IAAL*MAF Invitational No. 7: 2nd-Annual Watts Happening Ride
Thread started by
Agent Orange at 01.30.08 - 11:46 am
Last year's
inaugural IAAL•MAF Watts Happening Ride was arranged and posted with less than a week's notice. This year we mad 'n mobile librarians are organizing things with a little bit more time to spare, so join us won't you for our second-annual visit to the historic and culturally significant Watts Towers, the profoundly moving and magnificent creation of the one and only Simon Rodia. If you've never been to these monumental towers of power and always wanted to go or if you've been and wanted to go back, this is going to be an excellent opportunity to do so and you're encouraged to come along.
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That was unnecessary Indigis.
As if your bike is safe to be unlocked anywhere else.
marino01.30.08 - 12:18 pm
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if you've never been there, it's really cool. I've lived in LA my whole life and had never been to the Watt's Towers. I went last year with the IAALMAF and it was great. I highly recommend you go.
brassknuckle01.30.08 - 12:23 pm
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I do not live in Watts. Can somebody please explain the concept of this so-called "bike lock" to me?
PC01.30.08 - 12:35 pm
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YA i went last year and i was thinking that maybe this year we find a better route to and from where ever we start, going down was kinda fucked, on my way back, my rear detailer malfucktioned after we started back, also maybe we can do a SUN DANCE, instead of a RAIN DANCE because there was no sunshine that day, all-in-all, i had a blast, especially coming back all alone (LOL), still have the spoke card, THIS WHAT I BE THINKING EVERY TIME I SEE THAT CARD after all each card tells a different story, copyrighted of course.
eddieboyinla01.30.08 - 12:39 pm
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"I've lived in LA my whole life and had never been to the Watt's Towers."
Same here but I do believe I'll be in the middle of nowhere on 2/16.
toweliesbong01.30.08 - 12:50 pm
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Thanks for the buzzkill out of the gate Indigis. Strangely enough no one lost their bike last year.
Here's hoping you'll come out and possibly change your POV and maybe even enjoy the excursion, but I'm guessing we won't be seeing you because of your belief that all the hell rest of L.A. is safe but them Watts folks'll just rip the bike right out from unda ya crotch. Pfft.
Agent Orange01.31.08 - 11:58 am
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Damn! I am missing out on this one again. Stupid all-expense-paid Game Design conference in San Francisco... Oh well, third time will be a charm.
Everyone that reads this should go on the ride, the IAAL*MAFers are excellent etiquette coaches.
jericho1ne01.31.08 - 12:07 pm
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PC:
This bike lock thing. I think it was meant that you need bike locks when you travel in historically disenfranchised nay-bor-hoods.
SRSLY - lame opening comment.
I think for this ride I will not be taking my internet humor.
NEWB31001.31.08 - 12:10 pm
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I can't wait, I'm actually one of the founders of the AIIL/MAF and missed the first one so I'm psyched we're doing it again.
seanbonner01.31.08 - 12:31 pm
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bring your bikes... leave your prejudices at home...
Roadblock01.31.08 - 12:33 pm
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In all seriousness, that stigma has been untrue for a number of years now. Statistics have changed dramatically (for the better) in Watts.
stevo401.31.08 - 1:03 pm
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Just make sure BBD doesn't play the What's Happening Theme Song. That could be bad.
Joe Borfo01.31.08 - 1:11 pm
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So in essence this is the Watts Happening- RERUN ride.
DeKadenzy01.31.08 - 2:16 pm
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UPDATE (02.01): The ride will no longer be departing from The Cornfield. The new point of departure will be the Swim Stadium on Menlo Avenue north of MLK Boulevard (
map) near Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Why? Because the first public City of Los Angeles Bike Masterplan Update Workshop will be meeting there between 10 a.m. to noon and some of us in the iaal•maf plan to attend. So should you. Or just gather outside the swim stadium at noon and depart from there for the Watts Towers at 12:30 p.m.
Agent Orange02.1.08 - 2:16 pm
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Hey, hey, hey, I'm WATTS happenin'!
NEWB31002.1.08 - 2:22 pm
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Oh man, we so missed it not including that Re-Run joke.
seanbonner02.1.08 - 5:03 pm
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you're right. a stupid comment. my bad.
indigis02.1.08 - 6:19 pm
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This just in: For a little historical/socio/cultural sumthin' sumthin' on the Watts Happening ride down to the towers we'll be stopping to pay our respects to the Central Avenue Jazz Quarter, which once was the hoppingest happeningest place in town, and after that we'll pedal over to the location of one of the worst shootouts in the city's history where we'll recall what happened between the LAPD and members of the Symbionese Liberation Army in May of 1974.
