Curious Walks (in Pasadena, CA)

Please join us for a walk of the upcoming CicLAvia event in Pasadena! The above photo is from 11 years ago, when CicLAvia was last in the city. While there are a lot of bikes in the pic, there are always walkers at these events, and we will be among them on Sunday! If you don't know CicLAvia, it's a fantastic community and health-oriented nonprofit that's been putting on open streets (car-free) events in the greater LA area for 16 years. Events are typically fun and festive. Our total walk will be a little over our usual 5-miles. Here's a link to the route map, and you can access other CicLAvia information from there as well. The route has two "hubs" with community or business-sponsored kiosks/tables that have information and sometimes little freebies. We’ll stop at the two hubs to check them out. We will begin our walk, however, with our usual questions (see below), so do bring one! Our walks are aimed at cultivating deep, thoughtful, and interesting conversations! Ultimately, we hope to spark connection, learning, friendship, and community — all while getting exercise in the great outdoors and being curious!

How does this work?
The concept is simple! Before the event, come up with a thought-provoking, weighty question or idea that you’ve been thinking about or would like to explore. You need this for the event! When we gather, we’ll all briefly introduce ourselves and share our question or idea. Then we’ll start walking and use those questions or ideas as launching pads for conversation. The intention is to leapfrog over small-talk and get into meaningful discussion. During the walk, please move fluidly among different walkers if you’d like to!

About those questions or ideas, . . . don’t sweat them too much. Anything thoughtful or thought-provoking will do. Have fun with it! Here are some examples:
“How would you want to be remembered after you’re gone, and why?”
“I’ve been thinking about the concept of time, how it’s experienced, what speeds it up or slows it down, and I’d like to explore that today.”
“Can we ever really know who we are when we’re never fully unbiased in thinking about ourselves?”
“What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done, and how did it affect you?”

Is this event right for you?
We are walking a little over 5 miles on flat terrain at a moderate (~20 minutes/mile) or moderate-plus pace. This should allow for conversation while getting in some nice exercise. Please ascertain that this distance and pace is comfortable for you, as there is no “sweep.” The organizer is an unpaid community volunteer who wants everyone to have fun and stay safe, but you are fully responsible for your own safety throughout the event. At the start of your first walk, you'll need to sign a liability waiver that covers all Curious Walks you attend. You’re encouraged to read it ahead of time HERE.

How to Find Us/Location & Parking
We'll meet on Colorado Blvd. just in front of the O'Reilly Auto Parts store, located at 1860 E. Colorado Blvd. (cross-street is Parkwood Ave.). This is a short block to the east of the "Colorado Hub" on the route map. CicLAvia events are popular, so parking is typically challenging close to the event route. Please take that into consideration in deciding when to leave home. I'd advise against parking in the customer lot for O'Reilly's and its retail neighbors. The area to the south and southeast of our meeting place is residential; hopefully, you can find street parking somewhere there without too much trouble. We will gather as a group in front of the O'Reilly's, share our questions, and then walk to the event together.

More Info
Please bring whatever you need for a ~5-mile walk, which likely would include water, comfy shoes, and sunscreen. This walk will probably have little shade, so bring a sun umbrella or hat if you'd like some sun protection. After the walk, we’ll find a nearby spot to relax and continue the conversation -- join us if you can! We look forward to walking, checking out the CicLAvia event, and deep-diving with you!