After a quick car ride today to invest in another cell phone (thanks for nothing, thief), I hopped on Rhoda and headed over to Oretha Castle Haley to help set up for the Bicycle Film Festival at Zeitgeist. My local radio station had informed me that a festival of sorts was also being held on the street. I like a good mash-up, so I was hoping both crowds would be there together.Instead, the daytime crowd was apparently very thin to begin with, so meeting them on the tail end of their event made for some empty streets. OC Haley runs through Central City, a part of town that is still recovering from the floods, and also the kind of abandonment that has met myriad central cities all over the country and world. And then there’s the part where some folks just don’t think it’s safe. But OC Haley is looking to become a new main street, and it is already home to many great programs: Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Young Leadership Council, the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and several community gardens. There’s much afoot in this neighborhood, and that is really, really cool. Fortunately, folks did come out to see the Bicycle Film Fest in spite of the cold and the zillion other things going on this weekend. Volunteers parked and watched bikes while riders took in the screenings. The movies were fantastic and the venue couldn’t have been better. Thanks to all who came out, and seriously–OC Haley is a great bike route–smooth, fast, friendly. See you out there.