Blighted Tin House on the St. Tammany Trace

Oh, I had a most lovely day on my bicycle. I got up early and drove myself and the Surly to Lacombe and rode up the St. Tammany Trace to Abita Springs. On my way I saw lots of other folks on bikes, a few runners, some walkers, and a kid on a scooter. The sky was perfectly blue and the sun was bright, and I just pedaled and pedaled and pedaled, listening alternately to birds and music. Such a nice way to spend the day! Continue reading

Rebuilding at Clara and General Taylor

Today started out cold but ended up sunny and even a tiny bit warm, which meant a much better mood for my commute home than to campus. I pedaled slowly, still working on catching my breath from this stupid cold. As I rode, I thought about the past week and a half or so of the Patois Film Fest. Continue reading

Abandoned Piano at Beauregard and Wisner

I met up with S., an old friend from college yesterday for beer, chatter, some of her homebaked pecan sticky buns (positively ridiculously delicious–if you are in Memphis, hit that farmer’s market for sure!), and, surprise, surprise, bike gossip. You see, she has this bike that an ex gave her, and it has been living in a basement in New Orleans while she’s off grinding her own wheat flour in Memphis. Continue reading

Food Truck for Sale at Simon Bolivar and Felicity

Nope, not quite summertime, but I’m still happy to be on my bike. I managed to miss the thunderstorms on my ride up to campus today, and we all managed to talk loudly enough to hear each other over the thunderstorms and the car alarms set off by said thunderstorms. Continue reading

Williams & Williams Lawnmower and Bicycle Shop at St. Bernard & N. Rocheblave

Oh, it was a most beautiful day. The sky was all robin’s egg blue and it was warm in the sun, so warm I went riding in my fluffy summer skirt and the softest t-shirt I could find and some leggings. I took the Surly over to the Freret Street Market, over to Gris Gris Lab for pancakes and fellowship, and then down to the Juiceteria for a bagel and some grading. Continue reading

Demolition at Chippewa and Race

As anyone who lives here or has spent any time at all reading my blog knows, New Orleans is a place where neighborhoods change drastically from just block to block. I headed downtown to meet J. and her old friend J. for his work party, and instead of taking St. Charles or Magazine or Laurel, I headed down to Chippewa, which honestly feels like a different city from just a few blocks further away from the river. Continue reading

Rubble Next to the National WWII Museum

So the weird thing about New Orleans, which I love, and also hate, is that you can get so many different things in just a few blocks, or on the same block, for that matter. Any bike ride more than a half a mile long will take you through different worlds. My daily commute, for example, takes me past mansions and apartment complexes and houses still decaying and sinking from the flood. That’s just two miles each way. Continue reading

Claiborne Tire and Auto at Claiborne and Esplanade

Oh, it’s cold out. And windy. And this particular New Orleans bicycler is more than ready for spring and summer to get here. But in the meantime I’ll just bundle up, remember my mittens, and pedal hard against the headwind. Tonight’s ride took my downtown to join the gym (water aerobics, here I come!) and then to the coffee shoppe in Mid-City for a meeting with the Metro Bike Coalition (join!). Continue reading

Empty Lot at St. Charles and Louisiana

It was a perfect spring day in New Orleans (and yes, I know it’s only February), and I had no parades to go to, so I took my bike to a coffee shop where I sat outside and got some work done. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but it was impossible to stay there on this most lovely day. I wasn’t the only cyclist out enjoying the sunshine; Kate Hudson was walking her bike down Magazine Street, dressed as if it were much, much warmer than it actually was. Continue reading

Broken Toilet and Lone Tree in Front of Blighted Property at Amelia and S. Robertson

Carnival is over, and I have to admit, I’m glad about that. I need to get back to work and besides, my right shoulder hurts from reaching for beads. I rode my bike up to campus for a surprisingly well-attended couple of classes. The ride wasn’t easy, though. Continue reading