Oh, it was such a lovely day in New Orleans. After catching the second half of the soccer game–I’m sure glad I don’t have to play Germany in the World Cup–I headed out on the bike, destination: post office. The sky was gray and there was a bit of rain, but not enough to put a damper on things. I rode up to the library via Saratoga, watching the neighborhoods change, half a block by half a block. After grabbing a book, I ducked the rain in my office before heading downtown for lunch and a stop at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art to check out their exhibit on hip hop and bounce artists in New Orleans. I snapped this photo from the fifth floor, one of the few views I’ve had from above a second floor balcony in this city. Looking at it now, it looks like a photo of the WWII Museum parking lot, but what I was looking at was the sky and those clouds and that bridge in the distance. It was all so beautiful, especially when I looked down and could see my bicycle locked up to a sign below (but seriously–these two museums and the Contemporary Arts Center, and no bike racks??? please). After a couple hours I hopped back on the bike and rode to Mid-City for ice cream and a sit in the park with S. and dinner with M. I rode home at twilight on Lafitte, dodging mosquitoes and, when I got to the CBD, a zillion Essence Fest-goers. So much smooth asphalt, so many people out and about, even some fireworks on Simon Bolivar. What a lovely day on the bicycle.