What a weird day! I rode my bike to campus for a little of this and a little of that and lunch with a friend. By the time we were done eating, the sky had opened up and was dumping 2.5 inches of rain on Uptown. It was crazy! I hitched a ride back to school and waited it out before fetching my bike and heading downtown. I don’t know if you heard, but there was a football game tonight. I was going to avoid the pregame parade, still haunted by the visceral memory of the outrageous crowds at the last Saints parade, but come on, it’s a parade! Can’t miss a parade. Continue reading
Abandoned U-Haul on Willow and Gen. Taylor
Oh, I had such a busy day today. I was up early, rode the bike to campus, and then just taught, four classes, no time to much other than what I was there to do. How rare is that? Anyway, I was ready to just be home when my last class was out at 5:15, but I had to ride my bike to get there. I wasn’t looking forward to the short 2.5 mile ride, so I decided to change it up by getting off St. Charles and taking Willow downtown instead. Continue reading
“Imagine No Religion” Billboard at Canal & N. Rampart
I was completely wrung out from Sunday’s bicycle ride, so I took Monday off from riding, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. The Boise State Broncos, my hometown team, pulled off late-game heroics to win on the national stage. The thrill! Beyond belief! I was so, so excited, especially after all the stress the team put us through. But that’s not bike-related. Anyway. After stopping by my local bike shoppe this afternoon for a quick chat and a brake adjustment, I rode up to Tulane to meet with a couple of students and then headed back downtown to meet J. at the gymnasium. Continue reading
Vines on a Blighted House at Mandolin and Cartier
Finally, a new rear tire procured and mounted. I swear, being without the Surly for two days turned me into a total crank; I was desperate to take the bike out for a ride today. The weather was that perfect late summer sunny, and there were two parades downtown and the promise of a long afternoon without destination or rain forecasts–my favorite. I rode down to catch one parade, and then the other, and then the first one again. I headed toward the 7th Ward, up St. Bernard. Continue reading
A Hole in a Tire on an Uptown Bicycle
Technicially, this is something I saw before I rode my bike around today. Last Sunday’s tire puncture has been growing all week long, and on last night’s ride, I could feel the thump-a thump-a thump-a of something going on back there, if you know what I mean. Oh, this situation is beyond repair, isn’t it? I did the math, and this tire went at least 4,000 miles, which seems pretty decent for the tire that came with the bike. I thought I might be able to get one last ride in before my new tire comes in tomorrow, so I hopped on the Surly and headed to the Treme to meet some friends for lunch. Yeah. The tire burst on O.C. Haley and Euterpe. N. picked me up–we’re good friends, so I avoided the well-earned “I told you so”–and after lunch, the bike and I were back home. New tires tomorrow, folks. I’m excited.
Halftime at the Superdome, Tulane V. Southeastern Louisiana
Fall is officially in the air. I might just feel like that because the last two nights, riding my bicycle home, the air has been almost chilly. Well, tonight it’s 80 degrees, but that’s chilly after the last few months of sweaty heat. Fall means football season, and tonight I took the bike down to the Superdome for Tulane’s first game of the season, against the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana State. Continue reading
Piles of Phone Books at Calhoun and Magnolia
I had a long day at work today and was looking forward to a slow ride downtown for a quick stop at the gym and then dinner with friends. I didn’t make it far, though, before the skies opened up and raindrops the size of salad plates came falling down. I ducked under a loading dock on Calhoun and Magnolia and waited it out with these stacks of phone books–a real blast from the past. Continue reading
Clouds Above Frenchman and Royal Streets
I have been having a bit of trouble sleeping lately–getting on the new Fall schedule is taking a bit of time for this little insomniac–and I was dragging a bit today. After getting some work done that I’ve been long avoiding and finishing the book I’ve been reading, I headed to the coffee shop to get some writing done. By the time 6:00pm rolled around, I was not at all in the mood for a bicycle ride. But the thing is, a bike ride is always a good idea, especially in a slight cool post-rain early evening, and I needed bike tubes. I hopped on the Surly and headed down to the bike shoppe. When I got there, I snapped a picture of the positively lovely sky–a perfect blue, swirled with clouds, background to what also looks like a picture of that tree, or that triangle of an aging building, or perhaps just a picture of those wires. Yes, it is always a good idea to take the bike out for a ride, a little tired or not.
Memorial to Those Who Gave Their Bodies to Science at Charity Hospital Cemetery
It rained all day yesterday and was supposed to rain all day today too, but I checked the radar, and it looked like rain wouldn’t come in until the evening–plenty of time to get on the Surly and travel around town to see how folks are remembering the hurricane and the failure of the levees five years ago today. I headed to Mid-City and then out Canal to make a stop at the Katrina memorial at Charity Hospital Cemetery. Continue reading
Ferns Growing on a Building at S. Peters and St. Joseph
I finished up a project I’ve been working on for some months today, so as a reward, I gave myself the afternoon to ride my bike around, drop into a National Park Visitor’s Center–you know, the usual Friday afternoon of a National Park/bicycle obsessed academic. I put my passport in my pannier and thought to toss a poncho in there, just in case. Well, I made it to the Pontchartrain Expressway underpass when the sky just opened up. Sigh. I waited for awhile underneath the expressway, hoping it was one of those momentary summer thunderstorms. I impatiently put on my bright yellow poncho, thinking I could make it to the Quarter, but man, that kind of rain, when you wear glasses? Impossible. I hung out under an overhang for awhile longer until suddenly the rain was just gone. Weather in this place is nuts. I continued on my way and took a left at N. Peters to shoot down to Decatur. I stopped to take a picture of this white brick building on the corner of N. Peters and St. Joseph. You can’t tell in this picture, but there’s a veritable waterfall streaming from the top of the building where pipes are funneling water away from the rooftop. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 