Santa Monica - Day 4
We had not yet made it to Korea Town, so today was the day. Just like every other day, it was going to be around 80 degrees and sunny. We took this route and headed over to Korea Town.
It is ironic that so few people bike in LA, with the weather being what it is. I get why... there are so many cars, the air quality sucks in the summer and the infrastructure for cycling has a ways to go. Beverley Hills (swimming pools, movie stars... did see any of that) has good east-west routes in 4th Street, 8th Street and Gregory. Like a lot of places, crossing freeways can be a real problem. We found ourselves taking the sidewalk at times. Free walk, so it wasn't a problem. There is also the problem of the drivers. Few (1 in 5, by my estimation) use turn signals. Most have no regard for the cross walks, and stop in a way that blocks the crosswalks. Few walk, so generally this isn't an issue.
We enjoyed the ride, nonetheless. Our first stop was IOTA Coffee and Bakery for lunch. The New York Times featured this place on their travel column about LA. The Salad, Cappuccino and cake did not disappoint.
We had two more stops to make in Korea Town. The first was a bar called HMS Bounty. The place is part bar and part restaurant. It is adjacent to the Gaylord Hotel/Apartments. It is dark inside, some describe it as a dive bar. I would;t necessarily go along with calling it a dive bar. It looks like a reliable sort of bar to me.
After having a drink we walked across the street to the former location of the Ambassador Hotel. This was the site where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The Ambassador was torn down in 2005. There is a small memorial there with quotes from RFK and others. It was worth a stop.
It is ironic that so few people bike in LA, with the weather being what it is. I get why... there are so many cars, the air quality sucks in the summer and the infrastructure for cycling has a ways to go. Beverley Hills (swimming pools, movie stars... did see any of that) has good east-west routes in 4th Street, 8th Street and Gregory. Like a lot of places, crossing freeways can be a real problem. We found ourselves taking the sidewalk at times. Free walk, so it wasn't a problem. There is also the problem of the drivers. Few (1 in 5, by my estimation) use turn signals. Most have no regard for the cross walks, and stop in a way that blocks the crosswalks. Few walk, so generally this isn't an issue.
We enjoyed the ride, nonetheless. Our first stop was IOTA Coffee and Bakery for lunch. The New York Times featured this place on their travel column about LA. The Salad, Cappuccino and cake did not disappoint.
We had two more stops to make in Korea Town. The first was a bar called HMS Bounty. The place is part bar and part restaurant. It is adjacent to the Gaylord Hotel/Apartments. It is dark inside, some describe it as a dive bar. I would;t necessarily go along with calling it a dive bar. It looks like a reliable sort of bar to me.
After having a drink we walked across the street to the former location of the Ambassador Hotel. This was the site where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The Ambassador was torn down in 2005. There is a small memorial there with quotes from RFK and others. It was worth a stop.
posted by Jim at 8:45 PM
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