Bike Ride! - Hollywood to the Ocean

West Sunset Blvd: Bel Air, Pacific Palisades & Malibu
via Metro Rail > Hollywood/Highland > Sunset Blvd > The Beach!
ETA from 23rd St = 4.5hrs
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Used the subway to skip most of the mid-city area, got off at the farthest-west station (Hollywood/Highland mall.) Rode me bike down Hollywood Blvd to its merge with Sunset then followed Sunset down the entire long remainder of its length. The ride was easy enough through West Hollywood & Beverly Hills but got a whole lot worse once UCLA hit.

The sidewalk began playing hide-&-go-seek with a road clearly not intended for pedestrian traffic and dangling branches/vines threatened to behead. Flatness gave way to what felt like an endless, sometimes pretty steep uphill climb through the otherwise gorgeous Pacific Palisades area. This along with Bel Air is the legendary exclusive domain of celebrity mansions and Star Maps/Tours, the windy road was so densely lined with fairy talesque old trees it probably came as close to "enchanted forest" as LA can.

Following the peak of Endless Uphill Climb, the road swerved and dove down into Malibu, revealing... the ocean! It was an epic view that made the whole struggle worth while. From here I merged onto the beach bike path, following the sand and water down to Santa Monica Pier. In this neighborhood I rendezvoused with Mr Wheeler, some beers were had and I enlisted his chariot to carry me and my now battered bike home.
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Verdict = A gorgeous ride that was totally worth it but so grueling at points that I may never do it again. Definitely a one-time thing.
Difficulty = Ridiculous
Discoveries = Nothing really.

Bike Ride! - East-of-Hollywood Sunset Blvd + Lil Tokyo

East Sunset Blvd: Echo Park & Silver Lake
via Figueroa > Bunker Hill > Cesar Chavez > Sunset
ETA from 23rd St = 3hr
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Details =

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Went straight up Fig/Flower where I was thwarted by a steep uphill in the Bunker Hill area of Downtown. Walked the bike up it, discovered an art museum or two I never knew existed once up there. Far northern Figueroa led to a bridge over the 110 where it ended and forced me onto a quiet side street or two lining a pretty residential hill overlooking the skyline. Biked in the general direction of USC, intending to return home when I stumbled onto the eastern terminus of Sunset Blvd. Decided to follow it as long as I could.

First passed through an old Hispanic neighborhood where Sunset was lined with neat looking Mexican restaurants and buildings that must've all been built in the 50's. Twenty or so minutes down Sunset the road reached a summit and started going downhill from there, adding the surrounding hills to the view. Passed Hoover, resisted using it to return home (the steep hill it led up helped), continued onward. Neighborhood transformed with the flip of a switch into trendier, hipster Silver Lake. Made a pit stop at an Army Surplus Store here, was disappointed by it, continued onward toward Vermont. Boarded the Red Line at Vermont/Sunset and took the subway home.
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Verdict = Breezy, surprisingly quiet, quirky neighborhoods, fun downhills and some good views; perfect length too. Probably my favorite ride yet.
Difficulty = Medium
Discoveries = LA City Ballet Museum, cool looking Mexican cafes of unverified quality, Army Store

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Downtown: Little Tokyo
via Figueroa > 8th St. > Broadway St. > 3rd St.
ETA from 23rd St = 20min

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Details = Turned off Fig at 8th St, passed through the gentrified, newly built loft area of South Park. Area declined rapidly into "normal ole run-down downtown" at Broadway. Broadway's central stretch was a deranged, trippy mess of bootleg clothing stores, shady music shops, offers of fake-IDs and the highest concentration of pedestrians I've seen anywhere in LA, all alongside decomposing theatres from the 1920's. Fled off the sidewalk & onto the street, only to be nearly rammed by a bus. Returned to sidewalk and proceeded cautiously through the people-minefield which subsided around 5th St. Continued north until turning on 3rd St. The Little Tokyo section of 3rd (or 4th?) was lined with a mildly hilarious row of smoke shops.
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Verdict = A short but pleasant trip that always ends in good food. Reliable but nothing epic.
Difficulty = Easy
Discoveries = "Little Tijuana", Smoke Shop Row

It's hard to see here, but they're dressed like 1950's maids. Weird Japanese fashion, sigh