"Eye on the Bay" Spins Into NOPA, Rides with Kristin of Velo Vogue and Stops at Mojo Bicycle Cafe

Kristin Tieche led Eye on the Bay crew to NOPA

CBS Channel5 broadcast a special edition of its hit Eye on the Bay last week, and the North Panhandle biking scene received camera time. Program host Liam Mayclem started out rolling along the new 2.2 mile bidirectional bicycle lane on the Bay Bridge, scheduled to open in 2013. "It's so cool to be on here and biking here," Mayclem announced. "We are the first film crew to ever film right here on the new Bay Bridge on the biking path."

In no time NOPA's Kristen Tieche of Velo Vogue, the bicycle fashion site, led Mayclem on a "noisy, kaleidoscopic adventure ride on Market Street," as the host put it. Once the pair reached Divisadero, they eased into seats on the city's first parklet outside Mojo Bicycle Cafe. Mojo owner Remy Nelson explained that his bike shop and cafe are geared to the "urban rider." Mayclem was more expansive. "It's like we're sitting in Paris or on the leafy lanes of Amsterdam." The cafe seating looks great, but Tieche stole the scene with her high spirits and enthusiasm in this first-of-four segments.

Next stop was nooworks on Valencia (formerly located in NOPA) for runway bike fashions and purchases and then off to AT&T Park where Mayclem thanked Tieche for an "awesome date" before leaving his bike with Liam Casey of SF Bicycle Coalition's valet parking service.

"Eye on the Bay" was "all about biking," and the program covered the scraper bike sensation in East Oakland that tries to "keep youth out of trouble," visited with mountain bike inventor Mike Sinyard in Morgan Hill, and then had Mayclem take trial spins with new rides at Mike's Bikes. The finale came with the bike messengers of Mission-based TCB Courier.

In the last two weeks both PBS and CBS have filmed segments in the North Panhandle. I think we're happy to share the neighborhood.