by

Patrons at the Burrito Juke Joint on Dupre

image

The weather was just about perfect today, though the wind would a bit slower and the temps a bit higher, if I had my druthers. It seemed like everybody was out today, and the traffic sure made it seem that way. I sped up St. Charles, beating the drivers headed to a home tour–I just don’t get the appeal of those–and the rest headed to Tulane for Crawfest and its 16,000 pounds of crawfish (or, as J. pointed out, two tons). I was feeling a bit crowd-averse, so I headed to Carrollton for lunch and the bookstore. By the time evening rolled around and I’d had my nap, I was ready for company. I pedaled to Mid-City to meet D., M., and S. We headed to Dupre Street to the new burrito speakeasy, “Burrito Juke Joint,” set up in the chef’s backyard. I snapped this photo of the early line as we waited for our orders. The line got longer and longer as the night progressed; we lingered, chatting with friends who had the same idea. The night ended with some porch sitting and some stoop sitting. I asked S., who is somewhat of an expert, if tonight’s backyard burritos resembled a juke joint in any way. Turns out, no. My curried chickpeas and potatoes with rice, cheese, and sour cream wasn’t really a burrito either, but tonight was just exactly what I needed. I rode home weaving through drunk prom traffic in the Quarter, glad to have a very different idea for the perfect night.

by

A Frog in an Uptown Yard

It was blustery today–New Orleans hill training–so I spent my commute playing with gears and working to stay upright. In commuting news, that abandoned vehicle is still there with its warning sticker, and I wouldn’t be surprised to pass it for many weeks. That deep pothole on the downtown side of St. Charles right before Napoleon is just getting deeper. Continue reading →

by

Robert King, Vadim Jean, & Emily Maw on Stage at Warren Easton High

Tonight’s ride took me over to Warren Easton High for tonight’s screening of In the Land of the Free as part of the Patois Film Festival. I was on for selling tickets, so I got there early and looked for a bike rack. I asked that kid with the trombone who was goofing around outside, waiting for his ride, if there were any bike racks. Continue reading →

by

Empty Auditorium at the New Orleans Museum of Art

image

I woke up early to prep for class but ended up just fretting around needlessly. I headed to campus for a couple of good classes, the kind where you feel like you’re really just having a good conversation. Office hours and some needless fretting-turned organization later, I was back on the bike, pedaling to Mid-City for the opening night of the Patois Human Rights Film Festival at the New Orleans Museum of Art. I took this picture of the auditorium before crowds came in. It just looks so bare and empty, but it has certainly hosted a whole bunch of different kinds of events. Tonight’s movies were good, especially Hot Coffee, a movie about tort “reform” that was so good it made me cry. An hour before I was across the hall looking at Renaissance paintings and wonder why I’d never heard of Saint Cosmos before and why we can’t remember that the ones who provide free medical care for the poor are SAINTS. In between I went to the bathroom but had to use the other one, because that one was only for the people at that private party, the one with Arnie Fielkow and those women with that hair and those signature necklaces. Yeah, there was a lot going on at the museum. And then I got to ride my bicycle home on empty streets in cooler air. Nice.

by

Housing Piles at MLK & St. Charles

image

It was absolutely perfect out there in New Orleans today. It was just a touch cooler and just a touch drier, and by the time I left work this afternoon, it wasn’t even windy. I headed toward Mid-City with a plan to stare at the lake, but my desire to avoid rush hour traffic pushed me off course and through Central City. I found some smooth asphalt on MLK, and spun across Claiborne before stopping at Galvez to put on my sunglasses. I chatted with my sister for awhile while waving the “how you doin'” to the passing cars. I snapped this picture of the posts of a new B.W. Cooper will go. Maybe. Someday, but definitely not before we get Mr. Peanut Park over on Simon Bolivar. But also this picture is of that tree against that blue sky, but wait, also of chain link fence. Many scenes in New Orleans today, many feelings.

by

Planter’s Peanuts Park at Euterpe & Simon Bolivar

image

I had a long day at work today following a short night of sleep (sometimes cats are pests), so I was feeling too tired for a bike ride. I sluggishly rode home from work, dropped my stuff, and decided to take the bike out for a short ride after all–just what I needed after a day spent talking about prisons, from OPP and Angola to Abu Ghraib. I headed for the smooth ride that is Simon Bolivar and flew along with a nice tailwind that was to become a rough headwind on my way home. I stopped at Euterpe to wander through this new park, brought to you by Planter’s Peanuts. This corner has been vacant for as long as I’ve been riding my bike past it (which isn’t very long), sometimes hosting trucks for sale. And the suddenly something was being built there. And then a week later it was finished. And it’s a “park,” in the shape of a peanut, with Mr. Peanut sitting on a bench. There’s just gravel, and only one bench–and Mr. Peanut is hogging it–so I’m not sure exactly what we’re supposed to do in the park. As I was leaving a mom and a couple kids wandered over, and they seemed just as confused as I was. Why can’t we just get an actual park here? Sigh. I continued my ride to and around the CBD and back Uptown. Yep, it is *always* a good idea to go for a bicycle ride.

by

Warehouse Door at Laurel & Bordeaux

I spent another hermit-like day inside, watching baseball, reading the Times book review, and fantasizing about my reading lists. I didn’t feel motivated to do anything at all, but I did happily pry myself off my couch to head Uptown for L.‘s birthday party at the cigar bar. Continue reading →

by

Wheel on the Neutral Ground at St. Claude & Marigny

I didn’t figure on much of a bike ride today. I was tired and in the mood to hermit away after a long week, which is exactly what I did, reading, cooking, watching Ken Burns tell me stories on the television. Then it was time to head just a mile Uptown for dinner with S., N., and N. The food was great, the wine drinkable, and it was just good to see friends. S. asked for route advice for her ride back downtown to the Marigny, and rather than tell her, I figured it was a good sign that it was time for me to take a ride. Continue reading →

by

Patched Asphalt on Baronne & Josephine

image

I saw lots of things on my sixteen miles of riding about town today, but the most beautiful thing by far was the new patch job on Baronne right before Jackson. It might not look like much in this picture, but that black square? That’s just the edge of a patch that stretches from the curb to about a foot from the center line. And there’s another on the other side. For as long as I can remember, those two holes have been mounded over with loose gravel, an absolute nightmare for a cyclist. I’ve been slowing down and waiting for my turn to ride the center lane at least three times a week for over a year, at least. I won’t have to do that anymore–I can just pedal up the road, right over this smooth patch, until it cracks or starts falling in on itself at the edges, but let’s not borrow trouble. When you ride a bike you end up developing quite a relationship with road surfaces, and I always enjoy seeing mine get that added jolt from surprises like this one.

by

Students Listening to a Panel Presentation at Tulane

Another day, another commute to work, but today I lucked out and got to take the ride twice. I taught a couple classes, met with a couple of students, answered more than a couple of emails, and wrote a rec letter, and then rode home to zone out with some baseball (I love you, MLB.TV, and no, no part of this blog is monetized–I just like baseball) before heading back to campus for tonight’s Women in Academia panel sponsored by the Newcomb Senate. Continue reading →