A Nice Bicycle Ride in Magnolia Park
13 September 2008[Note: this was written in mid-september, and I’m not sure of the date, so I’m dating it Sept 13, just to get it in general sequence.]
I had a nice bike ride today. I took the bus to a good starting point, at the Orange Line Terminus in North Hollywood. I set out to follow the Chandler Blvd bike path, eastbound. Chandler is an interesting street. It originally had a freight rail line down the center. When SP abandoned the route, the city (or perhaps MTA) bought it. A portion of it became the Metro Orange Line. The segment eastbound from Lankershim (the Red Line station) was built into a bike/ped path.
The ride starts out pretty industrial. After all, this street had freight running on it. The transition to citizen use has improved the area though, and I encountered some pretty murals between Vineland and Cahuenga.
A few blocks down the road, the area becomes lined with residences on both sides. I would imagine that property values have climbed dramatically since the rail was torn out. There has been some discussion that a light rail line should run down Chandler, but there is (or would be) significant opposition from the property owners. Not having a back yard, myself, I’m rarely sympathetic to a NIMBY view, but in this case, I think it’s such a pretty street that I’d hate to see it’s tranquility disturbed.
When I got to Hollywood Way, I turned south to pass by Bicycle John’s bike store, where I bought a few accessories that I need.
Bicycle John’s recommended Porto’s Bakery and Cafe for breakfast, and I sat outside watching the world go by, while I ate my omelette and drank my coffee.
Rather than return to the bike path, I continued down Mangolia all the way to Victory. I passed (and visited several antique shops, and noted several businesses for return visits. I caught the 183 bus back to the Orange Line. I rode along the Orange Line a bit, then hopped on to return home.
All in all, I rode 6.2 miles. I had about 45 minutes of actual cycling time.
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