Agent Orange02.8.08 - 11:03 am
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Not too sure if this will post where I want it to, but...
I can't attend the IAAL-MAF ride on the 16th, but am interested in future ones, especially if they're still being held routinely on Thursday evenings. How can I get more info about these events, and/or be added to a distribution list/RSS feed for upcoming outtings?
-X
Xtina02.12.08 - 11:38 pm
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We've been slacking on Thursdays, and need to get back on that. We've got a mailing list where we coordinate stuff:
http://groups.google.com/group/iaalmaf
seanbonner02.13.08 - 12:19 am
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I'd love to do this ride. Given the post about the morning ride for Randy Simmons, i don't think we'd be back in time to make the Watts ride. Any chance of pushing the ride a little later to accommodate?
stevo402.13.08 - 7:23 am
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I'm doing both rides Saturday.
I figure I can spin off on my own after the SFV ceremony and get to Exposition Park by 12:30.
At least that's my plan!
Creative Thing02.13.08 - 7:55 am
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I think its possible, but with the stop at the W Valley Station and the ceremony at the location, i'm not confident we'll be back in time for the start. I guess we could try and meet up with the ride in progress but would rather enjoy the whole thing from the start.
stevo402.13.08 - 8:15 am
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Steve,
As is usually the case between bike time and real time I don't foresee us leaving right at 12:30 p.m. on the dot. It'll probably be more like 12:40-12:45. That may only be 10-15 minutes more but every bit helps, right?
What I'll do in the event riders arrive after we've launched is post a link to printable PDF file of the route map on the ride page, and a la Sins 'N Sprockets I'll also print up some extra route maps that hopefully I can leave at an accessible,available place near the entrance to the Swim Stadium.
As our pace will be a CASUAL Nice 'n Easy one and we have a couple talking-points stops on our way to the towers and one on the way back, catching up should be no problemo.
Agent Orange02.13.08 - 10:53 am
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Thanks Will,
As i will be coming straight from the other ride, i won't be able to get to my computer to download the route, so if maps could be left at the start, that would be awesome. Or if a contact cell # for one of the organizers was posted, we could call you once we were back to the police academy and could get a more accurate idea of where the ride was at that time.
Thanks!
stevo402.13.08 - 11:24 am
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I'm going to attempt to ride both as well..
my plan was to roll to the w. valley then head back via orangeline bike path and then redline it to the closest point of the watts ride.
I
Roadblock02.13.08 - 11:39 am
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Clever idea RB. That sounds like a quicker way to catch up.
stevo402.13.08 - 11:44 am
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Stevo,
I'll try to have that PDF thingee available by tomorrow for potential downloadaliciousness.
Agent Orange02.13.08 - 12:00 pm
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I'm thinking redline to mac arthur park station....
some woul maybe suggest vermont and wilshire station and shoot down vermont but I tend to like the smaller streets and cutting through the coliseum scenery.... either way is up for debate I'm cool with
View Larger Map
Roadblock02.13.08 - 12:03 pm
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Instead of the PDF, here's a 7"x9" anotated route map. Just click and save it to your machine and print it out. If it doesn't work here it's also available on the ride info page.
Agent Orange02.14.08 - 10:10 am
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Thanks for the map! i'll print it out.
stevo402.14.08 - 11:01 am
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Good ride, thanks for organizing it.
I liked seeing my old neighborhood.
mk452402.17.08 - 1:45 am
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MK, thanks for making the trip down from Santa Barbara! Your perspective having grown up in Watts was an awesome addition to the ride and the fact that the Watts Towers were your playground when you were a kid (and getting chased off them by Simon Rodia himself) makes me envious to no end.
Thanks to everyone who participated and suffered through my long-winded notes at the various stops.
Agent Orange02.17.08 - 9:19 am
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Great ride, really nice weather too. We missed Wrigley Field because my friends and I were super ravenous and we wanted to eat at Vegisoul (mostly vegan soul food) on Jefferson. Pics to come.
cabhauler02.17.08 - 11:53 am
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Vegan soul food? Sounds like we'll have to put that on a future ride, maybe just to make up for the lack of meatless options at King Taco (sorry about that).
Thanks to all who came to the ride, and no, I don't think anyone minded the informative talks AO.
mr rollers02.17.08 - 1:21 pm
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