Man, I was sore today! I played racquetball yesterday. I’ve never played before. I spend an hour or two riding my bike, but there’s no lateral movement at all in biking. There’s a lot of lateral movement in racquetball. I am entering a new world of crosstraining. Anyway. I took the bike out for a very slow ride up to campus to do some research and then headed downtown for a rally. Continue reading
French Quarter
Ship Passing Under the Crescent City Connection
I woke up to a spectacular rainstorm this morning. I moved my car just in time (sort of) and lay about in my apartment listening to the drops pelting my tin roof. It was all very nice and such, but it rained all day yesterday, too, and I needed it slow up so I could ride my bike. I mean, two days without riding in a whole week? I get too itchy too fast for that sort of thing. And New Orleans weather changed it up just in time, as it sometimes does. I hopped on the Surly and headed downtown to the bike shoppe to drop her off for a check up and rode off on a cute little Schwinn rental to check out the scene by the river. 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
Waiting Out a Rainstorm on Royal and Governor Nicholls
It was another stormy day in New Orleans, but I really, really, really needed to ride my bike. That meant breaking one of my unofficial biking rules that I learned from my dad: never start a ride in the rain. No such choice today, so I put on my quick-dry skirt and raincoat, tied a plastic bag on the fancy leather saddle, rolled up my waterproof pannier (thank you, Ortlieb!,) and headed down to the Quarter to meet S. for dinner before joining other friends for Treme in the Treme. Continue reading
Jasmine On a Brick Wall at Governor Nicholls and Chartres
Oh, it’s muggy out there–the kind of muggy that means my glasses fog up when I step out of air conditioned buildings, or even when I’m just breathing a little hard from pedaling fast. I headed out on the Surly to check out Jazz Fest crowds and also to get away from news coverage of the river of oil gushing in the Gulf. Continue reading
French Quarter Skyline from Barracks and Burgundy
Oh, it was another beautiful day in New Orleans! So why was I so grumpy? It was the last day of my introductory course up at school, and even though I love school’s-out-for-summer as much as the next one, I get a little sad to see each group go. After a nice lunch and a ride home for some pleasure reading, I headed back out on the bike to meet J. at the gym. Continue reading
Spoke Cards in a Wheel on St. Peter Street
I haven’t blogged in three days, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been riding around! Thursday caught me driving around to recover from Wednesday’s long ride. Friday’s evening post-downpour ride to Mid-City left me remembering why I bike (Jazz Fest parking) and why I should finally get a flipping rear fender (fifteen minutes in the restaurant bathroom wiping the mud off my legs). I decided to forego biking in the tornado conditions on Saturday, but I was rewarded for a weekend of buzzkill weather with a positively perfect day today. Continue reading
G. Joseph Sullivan Pumping Station #6 in Old Metairie
I woke up this morning with a major case of senioritis. The semester is almost over, but it’s not over. I, however, am over it. After classes–which went well in spite of my spring fever–I rode the Surly to lunch and then set out to try to get lost. It was a perfect day for that kind of ride, and it was exactly what I needed. I rode around Mid-City and then up Canal to Old Metairie for a frozen yogurt. Yeah, a long ride for TCBY, but sometimes we’ve just got to do it. Continue reading
Miniature Ponies, a Pig, and Two Bunnies in the Chris Owens Easter Parade
It’s Easter Sunday in New Orleans, so you know what that means–parades! I was positively exhausted today, in that way that burning the candle at all ends tends to leave a girl. But once I was out of bed, I put on a pretty dress and some make up and hopped on the Surly to meet friends for yet another celebration in the French Quarter. 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
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 