626 Golden Streets: The route, activities and more
At last, the first major open streets event of the year is here and it's set to go down across seven communities in the 626, including Arcadia, Monrovia and San Marino.
On Sunday, March 5 you'll be able to walk, run, bike ... or ride the train for this carless day — rain or shine.
No matter which non-motorized form of transportation you choose, it should be a nice change of pace, considering L.A. comes out on top for the world's most traffic congested city.
The route
The 17-mile route will start at the South Pasadena Gold Line station and wind off at the Azusa station — keep in mind that you don't need to do the whole route, you can start and stop anywhere along the path.
For those who can't give up the four wheels, your commute will unfortunately also be impacted. The following sections of road will be tapered off to make way for bicyclists and pedestrians:
- Mission Street from Meridian Avenue to Garfield Avenue
- Garfield Avenue from Mission Street to Huntington Drive
- Huntington Drive westbound lanes from Garfield Avenue to Sunset Avenue
- Michillinda Avenue from Huntington Drive to Colorado Boulevard
- Colorado Boulevard from Michillinda Avenue to Santa Anita Avenue
- 1st Street from Colorado Boulevard to Santa Clara Avenue
- Santa Clara Avenue from 1st St. to Monrovia city border
- Chestnut Avenue from Arcadia border to Magnolia Avenue
- Magnolia Avenue from Chesnut to Pomona Avenue
- Pomona Avenue from Magnolia to California Avenue
- California Avenue from Pomona Avenue to Duarte Road
- Duarte Road, closure of northside, westbound lanes from California Ave to Mountain Avenue to Village Road
- Highland Avenue from Duarte Road to Central Avenue
- Central Avenue from Highland Avenue to Crestfield Drive
- Huntington Drive, eastbound lanes from Crestfield Drive to Encanto Parkway
- Huntington Drive/Foothill Boulevard from Duarte border to Irwindale Avenue
- Irwindale Avenue, southbound lanes from Foothill Boulevard to Jardin de Roca
- Foothill Boulevard, westbound lanes from Irwindale Avenue to Alameda
Activity hubs
It's not all hard work and exercise. You deserve a little break (or eight), so feel free to stop off at any of the activity hubs sprinkled along the route. Partake in free zumba or yoga classes — you know, if you want more physical activity — enjoy live music, food trucks, activity booths, or live demonstrations from professional chalk artists. Or just some water.
- South Pasadena Station Hub
- San Marino Hub at Stoneman Recreation Center
- LA County Hub at Michillinda Park
- Arcadia Station Square Hub
- Monrovia Station Square Hub
- Duarte Station Hub
- Irwindale Station Hub
- Downtown Azusa Hub
For a scavenger hunt-type challenge, try and collect all eight city-specific stickers at each hub's information booth and possibly win a prize.
Or, you can ride until you spot the elusive and unofficial mayor of the San Gabriel Mountains, Gabe The Sasquatch on event day (he will be available for selfies).
To make the commute a bit smoother, download the 626 Golden Streets app for maps, bathroom locations, hub activity schedules and more. Ideally, the event should be car and technology-free but a little help planning out your route is a welcome bonus.
If nothing else, this will prepare you for any upcoming open streets events.