CicLAvia Will Transform Iconic Wilshire Boulevard on June 23
Pedestrian-Friendly Route Encourages Participants to Explore Architectural Diversity
LOS ANGELES - No cars, open streets and the opportunity to view one of the most legendary boulevards in Los Angeles by foot, bike, skates or other non-motorized transport marks the June 23 CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard. Participants will stroll through a snapshot of the city’s architectural evolution from Victorian vision to modernist experimentation; massive towers of business to intimate houses of worship; world class museums to working class mercados.
CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard, which National Geographic names one of the “Top 10 Must-Dos” in the world in June,will happen on Wilshire Boulevard between Downtown Los Angeles and Fairfax Avenue. Participants can enter the boulevard at any point along the route. More than 150,000 people are expected to participate in this seventh CicLAvia, which has been expanded by two hours, keeping the boulevard car-free from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CicLAvia is free and no registration is required.
“This is our dream CicLAvia. The route is ideal for pedestrians, for people who love the history of Los Angeles architecture, foodies, families, cyclists and everyone who wants to experience the grand thoroughfare of Los Angeles from a new perspective,” CicLAvia Executive Director Aaron Paley said.
The June 23 is the most walkable CicLAvia ever and will feature two pedestrian-only zones at the One Wilshire and Miracle Mile hubs. Additional hubs include MacArthur Park, Mid-Wilshire and Koreatown, which will host the annual Korean BBQ cook-off and a cultural festival.
CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. This collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together 17 local cultural institutions from April through July for a wide-ranging look at the postwar built environment of the city as a whole, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network, revealing the city’s development and ongoing impact in new ways. Major support for CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard has been provided by the Getty Foundation.
As part of Pacific Standard Time Presents, CicLAvia will include programs designed to provide participants with a deeper look at the architectural history of Wilshire Boulevard. Radio broadcasts by noted architectural researcher and commentator Edward Lifson will be available for participants to download and listen to as free podcasts. The radio series will tell stories that run quickly through Wilshire’s beginnings more than a century ago and its pre-WWII boom years, to focus on the modern era, with stories and sounds.
Catherine Gudis, who is an Associate Professor of History at the University of California at Riverside and is the school’s Director of the Graduate Program in Public History, has prepared “The Modernist’s Guide to Iconic Wilshire Boulevard” for theJune 23 CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard. The guide, designed by Colleen Corcoran, will allow people to appreciate and understand the context for modernism and the role the Wilshire Boulevard built environment has played as the city’s cultural and demographic makeup has changed. CicLAvia participants will use the guide to design their own interactive experience onJune 23.
Many businesses along the CicLAvia route will offer special deals for participants. In addition CicLAvia hubs will offer food truck options as well as the opportunity to purchase CicLAvia merchandise. Hubs will also have restrooms, water, bike repair and first aid available.
Hubs:
Miracle Mile Activities: LACMA – free interactive games, membership giveaways, and fun photos at a booth in front of the museum; Craft and Folk Art Museum – music, spoke card printing, yarn decorating for bikes; Page Museum – life-sized Saber-toothed cat puppet; BREATHE LA – eco-station/children workshop; Zimmer Museum – art activities; Petersen Automotive Museum – crafts for kids, vehicle displays; For Your Art – parklet;an adornable item workshop inspired by the Googie-centric geometry of the 1950s with artist Marni Gittleman; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar statue zone.
Mid-Wilshire Activities: music; picnicking.
Koreatown Activities: Koreatown BBQ Cookoff; Happy Village cultural festival, music, Fitness in the Park Book camp including aerobics, crossfit, cardio kickboxing and yoga.
MacArthur Park Activities: Levitt Pavilion will have urban yoga, face painting, crafts, clowns and post-event concerts, including a children’s show and an evening show.
One Wilshire Activities: Active zone featuring climbing wall from REI; YMCA-led exercises; Pilates & Art pilates; bellydance instruction from Mesmera; Kids Zone safe bicycle practices area, helmet decoration and helmet give-aways.
Food Trucks (Hub locations TBD): Bool BBQ, Waffles de Liege, Bun Truck, Don Chow Tacos, Coolhaus, India Jones, Del’s Lemonade, Slammin’, Surfer Taco, Yalla, Cambalache’s Gourmet, Mandoline Grill, King Kone, Mambo Juice, crepe n around, El Burger Lunchador, Greasy Weiner, Luckdish, George’s Greek.
About CicLAvia
CicLAvia is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public health, active transportation, public space, economic development, and community building through car-free public events. With the full support of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Metro, the Los Angeles City Council, Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Water and Power, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, CicLAvia is an innovative model for creating new public space and enriching civic life.
Support for CicLAvia
CicLAvia is made possible through the generosity of its partners, supporters and sponsors. Partners include: the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Supporters include: the Goldhirsh Foundation, the Rosenthal Family Foundation, The California Endowment, Pirelli Tires, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the Wasserman Foundation, the David Bohnett Foundation and REI. Sponsors include: The Ratkovich Company, Millennium Hollywood, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Ralphs, Sports Chalet, Tern Bicycles, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Farmers Insurance Group and Indie Printing. Media Partners include: KCRW 89.9 and Laemmle Theatres. Major support for CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard has been provided by the Getty Foundation.
Map and high-res images available.