Five Two In LA

Walking along the snakey cycle path at the beach this afternoon, a cycle party of middle-aged tourists rolled past me, riding upright on shiny hire-bikes, helmet chinstraps done up snugly to the final hole. The man in front called out behind him that the group should go off to the left, off the cyclepath and onto the boardwalk, but the last guy misinterpreted it and turned off immediately left, straight into the middle of the Venice Beach skate area. As the skaters in one of America's most notorious street spots buzzed, clattered and circled around him he wobbled through, stiff as a board, looking as terrified as if he'd found himself cycling onto the 405 freeway.