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IAAL•MAF Invitational No. 7: The 2nd Annual Watts Happening Ride
02.16.08
Saturday
START TIME: Gathers at Noon; Rides at 12:30 p.m.
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 I encourage you to come along.
At right is a 7" x 9" annotated route map to print out, especially if you might be arriving after the ride sets out and want to catch up ------------->
The ride will gather beginning at 11:30 a.m. at The Cornfield (aka Los Angeles State Historic Park) at 1245 N. Spring Street (map).
At noon we will depart traversing a simple southerly course to the Watts Towers State Park (map).
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.
UPDATE (02.08):: For a little historical/socio/cultural sumthin' sumthin' on the Watts Happening II 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 took place between the LAPD and members of the Symbionese Liberation Army in May of 1974.
Docent-led tours of the Watts Towers are offered every half hour until 3 p.m. If you wish to particpate in a tour the cost is $7 per person.
After the tour we will then proceed back up to the Cornfield north to downtown with a stop at King Taco on Washington Boulevard for food before returning to the Swim Stadium. Please see route map below for specific streets involved, and plan accordingly. Total distance: 21.5 20 miles. Canceled in the event of rain.
IMPORTANT: Should you not feel motivated and/or energized enough to do the entire round-trip but you still want to participate, don't forget the MTA Blue Line train. You can bike to the Towers and enjoy the landmark and then get back to downtown from the 103rd Street Blue Line station only a short distance from the Watts Towers. More Blue Line info at MTA.net.
REVISED INTERACTIVE ROUTE MAP
Message Board (click here to discuss this ride.)
Contact info for this ride: Will "Agent Orange" Campbell at wildbell@gmail.com
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