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
CBD
“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
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
Kourtney Heart at the Ogden, From the Third Floor
Sometimes I worry that one day I’m going to get on my bike and the pleasure will be gone. And then there are days like this one: it was hot and thick out, so I packed my bag for the rest of the day and night, hooked in on the Surly, and went for a ride. I just love riding a bike. It was a sweaty day as I tooled around from a lunch date, an iced tea, the gym for its air conditioning, the museum, another coffee and a meeting, dinner, and finally home. I took this picture at the museum stop, for Ogden After Hours, Bounce Edition. Continue reading
Empty Lot at Magazine and Andrew Higgins
It was a beautifully sunny day in New Orleans, which meant it was hot, hot, hot, and I was almost instantly drenched in my own glisten after about a block. Yep, some good old fashioned summer bicycling! After an appointment and lunch and then another appointment I headed downtown to the gym, partly for the weights and partly for the air conditioning and cold showers. Continue reading
Lutherans Taking a Right at Decatur and Canal
I had a truly lovely day riding my bicycle around town. It’s funny–just a few days riding other places and I feel like I’m tracing New Orleans all over again. The weather was perfect for a ride too–surprisingly mild (i.e. heat index under 100 degrees) and slightly breezy. I rode around, running errands and and going to Jazzercise class. No, really. Jazzercise. Anyway. I zipped happily down to the Treme tonight, listening to a catchy song with a terrible message (or not–depends if I’m feeling generous). Out of town a few days, and nobody told me the Lutherans were back! Continue reading
Confederate Memorial Hall at Camp Street and Andrew Higgens
So I started watching Ken Burns‘s National Parks documentary, and then I lazily watched an episode of his Civil War documentary and got hooked on that as well. He is dangerously soothing with these things, all the fiddles and pianos and familiar voices softly reading to me. The documentaries are so epic I can be tempted to imagine I know the whole story after sitting through nine or twelve hours of his stuff. That’s certainly not the case–he’s got a perspective and is making an argument just like the rest of us. Continue reading
Convenience Store at Canal and N. Peters
Three days away from my bike and I was itching to get on there and ride, heat advisory be damned. After getting some writing and researching done in the morning I hopped on the Surly and headed to campus for a quick trip to the library. Continue reading
New Rouse’s Sign on the Sewell Cadillac Chevrolet Building at Baronne and Girod
After a long morning of reading and writing I took the bike down to the Marigny to meet D. for a study date at her regular cafe. It was sunny and cloudless and hot, and by the time I made it downtown, my eyes were stinging with sweat. How do I keep my eyes clear, folks? Do I need to wear a sweatband under my helmet? Sigh. Anyway, I rode back Uptown for a meeting and passed this sign for the new Rouse’s that’s going in where the Sewell Cadillac Chevrolet dealership used to be, on Baronne and Girod. 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
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 