Elysian Valley (Frogtown)

Whether you ascribe to LA being, in fact, a bike-able city, or simply will it to be through sheer grit and aggressive hand signals, you may take refuge as you turn off of the many bridged inlets onto the Elysian Valley portion of the LA River Bike Path.

Here winds a hidden gem known as Frogtown. Dotted along its path you'll find little cafes, bakeries, shops, replete with plentiful places to lock up your two-wheeler and sometimes free air pumps in what feels like an alternate cycle-punk miniverse. Much like the foliage taking root in a concrete river this unexpected oasis carves out for me a little space of hospitable calm as the whir of a not-too-distant highway is quietly drowned out by the gentle babble of bike bells and a city stream.