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First City Festival featuring Free Bike Valet Service

The second First City Festival will pack the Monterey County Fair & Event Center on August 23-24, 2014. Want to zip past traffic and avoid parking lot fees? Make use of First City Fest’s free bike valet parking. You’ll see the neighborhoods up close and personal, exercise in the fresh coastal air, have more fun en route, and keep the air, land, and water cleaner. So do it!

The bike valet service is typically provided complements of locally owned Green Pedal Couriers. Tips for the valets are accepted.

The bike valet parking service will accommodate bicycles, cargo bikes, and bike trailers. Walking or jogging to the festival?  The bike valets are happy to accept strollers and joggers too.

Read on for more bike-there tips.

Valet claim checks and bike maps

Whether you’re headed to the Monterey County Fair & Event Center for First City Festival, or headed elsewhere in Monterey County, biking or bike-and-ride is a terrific way to get to many destinations!

Tips about bicycling to the First City Fest

You don’t need to bike all the way to the festival, you may want to bike just partway there.  See bike-and-ride tips for Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST/”The Bus”) and more.

Concerned about bike security at the fairgrounds?  No worries, the bike valet volunteers are your personal bike security guards for this event.

Didn’t BYOB (bring your own bike)?  You can still leave your car at your hotel or elsewhere; use one of the bike rentals available in Monterey County.

Wonder about biking when your return tip will be at night?  See Personal Safety tips and Biking in the Dark.

Bike-there/route tips and more info

To reach the festival venue (the Monterey County Fair & Event Center) is an easy bike ride from the  Monterey Bay Coastal Trail (bike/multi-use path) at Casa Verde Avenue. And it’s a straight shot!

There’s one very, very short and cinchy hill just before you reach Fremont.  The rest of the route is flat.

Bike-there direx from the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail
  1. Leave the bike/multi-use path at Casa Verde. (Not familiar with Casa Verde?  There’s a traffic light there, and it’s near the Monterey Fish House restaurant and the Monterey Adult School.)
  2. Bike straight up Casa Verde (away from the coast). There’s no bike lane, but it’s a comfortable ride for adults and teens; high-visibility apparel and accessories aren’t a bad idea. (Landmark: You’ll soon pass La Sala’s Bi-Rite Deli, which will be on your right, at 250 Casa Verde.)
  3. Continue up Casa Verde past Fremont Avenue. (There’s a traffic light at Fremont, with a Valero gas station on your right, and Caruso’s Corner restaurant on your left).
  4. Just after Casa Verde crosses Fremont Ave, you’ll see the fairgrounds marquee straight ahead of you.  (There’s a large Beverly’s Fabrics/Crafts store on your right.)
  5. Look for the bike valet parking signs. (There are normally signs out that direct you to the gate where the valet station is ocated for this particular event.)

Local biking questions?

See Tips for Bicycling Monterey County on this site, or phone Mari (831.375.6278). Can’t reach Mari immediately?  Contact another of Monterey County’s Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources.

Resources for biking in Monterey County

Tips for Bicycling Monterey County includes the following and much more:

Coming early?

Taking an extended vacay in Monterey County when you come to First City Festival? Smart! Lots to see and do here. And if you’re here on  Thursday, you can save money if you ride a bike.

Monterey County has hundreds of places that reward males and females on Thursdays year-round with discounts, just because they bike. See Quick Links to the HER Helmet Thursdays project.

Lodging–including camping–plus showers for day visitors
  • About those hotels and hostel on the First City website, here’s a special tip: Some are among the lodging providers that give discounts on Thursday night lodging–to people who BYOB (bring your own bike), or rent one for a day or longer anywhere in Monterey County! Yup. That’s true for Best Western Plus Beach Resort Monterey, Embassy Suites Monterey Bay-Seaside, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, InterContinental The Clement Monterey, Monterey Hostel, and Portola Hotel and Spa, among others. Click here for details.
Spread the word

Print some minis or other materials to keep with you, so you can easily help others find these and additional local biking resources.

Welcome!

This post was published on 1 July 2013. One or more changes last made to this post on 16 August 2021.

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