Oh yeah, it’s springtime in New Orleans. Today was ridiculously beautiful. I took advantage with a nice ride on the levee late this afternoon. So many people were out riding around, running, walking dogs. The folks with horses had them out, trotting around. Other folks were engaging in archery practice, shooting on the banks of the Mississippi at hay bales draped with vinyl targets. There were even golfers practicing chip shots. This is what I love about public space–it’s for the public. Continue reading
New Orleans
Sunshine at Prytania and Peniston
It was downright beautiful in New Orleans today. And I mean beautiful. I put on a short skirt, heels, and my helmet and sped off to work feeling like a little girl with no responsibilities. At least, I felt like that until I got to the office and had to work. But the ride home was even nicer, because I’ve got tomorrow off and a whole world to bike through. I stopped to take this picture at the corner of Peniston and Prytania because it was exactly what a beautiful day here looks like to me. Continue reading
Sunset On Bayou St. John
It’s about to get warm again in New Orleans, so I decided to take advantage of the cool afternoon and got on the new bike for a trip to Mid-City and Bayou St. John. I love the new bike. I love just letting loose and speeding along, legs spinning, elbows bending. It feels so, so free. Jack and I are in for a long life of rides together, methinks. Continue reading
Decaying Car at S. Liberty and Valmont
It was a lovely, crisp day in New Orleans today–blue sky, sunny, slight breeze. I decided to take Freret home from work, but was stymied by a rare event: a bicycle traffic jam. There were enough bikes on Freret slowing my easy traffic that I went ahead and took South Liberty. It felt good to be on a different street, sailing along, noticing new houses and new stray cats and new downed trees. Continue reading
Emergency Phone at Tulane
Well, I am back to the blog following a Mardi Gras break. I was on my bike all weekend, but out late, tired, and often a touch too intoxicated to blog. I lost a tooth to some parade beads and took a nasty fall on Decatur Street that left me with a concussion, but all in all, it was a fantastic time. If you haven’t done Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you are missing out. Bring your bike–it made the whole event much more fun to navigate, plus it’s fun to decorate both bike and rider. I spent Mardi Gras day tooling around in a prom dress. Now that’s a fun way to ride a bike.
Post-Druid Parade Clean Up at Magazine and Bellecastle
So, the parades have started again. There was just one tonight–Ancient Druids–and they were following a new Uptown route, starting up at Jefferson and Magazine. I decided to hop on Rhoda and head up there to see the start. the weather report was bad today, predicting rain and hail, so the NOPD moved the parade start time up to 5:45 from 6:30. That meant the parade went off around, well, 6:30. Continue reading
The Mississippi River at the Fly on My New Bike
I didn’t have to be at work until noon today, so I took the opportunity to go for a ride on the new bike, tentatively named Jack. She’s a Surly Long Haul Trucker, a green steel beauty, a touring bike. I’ve been riding a big pink cruiser for the past year, so this is a huge upgrade in speed. I’ve already realized that there’s a lot more to riding this bike than Rhoda. There are gears to shift, hand grips to rotate, brakes to feather. It is so, so fun. Continue reading
Bunny Roadkill at Loyola
So there I was on my bike, zipping along on my commute, rediscovering old favorites on my ipod. And then I had to swerve to miss running over a dead bunny rabbit on St. Charles in front of Loyola U. Now, this is a city. What the heck is a bunny doing trying to cross the street here? Continue reading
Crowds At St. Charles and Sixth
I start this blog with some sad news. I’ve lost my camera. I last had it at a party on Saturday, and then it vanished. I don’t have money to buy a new one at the moment–all my dimes have gone into my new bicycle–so I guess it’ll be cell phone pictures for awhile. Boo! Continue reading
Marching Band in Oshun at Napolean and Prytania
The marching bands are lined up and the floats are assembled and my bike basket is full of beer and my hands are ready to catch beads. It’s Mardi Gras time! Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 