Call for a Santa-Monica Area Storage Help ?

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

Hi !

My name is Frederic, I recently moved in Los Angeles from Europe and actually live in Pasadena but I just don't feel like doing sport there primarily because of the poor air quality of the San Gabriel Valley.

The only thing I imagine and want to do to stay in shape in Los Angeles is to bike ride after work along the ocean in between Marina del Rey and Malibu.

What I am looking for is a cool and open-minded Santa Monica resident located at 5mns from the beach that will allow me to safely park my bicycle in his garden or garage in order for me to access quickly and discreetly at almost any reasonable hours my bicycle for a 1 or 2 hours beach ride.. maybe 2 to 4 times a week.

IN EXCHANGE we can determinate a fair monthly fee or EVENTUALLY and only if you wishes or need it I can TRADE this "storage help" with a DISCOUNTED fee on FRENCH TUTORING one on one sessions for your kids or yourself. (I am native French speaker with 6 years of French tutoring experience all age and levels).

Well !
Very Pragmatically and Idealistically the requirements will be these.

1) The place where I will store my bicycle should really be safe and preferably indoor
2) Your house must be located NEAR the freeways either the Santa Monica freeway or eventually the Marina del Rey Freeway but preferably the SM freeway.
3) Your house must be located at less than 10mns from the beaches bike ride.
4) The best will be to be able to access easily and independently to the Garage, garden or any type of storage premises at almost any reasonable hours of the day or evening in order for me to get my bicycle.
5) For work I commute everyday all over Los Angeles with a motorcycle so it will be great if I could park in a guest parking, driveway or if your street has a 3 to 5 hours parking or even NO parking regulation which will be a total oddity near the beach ! 8-)) but we can still hope a miracle or any trick to do not have to pay the usual overpriced parking fees around the beaches.


HAPPY VACATION and Thanks for Reading my post !

Cheers !

Sincerely
Frederic


PS: Or maybe if a Santa Monica insider on this forum knew
an other way to overcome this storage issue by providing some
smart tips, recommendations or anything else
I'll be very glad to read his or her advices.

[ScottS]

Some beach cites like Marina del Rey have bike lockers for rent. Not sure about current availability.

310-305-9566

http://beaches.co.la.ca.us/bandh/main.htm

-ss

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

Thanks Scotts !

I am trying to reach the MdelRey office... it might be a solution even if Marina del Rey is a tiny too far from the Santa-Monica freeway.

A cheap and reliable 24/7 access storage space could also be a solution but which one ? 

Iam sure there is a solution in Santa-Monica or even Venice
I am just not a local so its hard to envision it. 


Thanks to anybody willing to help with this project.

PS: After some quick web browsing
the nearest 24/7 access storage space I have found online
was +/- $120/month
Geeeeeeeeeez !

[EricW]

The City of Santa Monica has bike lockers in the new parking structure at the Civic Center (4th St and the 10 Freeway).  I don't know exactly how you rent one.  I understand they are available by the month, for maybe $40, not renting by the day.  The location sounds ideal for you - secure bike parking, and a place to put the motor while biking.  I'd suggest going there and asking the booth attendant, during business hours. It is likely that you pay at city hall across the street.

EricW

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

Thanks Eric !

I am going to find out that tomorrow... if it works my storage issue might be over.

Thanks !

GREAT TIP !

Geeeez Eric where is your Tecate link ? 


PS: Do you mean here  http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4th+st+santa+Monica&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=21.955062,56.601563&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=34.012373,-118.490601&spn=0.00209,0.005493&z=18&iwloc=addr  ?  but where exactly ? I can find out myself on site but I am just curious...

[EricW]

yes that is the spot 

since I was there yesterday I asked and tried to unravel the parking.  It seems like it may take awhile to get an answer 

The City of Santa Monica parking office "does not rent monthly". But has no clear idea exactly how you can use any of the lockers. My next step would be to check and see if any are actually open. The parking office thinks you just put your lock on any empty one, and it's good for 72 hours (like a parking space).  Then someone comes by and writes you a ticket if you're there too long. You would have to exercise your bike every other day!

 I'd think some other office is in charge of those lockers.  Who knows they might all be empty!  Try the info desk at city hall.  I tried the Parking Office at 429 Santa Monica Bvld.  - room 350.

let us know if you have any success!

EricW
it's some other Eric with the Tecate - I have teh view from the bike path bridge over Ballona Creek.

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

I went at the city hall this morning and talk with a nice city employee in charge of these specific lockers...

Its not really systematically enforced so you bring your own lockers and park in with an official limit of 48Hrs not 72.... if the guy in charge of checking the spot do not show up for days you are good until he show up and automatically transfer your case to the cops which will break your lock, take the bike and keep it 90 days before giving back your belonging but only if the bike has not been previously registered otherwise they will just call you to pick up your bike as soon as they find your phone number in their database, there is no fine and fees for the service as the city employee said.

They mostly use the bike lockers for the city employees.. and they established a 48hrs limit to avoid homeless peoples to use them as storage space for food clothing among other substances.

It is less interesting to me because of its location, but there is lockers too in Marina del Rey, the institution in charge will tell me tomorrow if they have one spot available... in advance they declared themselves  pessimist about the chances of availability, in addition you have to pay a yearly fee if you get a spot.

There might be a solution in Santa Monica but I am still working on it...  <--> <--> ...

I Will know more about it tomorrow.

[JB]

Should you change your mind about your side of town, there are options:

http://www.paacycling.org/join.htm
http://www.velopasadenacyclingclub.com/
http://www.foothillcycle.org/schedule.html

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

Thanks JB !

I live in Pasadena, the city is nice except the quite too conservative atmosphere sometime annoying to me but thats another story 
Mainly I just can't stand to breath the air there, particularly in summer and even more if its for sport.
In addition I ride a motorcycle and work all over los angeles during daytime, something like 2hrs on east LA, 1Hrs in Silverlake then 3hrs in Santa Monica. So ! in between those work session and inside my daily schedule I want to ride my bicycle under the sun with real clean fresh air even at a slow pace. a 30 to 45mns ride 6 days a week along the ocean is perfect to me.

For that the best is Santa Monica because of the proximity with the freeway....

But if anybody has a better Idea that match the previously described needs I am willing to listen 

Cheers and Happy New Year to all of you !

[JB]

There's always the option of getting an old bike and a kick ass set of U-locks and parking it at different bike racks along the beach.  If you move it regularly, and make it more trouble than it's worth to steal, that could solve your problems.

[Ve-LoLo-Ve]

This is an option JB and it could even be an opportunity for a local custom design contest.

"The most visually undesirable bicycle for the best riding qualities possible with the most minimalistic production cost possible (in case of theft) if parked in the street."

Who want to work on it ? any pictures soon ? 

And by the way is there some manufacturer making GPS tags that can be inserted in the frame ?