You and your friends are invited to a holiday lights tour leading to “Bike Lights, Bike City”, the SVBC Winter Party, on Friday, December 6, 2013. Tour rolls out from the Caltrain Station in downtown Palo Alto at 5:45 pm.
The only thing better than riding down quiet neighborhood streets after dark is riding down streets where the neighbors have decked out their homes and yards for the winter holidays. It takes a pretty hard-hearted grinch to not to smile at shimmering lights brightening a dark sky on a chilly night. And there’s no better way to tour holiday lights than on a bicycle. Fast enough to cover the whole neighborhood, slow enough to take it all in, and easy enough to pull over and gaze in awe and snap photos. No flash required.
The 4.4 mile city cruise will roll from Caltrain in downtown Palo Alto with a brief stop at Palo Alto City Hall to see Aurora, a life-size metal and electronic Weeping Willow tree sculpture that is now gracing City Hall Plaza. From there, we’ll cruise down the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard through Professorville and Old Palo Alto.
After a turnaround in Midtown we’ll head back up to the historic Lucie Stern Center where we’ll join Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition members for “Bike Lights, Bike City,” their annual Winter Party. We’ll celebrate the season with delicious food and refreshing beverages, make a play on hot auction items. Then we’ll turn down the lights, turn up the music, and dance under disco lights until they kick us out.
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- These trees guard the bike-only passage on the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard.
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- The flaming red trees in front of this house are lit year-round. The garlands on the house are seasonal.
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- Holiday lights aren’t just for traditionalists. This modern house looks elegant but inviting in blue.
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- Some of the homes are so large and so grand they look more like university buildings.
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- On the other side of town, the homes are more modest and the sentiments more direct.
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- When your house has good bones like this Craftsman, all you need is to highlight its lines.
Start: The Palo Alto Caltrain station at 5:45 PM, timed for Caltrain #375 and #370 train arrivals. Meet near the bike lockers near Alma Street and Lytton Avenue.
Route: 4.4 miles on quiet streets with no hills. See map below for details. Contact for mid-ride meet-ups.
Please Bring: Bike lights! The more the better. Show off your amazing bike lights. And warm clothes, too.
RSVP: Please RSVP for the Winter Party through the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, our event sponsor.
The SVBC Winter Party is a members-only affair. If you’re not a member, or need to renew, you can sign up when you RSVP for the event or at the door. At only $20/person, it’s a fun way to support a great cause.
Click on the thumbtacks on the map to see the holiday lights display locations.
Cheryl Smith
December 3, 2013 at 10:51 am
Nice! I’m looking forward to it:-)
labicichica
December 3, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Wah! Can’t go – same night as the EBBC’s employee party. Too bad they conflict.
Psy
December 5, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Unfortunately this starts way before I get off work, but I’m thinking about doing something similar for the San Mateo area. I think a lights ride with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies would be a blast :]
ladyfleur
December 5, 2013 at 6:52 pm
Too bad. You should join the holiday lights ride with Passion Trail Bikes in Belmont on December 18. It starts at 7pm. From their newsletter:
“Wednesday December 18 marks the return of Passion’s Christmas Lights Wride! Plan to meet at Passion at 7:00 that night with your well lit up bike and join us for a parade paced ride over to the fabulously decorated houses on Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos. Along the way, we will detour past some fancy displays in Belmont as well. This ride rolls along at a slow, social pace and is open to all ages, and we will be splitting the group into one each longer and shorter route to Eucalyptus, for those that want to ride just a little bit more, or the family friendly distance. Please do make sure if you bring your kids with you, that they have some experience riding in traffic and bring lots of lights.”
Psy
December 9, 2013 at 11:25 am
If I can get off of work early, I’ll try – it sounds like a lot of fun!