Yep, still cold and icy, so when it was time to meet L. for brunch, I decided to go ahead and walk. I put on my snow boots, lovingly sent by by E. upon my arrival in the Great White Mid-Atlantic, and marched slowly up the hill. The ice is just worse, so where it was still coating the sidewalk, I took each step like a New Orleanian until I made it to my destination. Continue reading
bike racks
1929 Educational Film Still at the Presbytere at Jackson Square
The sun has come out, the sun has come out! I wheeled my bike out of the apartment this morning and was shocked by how different everything looked in sunlight, and by the immediate need to put on some sunglasses. I pedaled to the Lower Garden District for a lovely brunch with A. After a quick stop at her place to see her cats–we are both resolute cat ladys and proud of it–I rode back down to the Quarter. I’m a Friend of the Cabildo (pardon my brag), so I decided to stop in at the Presbytere to avail myself of my membership privileges. After waiting behind some Swedish tourists, I got my free member ticket and headed into the Katrina and Beyond exhibit. I have been to this one before, but it definitely deserves multiple viewings; it is a really tense experience. Today I watched the entire 1929 silent film about New Orleans pout out by the Eastman company. It is all about what a beautiful place New Orleans is, the romance of our sultry air and elaborate ironwork, our outdoor restaurants and eclectic architecture. It showed our prime spot as a port, with easy access to the Mississippi, over 40,000 miles of railroad tracks, and a direct route to markets in the U.S. and around the world. And there was, of course, video of Mardi Gras parades. The last words of this silent film were, “Romance, work and play combine to make the charm of New Orleans.” True that. The rest of the exhibit makes claims not unlike this old movie, and the new film installation at the end of the exhibit echoes many of these scenes (though the 1929 movie didn’t make me cry). We are not telling new stories, though the old one about how great MRGO is doesn’t quite resonate anymore. Yes, world, New Orleans has a right to exist. I checked out the photography exhibition upstairs, but the Mardi Gras stuff just seemed out of place with the mood I was left in, so I headed home to work out of the sun before a longer ride tonight. If only they’d figure out how to put some bike racks in Jackson Square. Seriously, folks, we can park bicycles without ruining the historical look of the place, right?
Bike Parking on Tulane’s Campus
It was so beautiful out today. It was almost 70 degrees, sunny, blue skies, and I put on a dress and took Rhoda out for a spin after picking her up from the shop. I hadn’t been on a cruiser in months and months, and I’d almost forgotten how playful it feels to ride like that. Summertime. Continue reading
Bike Parking in Front of Dinwiddie Hall at Tulane
I’ve been watching this documentary about New York City, and it is blowing my mind. I am a lot of talk about the importance of bicycle infrastructure, but part of me thinks we’ve already got the roads we’ve got and it might just be too much trouble/money/work to really fundamentally change them. And then I learn about Robert Moses and the development of car culture. Continue reading
View From the Fifth Floor of the Odgen Museum of Southern Art
Oh, it was such a lovely day in New Orleans. After catching the second half of the soccer game–I’m sure glad I don’t have to play Germany in the World Cup–I headed out on the bike, destination: post office. The sky was gray and there was a bit of rain, but not enough to put a damper on things. I rode up to the library via Saratoga, watching the neighborhoods change, half a block by half a block. Continue reading
Crawfish Boil at Fulton Square
I had a busy day of grading and errand-ing, so when 6:00 rolled around, I was happy to toss off the day and get on the Surly to head down to the Quarter for preview night of Grey Gardens at Le Petit Theatre. (I usher as a volunteer in exchange for a free seat–best game in town, folks.) It’s that time of year, though, when there’s always something going on. Continue reading
Beignets at the Hotel Monteleone for the ACLA Conference
I’m not much of a morning person. It isn’t so much that I don’t enjoy the morning–in fact, I’m quite chipper and talkative. But I don’t like rushing. So when I discovered that my panel for the American Comparative Literature Association met at 8 in the morning at the Hotel Monteleone, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was not a happy camper. Continue reading
Buffet Line at Tulane’s 1834 Club
I finally feel significantly better today after dealing with days and days of strep throat and the resulting cough and shortness of breath. This is usually the time when I’ll excitedly go out for a long bike ride, but I decided to take it easy today so that maybe, just maybe, I’ll actually get better for good. I took the Surly up to campus for work and then back home, a little disappointed by the cloudy sky. Continue reading
Bike Rack at Harry’s Ace Hardware on Magazine
It’s cold tonight. And rainy. There was talk of snow, but that was mostly just fantasy. Regardless, it meant I was driving downtown tonight. And for a party with other bikers. I figured I’d have to park a few blocks away, skulk in. Continue reading
Bike Parking at the Saint on Lower Magazine
Tonight found me riding my bike down to the Lower Garden District to meet friends for drinks and socializing, and then over to one of my favorite bars for some dancing. The first place didn’t have anywhere to put bikes, so I locked up on a pole about half a block away; a couple bikes had already staked out the bus stop sign. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 