RIDE ARC FRIDAY 3/7/08
Thread started by
barleye at 03.5.08 - 10:36 am
just got this from the Ride Arc email newsletter:
Ladies and Gentleman,
To the fine and upstanding citizens of our City of Angels, nestled in the beautiful bosom of the golden fields of Southern California, nurtured by the flowing waters of the Owens River Valley, we humbly present to you the latest in our workings: a presentation of the Los Angeles Electric Railway System! The most advanced and efficient methods of transport through our ever growing city. It will take you from downtown to uptown, and with the burgeoning connections with our stately neighbors of Pasadena, it will take you and your loved ones to the farthest reaches of society! Trips to the sunny beaches of Santa Monica in less than 30 minutes! Visit the farms of Van Nuys! Climbing the farthest reaches of Mt. Washington to breathtaking views! From the Deserts to the Sea, to All of Southern California!
This, dear friends, is the story of the great, magnificent, glorious public transportation of such breathe and fortitude to carry the populace of Los Angeles into a glorious future! Mass transit, forever!
The services begin at 9:30pm at the gateways to the Southern Branch of the University of California, at the intersections of Heliotrope and Melrose streets in the fashionable Bicycle District.
RIDE-Info - The ride will be at around 20 miles. Expect the usual inclines up viaducts and the ringing of trolly bells. Round trip fare.
Weather - It should be good. Be prepared for comfortably cool temperatures. Be sure to check with your local weather forecaster! The weather in Winnipeg, however, still sucks.
**** THE MEETING PLACE FOR THIS RIDE IS IN THE BICYCLE DISTRICT!! Heliotrope & Melrose ****
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I've already emailed this ride to 5 of my non- MR type friends. I'm hoping to spread the word...
stevo403.5.08 - 11:39 am
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Cool! Thanks for posting this. See you you there!
web77703.5.08 - 11:43 am
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The rest of the description on ridearc.org, some funny chit:
"Please don't call it HelMel. Do you know what happens to neighborhood districts that are abbreviated into two consonants? They turn into expensive pitholes for overpriced boutique retail and services, completely disconnected from the people and community driven intentions that created the area. See New York's SoHo as a poster child for this phenomenon. People reduce a place into two quick, convenient consonants - and then Starbucks shows up. After that, a boutique for pet-specific clothing. And another store that only sells booties for Shar Pei puppies. Then expensive restaurants with velvet ropes. Then Lindsay Lohan shows up and gets drunk and brings down her "career" another notch. Then a boutique hotel shows up with $400/night room rates and guests that drive Hummers (H1) that are "on lease" and "the wrong color." Then Michael Ball shows up and brings back all the dopers into racing. Then the streets are no longer bikable because he's set up his team's extra long Team Bus and autograph tables in the middle of the street while girls who have never taken public transportation, ridden a bicycle, or ate more than 100 calories in a day walk the streets in tight jeans and high heels. Then Lindsay Lohan will show up again and on her (10th?) stint through rehab attempt to send out a text message to Al Gore saying how she will lead all the cyclists into the streets to save the world and call it "Critical Mass" and only she can save the world because she's a celebrity. Then there will be film festivals with poorly written, bloated-budget "independent" films and far too many photographers to count - and you won't be able to afford attending because all the tickets were given out to people staying in that boutique hotel you can't afford. And guess what? NONE of the guests will show up on bicycles and NO ONE will be able to find the entrance to the Bicycle Kitchen because it'll be blocked by a backdrop with advertisers and sponsors so celebrities can have their "good side" captured. And you know what?!?! It's all because people called it "HelMel." Yeah, that's right. Stop the tide now. Call it the Bicycle District. Think of the future! Think of the children!"
toweliesbong03.6.08 - 11:05 pm
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Oh man. So excited for this ride.
markedge03.6.08 - 11:22 pm
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any chance we will go through south pas?
Joe Borfo03.6.08 - 11:45 pm
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sounds like we ought to be talking about BevHill and SaMo, too.
ideasculptor03.7.08 - 1:22 am
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12 hrs. 16 minutes and counting... I can't wait!!
And don't forget this Saturday we get an extra hour of cycling!!! (Daylight Savings Time) Woo Hoo.
stevo403.7.08 - 8:15 am
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I won't be here for the ride but Mr. Rollers, Alex and I plus a few others did a test ride of the route this week and it's awesome. You guys are going to love it!
seanbonner03.7.08 - 8:53 am
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Any chance it's going by he Frolic room? There are going to be some fun people hanging out there tonight.
toweliesbong03.7.08 - 10:29 am
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How awesome. Pure luck for dinner, Brown Bread at Scoops for desert and then bike riding and learning stuff. What more could you want?
