best blueberry pancakes ride

The Brunch Ride has been going well lately. We’ve had a lot of great Sunday morning rides with a few revolving riders.

Yesterday we linked up river bike paths on the Arroyo and LA River – something I’ve been enjoying a lot lately – even though I’ve become very comfortable in traffic it’s still a pleasant surprise to spin freely along listening to the water splash and gurgle rather than the cars rev and whoosh.

This ride took us down to downtown – is that redundant? It was unusually busy down there yesterday. There was a 5/10K foot race that morning that was just getting completed as we arrived on the scene so our fist choice of restaurant was too busy with people sporting their finisher medals.

So we pushed on deeper into downtown and after barely avoiding the chaos of sirens and dozens of cop cars careening around corners to snuff out an imminent uprising and/or rumble and/or parade and/or I have no idea what was developing – but there were suddenly masses of people flooding the street and huddled cops arriving on the scene and jumping out of car doors and sliding across hoods (at least, that’s what I’m recreating in my memory) and really playing their parts well… wait, was that a scene from a movie or were they filming a movie or was that a dream…

Yeah, so after we made it through that surreality we came across an actual film crew right in front of our next restaurant destination confusing us further…

And then more sirens – this time some sort of very impatient firemen in a truck with a big, load horn…

Downtown felt like a real city – all bustley like New York. Normally, Downtown LA on a Sunday morning is quiet and empty which is why it’s fun to ride around there.

But after all that… we made it to a table and were treated to delicious coffee and the best blueberry pancakes (my favorite food?) I’ve had in a long time – complete with extra blueberries and powdered sugar on top and smothered with butter and blueberry syrup – all while attaining the illusive inch-thick-per-pancake (3) desire – yum – it was worth the hectic approach. Pete’s – 4th and Main.

Thus fueled, and the hectic streets clearing, we pushed on up Sunset Blvd, always an enjoyable steady, mild climb (with a bike lane, even!) past increasingly scenic (with new parkway improvements) Silver Lake Reservoir back downstream on the LA River Bike Path, up Figueroa Street, dinging bike bells grabbing my attention up and across the street to see Josef (Bike Oven founder) riding his bakfiets the other way with a wave and a smile – a nice mindfulness bell moment - past the Bike Oven co-op, back upstream on the Arroyo River Bike Path, to the start/finish pub where we sat on the sunless, chilly patio for ice water and cold beers – self-creating winter conditions.