Pueblo/Olvera Street and South LA, for a total of ten miles.

CicLAvia makes the streets  safe for people to walk, skate, play and ride a bike. There are activities along the route. Shop owners and restaurants are encouraged to open their doors to people along the CicLAvia.

Ciclovías started in Bogotá, Colombia, over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now they happen throughout Latin America and the United States.

Connecting communities and giving people a break from the stress of car traffic. The health benefits are immense. Ciclovías bring families outside of their homes to enjoy the streets, our largest public space. In Los Angeles we need CicLAvia more than ever. Our streets are congested with traffic, our air is polluted with toxic fumes, our children suffer from obesity and other health conditions caused by the scarcity of public space and safe, healthy transportation options. CicLAvia creates a temporary park for free, simply by removing cars from city streets. It creates a network of connections between our neighborhoods and businesses and parks with corridors filled with fun. We can’t wait to see you at CicLAvia!

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Earth Day: Because Earth without Art is just “EH”!

Celebrate Earth Day with a day of programs and activities designed for children and adults, including artist-led workshops, bike-related films, tours of the collection for families and adults, storytelling, sketching from nature, and a guided walk through the natural art on campus. Join a community-led bike ride to LACMA! If you plan to travel to LACMA by bike on Earth Day, be sure to check out LADOT’s bike maps for a safe route.  This event is co-presented by Mid City West.

About Michael Bauch

Bauch, an independent filmmaker for over 14 years, has worked on a variety of documentary, non-profit and promotional productions. In 2003, he produced a short documentary entitled: Amsterdam: the Bicycling Capital of Europe which was the catalyst for his Riding Bikes with the Dutch project. Bauch’s dossier also includes on-location television production for the History Channel in New York, Washington D.C., London & Paris and grant-funded documentaries filmed from Alaska to New York. Bauch has produced several promotional pieces for non-profits such as the American Film Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Today I happened to photograph some head badges at the Bicycle Stand (1824 East Broadway, just west of Cherry) and later, as serendipity demands, I discovered the artist, Angelina Elise, is having an art opening at Jet Studios in Long Beach.

If you’re unfamilier with the space, here’s a chance to discover something new in Long Beach: Jet Studios.  Visit their tumbler site to see other events they’re hosting.

Angelina Elise at Etsy

Americana Hicksters- an Artshow by Angelina Elise

Friday, May 11 at 6:00pm at Jet Studios Long Beach
811 E. 7th St. #2 Long Beach

Thank you Orange 20 for a great venue and thank you Levi Strauss for bringing a little marketing power that helps bring attention to cycling as a viable means for transportation.

This feature was contributed by the MexicanSongBird; see more at BlahBlahFreddie.com

Long Beach Bike Connection
1157 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach, CA