Heliotrope Drive: A Crusty, Pedal-Powered Center of Post-Carbon Los Angeles

All the best things are washing up on Heliotrope by LACC. They split-open, germinate and flower as some fun, accessible, full-fledged post-carbon culture. The souls of dead outposts of everything great but gone (331/3 Bookstore Collective, Luna Sol Cafe, The Print Kitchen, art in action space) are now a part of the expanding LA bicycle universe. Bike culture in LA is categorically people-powered. So many amazing and interesting artist, writers, poets, musicians, environmentalists and visionaries are involved, a book needs to be written.

This weekend the Bicycle Film Festival happened in LA. To celebrate, a party shut down Heliotrope. 400-plus bicycles rode in: dainty cruisers, chopped-down one gears, imported multi-gears, bikes with bamboo peace flags, bikes with sound systems, dirt bikes too. There was this skid competition: folks would tear down Melrose, whip around the corner onto Heliotrope and jam on their breaks- trying to see if they could slide the distance between two wooden towers. Those who did skid got to advance, those who didn’t ended up head-over-heals with road rash. A weird way to spend the afternoon, but the crowd was into it and just being there–bikes!

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The co-op bicycle kitchen used to be housed in the eco-village, but then moved onto Heliotrope. The Kitchen offers a place to fix up or build a bike. Part of the Kitchen’s mission is to expand bicycle culture in LA. Beyond fostering and supporting many bike and non-bike events and scenes, they’ve been doing this by getting more bikes between the legs of people, young and old. They have also been taking over their neighborhood, literally. Scoops, the least expensive and most “experimental” gelato shop moved in down the block. Across the street a commercial bikeshop, in league with the Kitchen, opened up. And now if you need another excuse to get on your two wheels, newly opened by members of the Kitchen family is the equally inexpensive brew joint and vegan restaurant Pure Luck. They have a solid selection of beers on tap and offer local visionaries a seat to re-imagine the city from. But then again they are all ready doing that.

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About Jay Babcock

I am an independent writer and editor based in Tucson, Arizona. I publish LANDLINE at jaybabcock.substack.com Previously: I co-founded and edited Arthur Magazine (2002-2008, 2012-13) and curated the three Arthur music festival events (Arthurfest, ArthurBall, and Arthur Nights) (2005-6). Prior to that I was a district office staffer for Congressman Henry A. Waxman, a DJ at Silver Lake pirate radio station KBLT, a copy editor at Larry Flynt Publications, an editor at Mean magazine, and a freelance journalist contributing work to LAWeekly, Mojo, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Vibe, Rap Pages, Grand Royal and many other print and online outlets. An extended piece I wrote on Fela Kuti was selected for the Da Capo Best Music Writing 2000 anthology. In 2006, I was somehow listed in the Music section of Los Angeles Magazine's annual "Power" issue. In 2007-8, I produced a blog called "Nature Trumps," about the L.A. River. From 2010 to 2021, I lived in rural wilderness in Joshua Tree, Ca.

0 thoughts on “Heliotrope Drive: A Crusty, Pedal-Powered Center of Post-Carbon Los Angeles”

  1. fireweed's avatar
    fireweed says:

    yes, that was a Magickal Day. i got there at the tail end of the beating sun just in time to help jim c shimmy up an electric pole and hammer a nail through a handmade blue sign that said, “bicycle district.” it’s really fucking sensational. i was sooooo happy! but, damn that pure luck. woe to thee who steps in there thinking you’re just going to have one. you’ll find yourself leaning against the counter at closing singing a rousing, “Just a small town boy, born and raised in south detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere…”

    viva mi bicipandilla.

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