Sunday, May 13, 2012

My First Ride in the City of Angels

My First Ride

Courtesy of KCET
Biking in Los Angeles has always scared me.

Last fall, when presented with an opportunity to join what my friend jokingly referred to as her "bike gang" for a ride, at night, from Silverlake to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for the Dia De Los Muertos Celebration, I agreed despite my fears.  I was loaned a bike and red flashing LED lights.  Being the daughter of a nurse and having grown up with horror stories of motorcycle accidents before there was a state helmet law, I was uncomfortable not dawning a helmet.  But, I quickly rationalized going helmet-free.  For one, I looked much cooler and way hotter without a helmet.  Second, I figured if my bike gang, who had experience with night bike rides, were not wearing helmets, more likely than not none of them and no one they knew had suffered a head injury or died from biking in Los Angeles without a helmet. So, I threw caution into the wind and took off with my new bike gang.

Riding next to unpredictable cars not accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists coupled with streets riddled with potholes did nothing to quiet my fears.  Instead of worrying about my morality since I had already committed to the expedition, I worked to enjoy the feel of the wind against my face and to drink in the views of the city I had never experienced before.  The exhilaration of the ride reminded me of being a child riding my bike on a warm summer night.  Simultaneously, I felt as though we were in an artsy indie flick. The only thing missing on the beautiful warm evening was a soundtrack and film crew.

Luckily, we arrived safely to Hollywood Forever.  We searched for a friend of a friend's alter, who had invited us to the event, while we enjoyed the festivities.  Ironically, the friend of the friend's alter was dedicated to all the cyclists who died while riding their bikes in Los Angeles.  I was surprised by the rather large number of individuals in the alter.  Instead of rethinking my no-helmet ride back to Silverlake, I gladly accepted the alcohol handed to me and drank while standing on headstones.

Luckily, again, we made it safely back to our starting point.  And that was the first time I rode in the City of Angels.

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