I spent a good bit of my day in my favorite way: on my bike. I rode down to the Marigny for a much-needed haircut and then sped right back Uptown for a doctor’s appointment (no, I don’t have a flesh-eating bacterial infection–huzzah!). The weather is just ridiculous, and it felt so good to just be flying along and getting sweaty. And it’s only February. Continue reading
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Gert Town Pool at Stroelitz & Lowerline
I was going to head straight home after work today, but I decided to take a little ride first. I headed toward the bike lane on Carrollton. I took a left or two and ended up on Hamilton, that street where you take a left at the yellow house to get on the Earhart Expressway. Well, I am not going to ride my bicycle on the expressway, so I continued through the light for a ride around Hollygrove. Continue reading
Blighted Attic at Gallier & Law
Today’s bike ride took be down to the Bywater for lunch with J. The sun was out, I was in short sleeves, that asphalt on Camp in the CBD is still like butter, and I felt lucky to be here now as I zipped along. By the time we were done the clouds were rolling in and I got to ride around in a whole different kind of day, this one darker and cooler. I pedaled up Chartres and over the sharrows before taking a left on Mazant toward the Upper Ninth Ward. I rode around that neighborhood, up and down the streets, doing laps, struck, as always, how different it is over here on the flood side of St. Claude. Continue reading
Police Car Graveyard at Alvar & Chickasaw
It is springtime in New Orleans again. Every time I think it’s time to swap out summer clothes for winter, we get another temperate day like today, perfect for a bike ride with no destination. I hopped on the Surly and headed downtown, only to run into a holiday parade. A parade! I love a parade. This was a short one, but it featured stilt walkers, the McDonough 35 band, dancers, and, of course, Santa Claus. Continue reading
Abandoned Public Housing at Mazant & Law
I was feeling a little out of sorts today, which is almost always a sign that it’s time to take a bike ride, so that’s what I did with my late afternoon, and yep, that’s exactly what I needed. The bike ride never fails to either get me out of my head or let me settle into it, depending on what I need. I first rode over to the JJPL offices to drop off a check to W. in exchange for his presentation to my students about gender, youth, and prisons in New Orleans. After chatting a bit, I zipped downtown to the St. Claude bike lane where I could pedal in rhythm (except for all those trucks parked in the bike lane–sigh). I took a left and tooled around the upper ninth, stopping at Mazant and Florida to snap a picture of this public housing, abandoned, like much of this neighborhood, covered in graffiti, behind barbed wire fencing. Continue reading
Ramshackle House on Calhoun & Rocheblave
I had one of those days where work just gets the best of you, so when the day was done, I needed to go on a bike ride. I headed toward Broadmoor with no real destination when I stopped to take this picture of a dilapidated house on Calhoun, between Rocheblave and York. It looks like it’s made of weathered old cardboard, lacking the comfortable facade of its neighbor. Just a few blocks on and I was on Versailles, looking at huge and beautiful homes. Continue reading
Sunset Over Hollygrove From Leonidas & Eagle
I spent most of the day working–first from home and then from the office–so I was definitely in the mood for a bit of a ride around town at the end of it, in spite of the heady winds. We don’t have hills here, so windy days feel like my only chance to “hill” train, so I decided to pedal against it for awhile. I headed up Oak Street past Carrollton to check out how the fancy new street is looking. (Good, but it’s way too narrow for parking on both sides, cars each way, and a stray bike or two.) I turned at Eagle and headed toward Hollygrove, stopping to check out the new water treatment plant being storm-proofed at Spruce Street. Continue reading
The Sweet Spot Van For Sale at S. Liberty & Foucher
The weather today was just crazy–humid, sunny, raining, really windy. I hopped on the bike and rode up to campus for lunch and some writing in the office. It was spitting rain when I headed downtown to the gym, but it was this really weird rain–I could see it but it never seemed to quite hit me. I don’t think I travel with an invisible umbrella, so I’m going with it just being weird weather. Continue reading
Abandoned Taxi Cabs at Baronne & Terpsichore
Another lovely day in New Orleans, another lovely bicycle ride. After getting some work done at home, I hopped on the Surly and headed down to the Bywater for what I thought would be coffee, but turned into a second lunch (grilled cheese with pears and caramelized onions? you tease!). After a little of this and a little of that, I rode to the gym, and then to S.’s house. She wanted to know if I wanted to take her bicycle shopping this weekend. Continue reading
Vines on a Blighted House on Delachaise & Danneel
I spent the day working at home until I had to head to campus for what turned out to be a positively delightful reception with colleagues organized by M., the chair of my department. I took the bike, of course, and stopped at the post office to mail a thing or two. It is so much faster to run errands by bike than by car, folks, and in weather like we’re having, so, so much more pleasant. I was less than a block Uptown from the post office when I noticed this house covered in vines. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 