Commuting to work by bike

I had this grand idea to finally be productive and start commuting to work by bike—specifically for the trek from Brooklyn to Marshland.
Unfortunately, while the ride out toward the Hollywood Hills offers some pretty decent cycling paths, once you try to get from the Hollywood Hills down to Marshland, there isn't even a single sidewalk, let alone any actual bike lanes.
Does anyone happen to know of an alternative route?
Given that everything in the city is currently under construction anyway, I suspect my little ambition will have to stay on hold until they actually finish fixing up that part of town...

boldeagle3 said:I was actually trying to be ambitious and start commuting to work by bike, specifically on the route from Brooklyn Heights to Marshland.
Unfortunately, while the paths toward the Hollywood Hills are great for cycling, there isn't a single pedestrian walkway—let alone a bike lane—between the Hollywood Hills and Marshland.
Does anyone know of an alternative route?
Given that everything is under construction right now, I suppose my little ambition might have to wait until they finally finish fixing that part of the city.

Your best bet for getting to Marshland is via Clara.
Take the road behind Walmart toward the railroad crossing, and once you cross the tracks and reach Clara, just keep going straight on that same road. You'll pass a Clara bakery, which serves as a decent landmark; it’s about a 15-minute ride before you pop out in the Hollywood Hills near the old Amazon factory. From there, you know the way to Marshland...
Also, there's another railroad crossing right by the Clara bakery where the road goes over. If you take that road instead of crossing the tracks to come out by Amazon, you'll end up at the prison and the crossing at the Los Angeles intersection.

By the way, if you happen to be wandering around Los Angeles, you should definitely swing by the local tourism offices located near Times Square or over on Fifth Avenue. They hand out free bike maps for both the city and Los Angeles County, which can be pretty handy if you're looking to get around...

Just as a little extra tip:
http://maps.google.com/

you can find incredibly detailed maps for just about anything there, complete with pretty high-res satellite imagery, so whenever you're planning a trip, it's actually quite helpful to visualize your entire route ahead of time.

jadetiger962 said:That's why when I was biking down to the coast, I ditched the quick release on the seat post and swapped in a standard bolt. Couldn't mess with the wheel quick releases though—too many issues with the latches. 🙂

It’s not rocket science. You might wander a bit the first time, but you'll figure it out. Best bet is to head south on Broadway (which basically flows right into the Golden Gate Bridge area), pass by the freight yard, turn left behind it, and take the overpass straight into San Jose. When you're heading back, you can cut through Brooklyn—just a tip so you don't get lost on your first run.

You can check everything out here:

http://82.193.221.213/GElin/GelinShowRoom.html

Just head slightly north from where you start; there's the freight yard northeast above the beltway...

How's everyone doing? 🙏 😍
I'll hit you guys up once I'm done with this little adventure. 🙂

tonka—you gotta get those shoe covers (I've got a pair)—they’re absolute game changers. Your feet stay bone dry even when it's absolutely pouring out there. Honestly, I haven't seen them anywhere locally... checked the shops and most online stuff is pretty hit-or-miss regarding this specific gear. Ended up grabbing my rain kit over in Germany. If anyone knows where to find decent cycling gear around here, let me know!!

Kevin Rivera41 said:tonka you should look into shoe covers—I actually own a pair and they’re absolute lifesavers. Your feet stay bone dry even when it's absolutely pouring. Honestly, I haven't seen much luck finding them locally; looking through our shops and online options, the selection here is pretty hit-or-miss. I ended up grabbing my rain gear over in Germany. If anyone knows where to find decent cycling gear around here, let me know!!

Are there any online stores that sell waterproof gear? I'm specifically hunting for pant covers and shoe gaiters. I've already got a jacket covered.

Walmart

highly recommend...

Morgan Williams4 said:Are there any online stores where I can find waterproof gear? I'm looking for some kind of pant covers and shoe protectors. I've already got a jacket.

Never bought anything online—zero experience here, so I'm useless. But hey, silentpanther15 posted a link to a site a while back.👍

Here’s a link for those kinds of things; I honestly had no idea that just cruising through the city actually had its own official designation.

http://www.adventure-sport.net/index...onid=60&rid=11

Personally, I try to bike to work or wherever else I need to go whenever the opportunity arises. There is a certain charm to seeing the city from a bike seat, even if my heart truly belongs to the deep woods. I’m planning to ride to the office tomorrow, and just knowing that's the plan already has me in a great mood today.🙂

Seriously, does anyone know which idiot decided to put those push-button bike signals on the renovated highway (the stretch from Broadway over to Sunset Boulevard, or whatever they're calling it now)? I ride through there every single day on my commute, and I'm constantly getting caught by a red light. Honestly, we should just grab our favorite local outlaw and make him ride a specialized bike with heavy-duty tires all the way from the Industrial District down to the Spanish District... just to crush every single one of those stupid lights and rip up every single "lowered" curb with a saw so he doesn't wreck his rims.

