So when I first moved to New Orleans, the only grocery store I knew about was the Winn-Dixie on Tchoupitoulas, the regular grocery of my department chair/tour guide. I went there upon arrival to get a few things to make a first dinner in this city I hadn’t even visited before rolling up in the Hyundai Accent a few days before. There were no fresh tomatoes at the Winn Dixie. In August.* Continue reading
Uptown
A Line of Bikes at the Bicycle Second Line in Audubon Park
I got up before 7:00 this morning, on a Saturday. This is not something I consider appropriate for a woman of my habits, but today was the big day: the bike rodeo for kids, followed by the bicycle second line in support of the Metro Bicycle Coalition. Continue reading
My Tuned-Up Bike On Frenchman
After I finished up my writing tasks this afternoon I headed down to Frenchman Street on the rental Schwinn, hoping the Surly would be all done getting spit-shined at this season’s complimentary tune-up (more good reasons to buy from your local bike shoppe!). The Schwinn was a hybrid, easy step-through, fairly speedy, super cute. I thought I’d like some time sitting upright again, especially since Rhoda’s been having problems lately. And it was fun to ride a new bike for a few miles. But man, I was seriously missing my bike. Continue reading
Shipping Containers Along the Mississippi River at Marengo and Tchoupitoulas
So, I generally spend quite a bit of time on my bicycle. I used to think that all bikes were basically the same, but that’s just not true. My bike feels like my bike. It’s in the shop, though, and I’ve got a rental bike, and I wanted to take it out, see what she could do. Yeah, I like what the Surly can do. I like how big and heavy and steel she is. I miss my bike. But this one’s fun too. Sigh. Anyway. Tomorrow. Continue reading
Fruit Tree at Tulane’s Under the Oaks
Oh, it’s graduation season! I love graduating, I love watching other people graduate, I love the music, the parents, the leis, the everything. I knew I wouldn’t have much time to make it from the graduation lunch with the outstanding grads in public service to the Under the Oaks ceremony for the Newcomb College Institute, so I took the speedy little road bike and headed out in cloudy skies to celebrate myself some college graduates. 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
Wildflowers at Perrier and Valence
After yesterday’s disappointing duckling search, I decided to take T.’s advice and ride my bike around Audubon Park in search of Uptown baby birds. No such luck–I must be catching them all at their naptime–but I did see a whole bunch of herons, egrets, grown ducks, and turtles. It was a lovely day, and lots of folks were running and walking and rollerblading and biking and staring at birds. Continue reading
Speaker at Rally Supporting Sodexo Workers’ Right to Organize
After a long day at the office writing rec letters and thank you letters and request letters, I drove (!) home and got my bike and headed back to campus for a rally in support of Tulane’s Sodexo employees’ efforts to organize a union. I stood there with my bike and took this picture of a work speaking in front of McAlister Auditorium. She has worked at Tulane for 40 years. Since 1970. For longer than I’ve been alive. She makes less that $10 an hour after all that time. Continue reading
Standing Ashtray on Tulane’s Academic Quad
You know what a long day of bike riding often gets me the next day? A tired day of lazy bike commuting and not much other riding, which is fine, but kind of hard to balance when the weather is just so perfect and the bike beckons, as always. But alas. I hopped on Rhoda this morning for a leisurely pedal to campus where I met up with campus guest Susan Stryker, who kindly agreed to visit my classes and dazzle us all with her proven wit and intelligence. Continue reading
A Guy Ordering a Drink at the Saint
I got up this morning with the day off and no plans, so when J. tweeted to see if anybody wanted to join her at the City Council meeting, I was in. I took the Surly and pedaled downtown for what turned out to be several hours of parliamentary procedure and such highlights as Councilmember Midura reading the menu of a new restaurant in her district into the record (I’m not really feeling the turtle panini, personally) and Councilmember Head‘s insistence that restaurant Il Posto is “the best thing that’s happened in my neighborhood in a long time.” Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 