Did Merrill Butler design or build any trolly lines? I mean, bridges go over Train Tracks right? He must have had some interaction with the people 'under' him...
stevo403.7.08 - 11:56 am
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I'm coming out tonight for this...see you guys
alicestrong03.7.08 - 1:28 pm
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Cool Alice. I should be there, have to work tomorrow at 8am so can't make some of the later night stuff tonight.
toweliesbong03.7.08 - 1:36 pm
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I'm heading to SMCM with the trailer - anyone got a playlist and iPod? ........................................Then Ridearc.
leaving home in a while so call eight 1 eight 9one30three1six.....
Limeyfly03.7.08 - 1:52 pm
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Ok, i'm an idiot, hahaha.
"And don't forget this Saturday we get an extra hour of cycling!!! (Daylight Savings Time)" ... means we lose an hour, not get to ride an extra hour. Spring Forward and all that.
And 7 hours to go...
stevo403.7.08 - 2:28 pm
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Yeah, feckin' shortest weekend of the year.
mr rollers03.7.08 - 3:44 pm
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Who? What? Huh? Did someone say 3 hours to go???
stevo403.7.08 - 6:33 pm
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Why isn't the Sci-Arc posted on the calendar? I totally spread the word on the Sci Arc ride today ,shit i must've told like fifty people from fidm SC 20 and scoops...I def gotta go now..
skano03.7.08 - 8:01 pm
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Very cool ride, wish I didn't have to work tomorrow morning so I could have learned more stuff. Thanks for the beer dak.
toweliesbong03.8.08 - 12:55 am
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Me too. Had to bail at Union Station. (Still missed the last train back to Scoops). Thanks Alex and everyone for putting this together. It was a great education and ride.
More pix to come.
stevo403.8.08 - 1:57 am
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My first Ride Arc Ride truely lived up to its expectation. The Ride was extrodinarly mapped out and magnificently informative. I learned a great deal on our historic trolly system and our present public transits future. The 20 mile route was quite attractive. I especially enjoyed the beverly slopes (great work out !). I will definitly make Ride Arc a monthy engagement from here on out. Thanks to all the people that put on RIDE ARC..I had a GREAT NIGHT!!!!
skano03.8.08 - 2:48 am
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Alex, as usual, a great ride. Thanks for all the work setting this one up.
mk452403.8.08 - 3:34 am
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awesome ride Alex. amazing facts and info about what once was a great mass transit system...
Roadblock03.8.08 - 10:36 am
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I used to use that mass transit system, it was really great to get around in it. It was an easy ride to Hollywood from the terminal on Hill St or to grab the "PE" train from Main St to Long Beach and get there quickly.
But I'm glad to see a partial reincarnation with the metro lines not as extensive as the Pacific Electric and the Los Angeles Transit Line but the new cars are nicer. I gotta check out that "yellow car" from the LATL in that parking lot.
mk452403.8.08 - 10:51 am
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Very informative ride.
It's interesting, to me, the comparison to other cities in the US with MT systems and indeed Europe. They all started with 'something' and then developed further or improved. I wonder why LA went the other way and destroyed it??? Apart of course from the obvious...
Limeyfly03.8.08 - 11:19 am
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Here's a couple more sites with lots of pics & info on the Red Cars:
http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/PE/tunnel.html
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/pery.htm
mr rollers03.9.08 - 12:26 pm
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Check it out, here's the Red Car passing underneath Sunset Blvd in Echo Park.
Note B-Rad's building at the far right.
mr rollers03.9.08 - 12:32 pm
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And the Belmont Tunnel just a few years ago>
mr rollers03.9.08 - 12:35 pm
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Yet another Ride-Arc classic! It was fun walking through Union Station and seeing four Amish peeps waiting for the train no doubt TRIPPING on the sight of hundreds of cyclists.
cabhauler03.9.08 - 1:10 pm
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Oh man, i totally stopped in my 'tracks' in Union Station when i saw the Amish people. What an amazing photograph that would have been. But i was struggling with grabbing the pix of the riders walking through the station and trying to get the right exposure before everyone past me as well as not knowing what the Amish belief's are about photography. I was going to ask them if i could take their picture, but thought better of it. Just respecting their space. But you couldn't have asked for a better family and look.
stevo403.9.08 - 3:48 pm
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This looks like the red car from our final stop at Fletcher and Riverside looking towards Atwater.
web77703.9.08 - 5:15 pm
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Here's a mural in the LA River in Atwater where their used to a bridge for the Red Car.
web77703.9.08 - 5:18 pm
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Stevo,
Yeah that was strange having both the cocktail party and the Amish at Union Station at the same time.
web77703.9.08 - 5:21 pm
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Nice post web777. Great pic too. I'm getting really bummed more and more after seeing what could have been.
User103.9.08 - 5:22 pm
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Thanks web777; that's the pic (over Fletcher) that I was looking for.
mr rollers03.9.08 - 9:31 pm
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the next 3 shots are from the rail car under the tarp in DTLA.
barleye04.27.08 - 11:45 am
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Ride Arc this Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
barleye04.27.08 - 11:46 am
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