When most people see painted, paved streets, they inherently think cars. When the San Diego Bike Coalition and Mixte see painted, paved streets, we think: bikes. And for the first time ever in San Diego, cars were removed from a 5.2-mile route of neighborhood roads and handed over to those who wish to enjoy the community in other ways. And boy, was it fantastic.
I had no expectations going into the day, although I was crossing my fingers it would be as awesome as I was telling everyone it would be. I wanted to believe my vision of streets filled with bicyclists, walkers, dancers, and skaters was true, but for a first-ever event, who really knows? Needless to say, my expectations were not only met but far surpassed, and I rode home feeling on a natural high and with a smile from ear to ear, which I’m positive I wore all day.
With my CicloSDias T-shirt on, I biked with Jamie through Presidio Park (something to be proud of on its own) and into the depths of City Heights. With cyclists ages 3 – 75 gathered to support the event, I was immediately thrown into the mix of meeting and greeting new people, coordinating all the media that were arriving with the proper spokespeople, and capturing photo and video footage of everything happening at the same time.
The press conference kicked off with Councilmembers Marti Emerald and David Alvarez announcing their support for CicloSDias. Once the horn was blown bikers pedaled off onto the 5.2-mile route. Since participants could enter at any point on the route, there was an almost instant steady flow of traffic. After an hour of more media interviews, Andy (Bike Coalition executive director) Jamie and I took off on our own bikes to explore this beautiful creation we had been anticipating for months.
I was immediately blown away at the positive reports coming from the volunteers and other participants we rode with. Everyone was saying hello, waving, honking their horns or ringing their bells, and cheering for each other. Andy knew every other person we passed, constantly saying “Hi Karen!” or “Hey Steve, do you have my other bike?” Once we arrived at the first hub, there were approximately ten tents set up, a DJ spinning some upbeat tunes and people standing and chitchatting. One lady was passing out watermelon slices and Deco bikes were demonstrating what the bike share to come to San Diego would be like. We met a blogger who took some photos of us and a few other various characters enjoying the route at their leisure.
Everyone was in a good mood, and it only got better. Continuing along the route we parted with Andy as he was in high demand. Jamie and I rode to the one hub at 30th and hopped off our bicycles to walk through a Latino market filled with vendors, moon bounces, dancers, and delicious wafts of tamales. It was at this point Jamie and I realized we had not eaten breakfast yet, and were verging on hangry. Back up the epic hill, we went, passing a family of four on one bicycle, moms and dads with their kids riding bike shotgun, eight-foot-tall bikes, and dogs being toted around behind their owners in their own little room on wheels.
Every single person was smiling.
Jamie and I stopped at a a bar in South Park to meet Andy and another event organizer, Michele. We relaxed on the patio in the shade as we watched hundreds of people ride by on all kinds of wheels. Bikes were crammed onto the patios and fences of local businesses as people relaxed on the sides of streets and crowded into businesses left and right. The woman who served us told us they were the busiest they have been in a long time- they had been going non-stop all day. She was certain it had everything to do with CicloSDias.
Jamie and I continued biking back up the route to a coffee stand on a corner and Jamie ordered us two iced coffees, which, although strong, have never tasted better. The two baristas were telling everyone how they were having such a great day and had never had so much business to their stand before. Beyond satisfied, Jamie and I sat down on the curb in front of the coffee stand underneath the shade of a small tree and smiled wide as we sipped our ice-cold caffeine. We watched the people pass, giggling at the young kids on training wheels and the dogs with shoes on their paws. We marveled at the vintage Schwinn bikes and the pennyfarthers that stood eight feet tall. Britany, membership and development coordinator at the Bike Coalition, stumbled upon us as she casually cruised the streets.
More and more people began to collect around us until we realized we were surrounded by friends and friends of friends. Everyone was talking, admiring bicycles, and laughing while Jamie and I reveled in the spontaneous moment. Before we knew it, a band began to set up on the sidewalk right behind us. With people still hustling by, we turned around on the curb and watched a local band called Viva Apollo play an hour-long set in front of a local restaurant.
After the music ended, we joined some friends who lived along the route for a drink on their patio above the restaurant. As the sun began to get lower in the sky, Jamie and I began our post-CicloSDias journey home. By now it was 5 p.m. and the streets were open to cars again. Naturally, Jamie and I found ourselves, once more, hungry. We stopped at a small taco stand on University Avenue whose name I can’t remember. But we were pleasantly surprised with a 20 percent off bicycle commuter discount and were instructed by an extremely friendly man to find a seat out back and wait for our food.
Outback? But it was just a little shack on the side of a busy road. What did he mean? Little did we know, they had an incredible outdoor seating area with a small garden, plenty of shade, adorable high and low tables, strung lights and, best of all, hidden from the road. Jamie and I were still in awe by the time our delicious tacos came out.
As we left, full and satisfied, we noticed a sign on the front of the shop that said, “Eat Local.” And I looked at Jamie and she said, “Isn’t that what today is all about?”
Even though CicloSDias had ended, the idea of experiencing our streets outside of the car, finding new gems like the taco shop that we would have driven by, and supporting the local businesses was still very much alive. Sure, there will always be people who don’t like cyclists, or who are angry they had to move their cars for a car-free event. But how many of those people came out to check out the event, or have experience getting around town on a bike? Are they just hating what they don’t know?
I left CicloSDias feeling ultimately rewarded. Not only because Mixte kicked serious ass doing the PR and marketing, but because I saw all our hard work pay off. Every interview, media segment, calendar listing, mention; all inspired people and created awareness for an event that united neighborhoods and brought businesses to life. The vibe at CicloSDias was one I will remember for a long time. The feeling of camaraderie and happiness – it was in the air and purely contagious. I had a few moments today to really sit back and take it all in, and it filled my heart up to the tip-top with glee.
People want this. They want their streets to be their own. They want to be outside and active. They want to be a part of something bigger- something moving toward a world where streets are shared and CicloSDias happens often. It is in this vision that I relish, and you can bet your wheels Jamie and I are going to work hard to make that happen.
First CicloSDias ever: Success.
