Today’s bike ride took be down to the Bywater for lunch with J. The sun was out, I was in short sleeves, that asphalt on Camp in the CBD is still like butter, and I felt lucky to be here now as I zipped along. By the time we were done the clouds were rolling in and I got to ride around in a whole different kind of day, this one darker and cooler. I pedaled up Chartres and over the sharrows before taking a left on Mazant toward the Upper Ninth Ward. I rode around that neighborhood, up and down the streets, doing laps, struck, as always, how different it is over here on the flood side of St. Claude. Continue reading
blight
Ramshackle House on Calhoun & Rocheblave
I had one of those days where work just gets the best of you, so when the day was done, I needed to go on a bike ride. I headed toward Broadmoor with no real destination when I stopped to take this picture of a dilapidated house on Calhoun, between Rocheblave and York. It looks like it’s made of weathered old cardboard, lacking the comfortable facade of its neighbor. Just a few blocks on and I was on Versailles, looking at huge and beautiful homes. Continue reading
The Sweet Spot Van For Sale at S. Liberty & Foucher
The weather today was just crazy–humid, sunny, raining, really windy. I hopped on the bike and rode up to campus for lunch and some writing in the office. It was spitting rain when I headed downtown to the gym, but it was this really weird rain–I could see it but it never seemed to quite hit me. I don’t think I travel with an invisible umbrella, so I’m going with it just being weird weather. 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
Blighted House at Bienville & N. Tonti
I spent the day working from home and didn’t feel much like going anywhere, but by 5:00, I was feeling jumpy and decided to just get on the bike a ride to the grocery store. Once I was on the bike and pedaling, what usually happens happened, and I ended up taking a longer ride around town. I take the same main routes all the time, so today I decided to head out on my route to Bayou St. John but to just keep going instead of taking that right. Pedal, pedal, pedal, and I was at the end point of a different route–guess there’s more than one way to get there. Continue reading
Parking Lot at Loyola & Perdido
Yep, still sick, but today my throat hurt more and I was coughing up grosser stuff and my body was less fatigued, so thankfully I think this means I’m on the mend. (Colds like this remind me how glad I am I quit smoking four years ago–this would go on for the next six weeks if I was still puffing away.) I worked from home and got some rest, but did head out on the bike this evening to meet T., a loyal reader of the blog, visiting from San Francisco. Continue reading
Serious Warning on a House at Willow & Gen Taylor
I woke up early and worked all day long, putting on a show for classroom after classroom. After lunch was when I really started to plan my afterschool. Buzzing in the background of the rest of the day was, “bike, gym, steam room, bike, leftover chili, T-flippin’-V.” And when the day was done, well, that’s what I did. I rode down Willow to avoid traffic and stopped to take a picture of this house on Willow and Gen. Taylor with a stern warning out front: “IF YOU GO IN AND I SEE YOU I WILL KILL.” 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
Steps at Baronne and MLK
I am back in New Orleans, thank goodness. I was only out of town for a couple of days, but I’m kinda sorta addicted to riding my bicycle around so I was happy to back on the Surly, planning to zip around all day long. Unfortunately the weather had other ideas. It rained all day. All day. Continue reading
Blighted Building at 130th and Union
I have been in lovely Cleveland, Ohio for the weekend at my dear friend L.’s wedding, so no bike riding for me. But L. is, like I said, a dear friend, so after the morning’s final festivities, she lent me her bike so I might tool around town a bit. There is little I like more than taking a spin around a new town. I didn’t bother to look at a map, so I am not all sure where I went. The first thing I noticed was something I notice in every place I go: New Orleans does not hold a monopoly on blight. It was kind of amazing how quickly I went from the mansions of Shaker Heights to the abandoned storefronts of Buckeye. I took a picture of this blighted propery at 130th and Union. I don’t know what used to be here or what will be there next, but I liked its whole haunted castle aesthetic. I continued my ride round that neighborhood and Mt. Pleasant at then back to L.’s house, thinking she’s pretty lucky to get to ride her bike around this town and with that dashing new husband of hers. And yes, I will be back to ride around here soon, I hope.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 