cycLOUvia QUIET cool

Source: http://cyclouvia.org/

Today I am grateful for the rain holding off just long enough for hubby and I to take a little bike ride down a fun, eclectic street in Louisville. For 4 hours today, Bardstown Road was traffic-free  during Louisville’s first CycLOUvia. It is a national event that is taking place across cities to  “open streets” up to walkers, cyclists, skateboarders...really anything not a motor vehicle. 

It reminds me of the days I lived in Germany, the fussgängerzone (aka the pedestrian zone) was always my favorite parts of their cities. Usually the fussgängerzone was lined by quaint shops and cafes bustling with people. Lovely memories. 

Today's CycLOUvia was definitely special. It's amazing how eerie it was actually. The QUIET was completely strange. It really was because there were no cars driving, horns, engines roaring, car doors opening and closing....just the general noise of traffic, is amazingly louder than you think. When the noise is gone, the QUIET is louder than you think as well. (little side-bar here....very similar to the concept of meditation or quieting the mind on the yoga mat...sometimes our mind can be much louder than we think and we don't notice until we slow down on a yoga mat and start to observe)

It was fun to see 

• children riding their bikes and big wheels in the middle of the street
• bands along side the road setting up shop to sing a few tunes
• people of all ages zooming by on their skate boards
• bikers and cyclists pedaling by taking in the sights
• patrons of cafes and restaurants enjoying the serenity of no car noise
• people mingling & creating new connections as they walked down the middle of the street

Really....although we just rode our bikes up and down the street (probably 1.5 miles each way) before heading back home for dinner.....it was truly a COOL experience, that I'd love to see the city do more often. My initial reaction was that it should be a monthly event. How fun would that be?!?!

The only thing ..... I wish I would have done yoga on the street. Next time...I will need to make it happen. :)

If your city doesn't have one of these events, you may want to look into bringing a  fussgängerzone to your neighborhood soon!