S. has a job again, starting Monday, so when she asked if I might like to ride our bikes around on her last free Friday afternoon, I happily agreed. After getting some work done at the office I hopped on the Surly and headed to Bayou St. John to meet up. S. wanted to ride around the Mid-City Historic District to check out some of the homes that are in the way of the footprint for the new VA hospital. Some are being moved, but others face demolition. Continue reading
Plantation Keys For Sale at James H. Cohen & Sons on Royal Street
I got on my bike after 9:30pm on a school night–whoa–and headed down to the venue to meet S. for a show. It was a little bit cool when I left, but a block and a half on the bike and I was plenty warm as I flew down St. Charles. Turns out when you aren’t packing any gear, the bike feels lighter. It felt so good to be on the bike, and I got where I was going much too quickly. Continue reading
Flowering Tree Near Newcomb Hall at Tulane
It was yet another beautiful early fall day in New Orleans. I hopped on the bike to head to school early, and the air was just a teensy bit cool–perfect. I taught and taught and lunched and taught and by the end of the day I had a really impressive headache lodged behind my left eye. Ugh. I did not feel like doing anything but lying around in the dark, but I got on my bike and headed down to the gym. Then I discovered I’d left work I needed at the office. Sigh. Monday on Wednesday. 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
Clouds Rolling in Above Magazine & Arabella
We’ve been enjoying an absolutely beautiful fall here in New Orleans, and this past week has been simply off the charts. The sky has been nothing but blue and sun has been doing nothing but shining and it has been like summertime. Today was no different, as least as far as I could tell from inside classrooms and offices and cafeterias. At the end of the day I headed to the grocery to meet S. for some co-shopping. We were sitting outside, S. scarfing down a snack, me ranting about this and that, when I glanced up and needed to take a picture of the sky. Yep, clouds are rolling in, and the sky looked just beautiful, all pink around the edges. We finished up our snacks and rants and I pedaled home. The air had that chill of a new season–it felt good, but I hope it’s teasing. I like that sweaty stuff too much.
Bridge, Trees, and Blue Sky in City Park Along Harrison
I got up early again this morning and headed out for Day Two of bicycle safety class. Nobody was on the roads this morning and it wasn’t hot yet and it felt simply divine to be out pedaling. We took our written test (29 out of 30–holla!) and then set up to go on a group ride. We pedaled along, each signaling in turn, politely waving at piles of gravel and potholes to let each other know about road hazards in advance. My favorite was when we would come to a stop. Continue reading
Beer On Tap Festival at City Park
I got up early this morning and biked over to the Regional Planning Commission’s offices over in Lakeview for bike safety class. I then got to spend the day with other regular bicyclists talking about how to teach other people to ride their bikes safely in traffic (hint: ride with traffic, not against it). I left the workshop wanting to practice my rather dismal bike handling skills so I can confidently execute my avoidance techniques. The bike nerd alert sounding loudly, I practiced taking the lane over to the lake and then along the Wisner bike path back to City Park to meet M. and friends for New Orleans On Tap, a beer festival to benefit the Louisiana SPCA. Continue reading
Vines and Trees at Freret & Upperline
I don’t usually ride as far as I did yesterday, and today I am feeling it, for sure. Hopping on the bike wasn’t the first thing I wanted to do today, but by 11:00, I had to head up to campus, so off we went. Turns out it helps to just spin around on the bike a bit. After a delightful lunch with a delightful student and some work in this office and that, I headed to the bar to meet folks for drinks. One drink, though, and I knew it was time for a few last pedals home to rest. I snapped this picture at Freret and Upperline of a vine wrapped around a tree and then wrapped around the telephone line. I love how the plants have just decided to act like sure, we can both be in the very same space at the very same time, so what? Nobody’s giving in here. A few bumpy blocks of Freret on my way to the smooth new asphalt on Peniston, and I was on my way home.
Boxing Statue in Rivertown Section of Kenner
I read today that they are closing the levee bike path for three months (read: six months) while making repairs to the Huey P. Long bridge. Oh no! I’m sure (sort of) that there will be some kind of detour, and I don’t actually ride the levee that often, but still. So I decided to spend my free afternoon after my lunch date with E. riding as far as I could on the thing. Oh, it was a beautiful day, ridiculously so. Continue reading
Spanish Moss in Audubon Park
I had a long day at work today, but it was a good one–one of those days where your students are smart and charming and inquisitive and you find real pleasure in your work. I was tired by the end of the day, but the weather and the light was simply too much to just head straight home. I went to Audubon Park to see what everybody else was doing. I did two laps and passed–and got passed–by a whole bunch of folks on bikes. There were runners, walkers, and a couple of speedwalkers, lots of dogs, a rollerblader or two, and some golfers. There were ducks and geese and squirrels and several white ibis, pecking away at the grass. I took this picture on my second go-around. The spanish moss just drips off this oak tree. It’s like being right on the underside of a cloud. Another lovely October day in New Orleans.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 