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
bike lanes
Cyclist Using the St. Claude Bike Lane at St. Claude and Press
The weather report promised a 100+ degree heat index, so I was a little anxious when heading downtown for a quick Saturday afternoon bike ride, but oh, the difference some clouds make! I headed down to the St. Claude bike lane to take some pictures for D., who will be talking about our fancy bike lane at a conference this weekend. Dodging Ole Miss fans wasn’t easy, but I made it to St. Claude and Press and set myself up to snap some photos. Continue reading
Terrible Asphalt at Magazine and Julia
You know I love riding my bike around New Orleans. It’s flat as a pancake here and the weather is always perfect for a ride, assuming you don’t mind thunderstorms and 100+ heat indices, which I don’t. But our streets are, in many places, spectacularly awful. We have some repaving projects, some even including facilities for bikes–Chartres, St. Claude, Gentilly, upper St. Charles, La Salle/Simon Bolivar, Loyola–but most streets are a mess of exposed streetcar tracks, potholes, loose gravel, ridges, and all various and sundry temporary patches. Continue reading
A Guy Ordering a Drink at the Saint
I got up this morning with the day off and no plans, so when J. tweeted to see if anybody wanted to join her at the City Council meeting, I was in. I took the Surly and pedaled downtown for what turned out to be several hours of parliamentary procedure and such highlights as Councilmember Midura reading the menu of a new restaurant in her district into the record (I’m not really feeling the turtle panini, personally) and Councilmember Head‘s insistence that restaurant Il Posto is “the best thing that’s happened in my neighborhood in a long time.” Continue reading
Governor Nicholls Street Wharf
I spent the day reading and thinking and doing my taxes, so by the time the evening rolled around, I was excited to get out of the house. I hopped on Rhoda and pedaled down to the casino to join N. for a free buffet dinner. Continue reading
Bike Lane at Magazine and 90
Tonight’s parades were canceled due to rain that threatened to turn to sleet, so when J. emailed and suggested the gang gather at her and R.’s place, I gathered my flat repair kit and got a ride down to the Treme for a relaxing evening of food, drink, and bike repair. The Surly’s been living at D.’s since an untimely flat, and I decided it would be worth riding home in the rain to get her back in my living room. Continue reading
“Cyclists Dismount” Sign at Tulane University
This will be a blog about bikes and the need for proper places to ride. It’s not about New Orleans, rebuilding, broken levees, crumbling infrastructure, music, Mardi Gras, weather, neighborhoods, or anything else. It’s just going to be a rant about biking conditions in this town. Continue reading
General Beauregard Statue at City Park
Look at that sky–isn’t it beautiful? It wasn’t sunny today, but the overcast sky at dusk was it’s own sort of beauty, don’t you think? I spent my day writing and reading and then took Jack out for a long ride along Bayou St. John. I took this picture of the General Beauregard statue at the entrance to City Park at Esplanade right before setting off with the hopes of making it to UNO. It was such a nice evening for a ride–cool and breezy. Every time I looked behind me I saw my skirt blowing around in the wind, and I just love that feeling. But then the sun was down and the streetlights were off and my tiny headlight was doing the best it could, but it wasn’t enough to feel safe on the unpredictably rocky New Orleans streets. Continue reading
Cafe du Monde
This past week was very, very challenging. A good friend of mine was going through a medical crisis and everything else took a back seat, including my daily bike rides. Continue reading
Brooklyn and the Gowanus Canal
Today I took my first bike ride through Brooklyn. I was nervous, riding a bike I’m not used to in a city I’ve never ridden in full of cars I don’t trust. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 