[tradtimbo]

Whats it like there? I know its got to be pretty flat. Is there a lot of commuting going on? bike paths? bike lanes? hipsters with fixters? roadies with spandex? dual suspension MTB rockin trails? cute girlies on cruisers? tell me please! I'm moving there in August!!!!
Tim

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[Jufimbo]

Hey trad. We have a 1.8 mile path around Audubon park that is nice but usually crowded. There is the Levy path with is smooth but usually windy. The streets here can be pretty rough, but we've been recently told that money for repairs is forthcoming. In which part of New Orleans will you be staying?

[tradtimbo]

We don't know where we'll be yet. Any suggestions?? My wife has to go there for a 6month training program. I'm trying to find part time work for the period. you know of any good shops that might be looking for a part time mechanic in August? just throwing it out there.

Thanks for the info by the way.

[roughrider504]

Its going to be hot in August!

[tradtimbo]

oh man....heat. I guess we'll have to deal with that. How hot does it get anyway?

[roughrider504]

Its not the heat you have to worry about, its the humidity. You'll sweat a lot but its not too bad.

[Jufimbo]

Hot and the height of Hurricane season. There are 3 shops in Orleans Parish that I know of. Bicycle Michael's is on Frenchman street just outside of the quarter. GNO is on the other side of town, on Carrollton Ave on the Streetcar line. Bayou Bicycles is near Bayou St. John in Mid City. I did see a help wanted sign in the window of GNO when I went the other day, so you might check them out. As far as where to stay...the streets are going to be nice in the burbs like Metairie or maybe on the Westbank, but you're going to sacrifice a lot of the local flavor. I live in the uptown area and like it a lot, but the streets can be horrible. It is really easy to live car-less if you're in Orleans Parish, but it may take some time to find a route that won't rattle the spine out of your body.

[spider-man]

There's also some nice riding on the north shore (of Lake Pontchartrain) and up in Tangipahoa Parish. There's a short MUP on Jefferson Davis Parkway that's eventually going to be extended all the way to the lake, and as mentioned there's the MUP on the Mississippi River levee. From Audubon Park to Destrehan (where the pavement ends) and back on the levee path is about 44 miles. It's not the most scenic ride in the world, but it's not bad. It's not so windy in the summer, but it is brutally humid, so it's best to get out there early.

There's also good road cycling in the City Park/Lakefront area. City Park was badly flooded in the engineering failure of 2005, and the golf courses have been idle since then, so it's a pleasant place to ride, with little motorised traffic. City Park is also much larger than Audubon, and yet it is used far less. For those reasons, I find it more pleasant, but that's just my opinion.

There's eventually going to be a new MUP in the Lafitte corridor, basically connecting the French Quarter to Mid-City.

Motorists are a hazard here. There is a culture of partying, which means many drivers have had a drink or two or more. Lots of cell phone jabberers. Red lights are considered only a suggestion that a driver might want to consider stopping.

But there are also a lot of bicyclists here. Many people in the Quarter, Faubourg Marigny and Bywater use bicycles exclusively for transportation. There's a bit of a hipster scene, and lots of cute girls on bikes.

There's mountain biking in the Bonnet Carre Spillway and some trails up in Baton Rouge.

[tradtimbo]

This is great. thanks for the advice! I'll definatly be checking out all this stuff! Iso, if I'm going car free, it sounds like the Parish is the way to go? I'll be checking out apartments, so these things are great to know.

[Jufimbo]

Carfree is easy, easy. In Orleans parish. If you say "The Parish,' then people will assume that you're talking about St. Bernard parish, what was heavily damaged in the storm. Pretty sure you want Orleans parish, which is the same as New Orleans city limits.

[tradtimbo]

Thanks for the clarification. your right, I want New Orleans parish!

[globe9]

The Spillway Trail is pretty nice. It's got jumps, obstacles, etc. The spillway is in St. Charles Parish...about 20 minutes from NOLA. I like to ride the old Arboreum trail in City Park. It's got a huge hill(bigger than Monkey Hill at the zoo), with several paths on it. It's also wooded, so it's easy to forget I'm in flat, New Orleans. There is a bike path that extends from Orleans Parish to St. Charles Parish along the lake also. Very scenic, since you have a view of the lake the whole way. Across the lake there is the Tammany Trace, which is part of a Rails to Trails program. It's very nice. I wish Jefferson Parish would start a rails to trails program. Welcome to NOLA btw...I'm getting ready to leave here in about a year. Will be in either NC or Austin. Checking out which place offers the best outdoorsy stuff.