You miss the details of a city if you see it from a car. The best way is on foot, or to go the distance, on a bike. My hotel in Studio City, Los Angeles, last week had free bike rentals. I hadn’t ridden a bike, other than a stationary one, in 20 years, and I wanted to visit Freakbeat Records over a mile away from my hotel and check it out.
The front desk attendant thinks I’m a goofy middle aged woman wanting to rent a bike. Fair enough. She’s my age and politely says she would NEVER ride a bike around Los Angeles!! I call my friend who lives nearby but was on holidays, and she also advises me to not ride there. So, of course I have to do it! 🙂 Haha.
The sidewalks in Studio City are over 12 feet wide, and empty as people are in their cars, except for couriers riding bikes on the sidewalk. I google if it is legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in LA and Google says:
“The City of Los Angeles allows riding a bicycle on the sidewalk unless it is done “with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property”(LAMC 56.15).”
So off I went, and it was super fun. They supplied a bike lock and a helmet.
I read through The Beach Boy’s or basically (Brian Wilson’s) Pet Sounds Album 50th Anniversary story is at FreakBeat Records. I love that ground breaking album, and this is a 50 year tribute.
I saw an “I <3 LA” designer dress in a bespoke clothing store window:
I stopped for a cold pressed juice with cucumber and lemon and kale to quench my thirst on the nearly 80 degrees hot day. By the time I got back to the hotel, I was happier than a Mexican fan palm tree.