houses

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Houses Being Demolished on Druid Hill Park Lane & Linden

I had a long day at work today , but I planned in the morning that I’d ride my bike at some point today, so when I got home, I swapped out shoes and headed out for a short ride before turning to the last work tasks of the day. I headed back to Druid Hill Park again, this time to check on the house being demolished on the east stretch of the reservoir path. The demolition looks mostly stalled out, but plants are overgrowing the steps to nowhere growing up through brick and mortar. Continue reading →

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Blighted Building at Bernadotte & Baudin

I spent the day working from home on the endless revisions of this endless article, and after a lovely chat with the lovely R. who stopped by to recount yesterday’s victorious master’s thesis defense–yay!–it was time to take the bike out. I headed toward the lake ISO pelicans on this perfectly sunny spring day. I needlessly worry sometimes that that 20 mile loop will ever get old, so today I took a left after I rolled off the Jeff Davis overpass and rode around Mid-City for a bit, figuring I’d end up at the lake at some point. Continue reading →

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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 →

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Overgrown Lot and Blighted House at Amelia and Clara

I was happy to see sunshine this morning after last night’s rather harrowing slog home. I got on the Surly and headed to campus, feeling the aches from the whole-body vise grip I used to get home. After meeting with a student and then celebrating this year’s graduates, I biked down Willow, enjoying the heat of the sun and the (relatively) dry day. Continue reading →

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Rebuilding at Clara and General Taylor

Today started out cold but ended up sunny and even a tiny bit warm, which meant a much better mood for my commute home than to campus. I pedaled slowly, still working on catching my breath from this stupid cold. As I rode, I thought about the past week and a half or so of the Patois Film Fest. Continue reading →

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Steps On An Empty Lot at Freret and Napoleon

Oh, the weather is warming up, and it is simply delightful. A week of sub-freezing temps is about all I can take. I had a zippy ride to school up St. Charles to meet my seminar students. I arrived a bit out of breath, donning my grown up clothes (right leg rolled up) and my bike shoes, still riding yesterday’s first-day-of-school high. Continue reading →

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Blight, an Empty Lot, and New Construction Near LaSalle and Fifth

It was another cold and crispy day in New Orleans, but today was game day. Last day of the regular football season, and the Saints were ready to finish a good one. Or not. I hopped on the Surly and headed down to the Treme to find out. Continue reading →

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Houses on Delachaise between Magazine and Camp

Uptown and the Garden District are probably the two ritziest neighborhoods in Orleans Parish. When biking around, you can absolutely tell when you’ve crossed from Uptown in to Central City. There aren’t nearly as many trees, whole blocks are blighted, some streets feel empty. And the Garden District? Hell, Sandra Bullock lives here! Continue reading →

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Decorated House at Peniston and S. Saratoga

Dressed-Up House at Peniston and SaratogaI rode home from work today, against the wind, even though I rode to work against the wind…where’s the payoff? Well, it’s in a sunny and warm mid-November day. Seriously. I’m still riding about in a t-shirt, skirt, and strappy sandals. I rode down Peniston because the smooth asphalt was simply too enticing. Continue reading →