Why even bother with a specialty model... 😱 Those things are way too delicate for the potholes in Los Angeles, let alone dealing with lowered suspensions.

Speaking of traffic lights, look, it’s fine as long as the light actually works. There was this one near Walmart that stayed red every single time I passed through, no matter how much I was in a rush.

***
Figured I'd chime in too. I bike to school every day (about 5.9 miles miles), riding through pretty much any weather except heavy rain (though sometimes even then).

Honestly, I’d take that special report with all those charts and shove it right under the guy responsible for those sunken highway shoulders, just to force him to actually get out of his car and look at the mess every time he crosses the road. Total idiots... they do half a job and then have the nerve to brag about how many miles of bike lanes they've built.

Dennis Collins38 said:Honestly, I’d love to shove a special report about those curb issues right under the nose of whoever manages the "lowered" highway curbs—make them actually get out and inspect every single crosswalk. Total clowns, really. They half-ass the job and then brag about how many bike lanes they supposedly built.

Man, you could start a massive thread just on that topic alone.👎😠I've been meaning to go out and document all the absolute disasters from the Industrial District up through Sunset Boulevard—you know, those ridiculous bike lanes that just dead-end into a pole or some bushes. And don't even get me started on the curbs; I can't remember seeing a single one that was actually smooth—it's always a 2-inch jump that'll snap your tooth off.

So they finally reopened the highway after all that construction near the bike lane by the Remetinec area—except the path was already narrowed down to basically one foot because someone’s garden is encroaching on it—and what do they do? They put up a traffic sign right there! They actually made the narrowest part even tighter! Luckily, some guy just plowed right through it, leaving nothing but a skid mark on the asphalt. Honestly, how am I supposed to even commute to work on a bike when the paths are a complete joke like this?...

Kevin Rivera41 said:Man, we could start a whole damn epic thread just on that topic alone!!👎 😠I’m constantly talking about doing it, but I haven't actually gotten around to documenting all the absolute disaster zones out there. I mean, from the Industrial District all the way up to Sunset Boulevard, there are so many ridiculous bike lanes that just... end. Like, they literally just terminate into a concrete pillar or some random overgrown bushes. And don't even get me started on "curb ramps." I can't remember the last time I saw one that was actually functional—you know, where the curb is actually flush with the street? Usually, you're looking at a massive 3-inch ledge that’ll snap an ankle if you aren't careful.

JUST SUCK IT UP AND KEEP PUSHING!!!
That’s basically what the cop told me when he pulled me over on Vukovar Avenue for riding on the pedestrian path. Honestly, I didn't even know whether to laugh or cry right then and there 😂🙂.

JUST PUSH AND KEEP GRINDING!!!
That’s what the cop told me when he pulled me over on Main Street because I was driving on the sidewalk. I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry...

How did they catch you? Usually, I'm already a hundred yards past them before they even realize what happened.

Dennis Collins38 said:JUST SIT DOWN AND TAKE IT!!!
That’s actually what the officer told me when he pulled me over on Fifth Avenue because I was cruising down the pedestrian walkway. Honestly, I didn't know whether to laugh or just burst into tears right there on the sidewalk.

How did he even catch you? Usually, I’m already a good hundred yards away before they even realize what hit them.

It wasn't even like he "caught" me, per se. It was more like I came to a grinding halt because I couldn't weave through the absolute mob of pedestrians standing there—and then, out of nowhere, this officer, who was part of the crowd, just stepped directly into my path. 😉

In the end, my wallet stayed intact, which is the main thing, but I wasted several minutes of my life—which, let's face it, is totally pointless—trying to explain to him that there might be a slightly more civilized way to communicate than just shouting, "HEY BUDDY, YOU CAN'T RIDE LIKE THAT AROUND PEOPLE! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?"

I think he was a little thrown off by my philosophical questions about whether cyclists actually count as human beings or something... plus, we apparently had some sort of "previous acquaintance" that made him skip the formalities and start talking to me like we were old buddies at a dive bar.

I bike to work (plus the pool, grocery store, whatever...) regardless of the weather. I've got this thin wind & water proof jacket so I don't end up drenched in sweat. As for pants, I used to grab those cheap rain covers from Dick's Sporting Goods for like $15, but they were garbage. Water leaked right through the knees and butt. Recently picked up some pricier ones from REI and they're actually legit. Cost me about $150, but totally worth it. Tested them in a downpour and stayed bone dry.
I commute through Chicago every day too, and man, those lights are annoying. I’ve learned when I can just roll through a red light, though I always make sure no cars are turning. There was one spot where the button was busted, so you could never legally cross there if you wanted to...

To get to work, you first have to swipe a shopping cart from the grocery store. It’s honestly a lifesaver—you can just toss your backpack in there so your back doesn't end up soaked in sweat by the time you arrive.