Southeast - Moving - tell me about New Orleans?

Just got accepted at U of New Orleans. That's a long way from Anchorage, where i'm used to riding. What should we be prepared for?

Be prepared for flat riding and LOTS of humidity.

Heat, humidity, confusing roads and infrastructure, and some of the best food in the whole darn country.

Seriously, there's a large cycling group in N.O. and several more in the surrounding areas. There's quite a few competent bike shops, some nice places to ride in the immediate vicinity, and lots of friendly people. Here's some links to get you started:

http://www.crescentcitycyclists.org/
http://www.neworleansbicycleclub.org/
http://www.confederacyofcruisers.com/
http://www.nomambo.net/
http://crescentcityrandonneurs.blogspot.com/
http://www.metrobicyclecoalition.org/
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/
http://www.bikelouisiana.com/

There are many, many more things to see here, but these will get you started. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'm sure somebody will chime in if I can't.

We're car-free, my wife has asthma, and i'm going to be spending the next several years on the UNO campus; what neighborhoods and places should we be looking at for where to live?

That's the part of town that was flooded in 2005, though most of it's been rebuilt since then. The neighborhood there is called Gentilly, when I lived there back in 2001 it was mostly older homes populated by college students and older residents. Nowdays, I'm sure the homes are somewhat nicer, having been recently rebuilt. There are plenty of corner stores there, and a larger strip mall with a grocery store to the east by the Seminary. As you go further east, things get worse and worse, as you get into neighborhoods that were never rebuilt. But Gentilly is a nice, sleepy old place, not bad to live there at all. There's lots of apartments and rent houses, as the university is right there.

City Park is a few miles away, Lakeshore Drive is right there, and you can take a bus or ride over to Metairie to the huge shopping centers and resturaunts. The French Quarter and downtown is only about 5 miles to the south. There's at least 1 bike shop that I know of in Gentilly (at least there used to be) and several downtown and Metairie. There used to be one right near the UNO campus, too.

I haven't been there in 3 years, but that's the basic run-down. There's several hospitals within a few miles. Most of the doctor's office complexes are in Metairie, there's tons of them on Clearview Blvd next to the hospital.

Any other specific questions?

We're mostly looking at Metairie on account of cost. Don't know what that place is like.
What's cost of living like, and are there cycle laws different/more restrictive than we would be used to?

Send a PM to JoeyBike to arrange private lessons in negotiating N.O. traffic.:D

LOL at asking Joey... he's a one-man traffic wrecking crew. Much respect for him, but I couldn't recommend that style to a lot of people.

Metairie is nice, actually, mostly businesses, medical complexes, and shopping centers. There are some nice neighborhoods there. Bus service, and nearly every store you can think of is within walking distance. Cycling laws are mostly non-existant... there's a 3-foot law (fairly recently passed) and a FRAPS law, but bicyclists are pretty much ignored here.

Cost of living.. well, it's higher in N.O. than it is outside of town, but it's still not bad, nothing close to Alaska, California, New York.

I did a quick comparison from Anchorage to N.O. Things look favorable.



Based on an income of $30,000
Equivalent income in the city you are moving to: $22655.34.
You may take a 24.48% decrease and still maintain your standard of living.

Product Anchorage AK Metro New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA Metro Difference
Home Price $423,830.00 $272,114.00 $151,716.00
Payment + Interest $1,699.04 $1,110.81 $588.24
Apt. Rent $1,106.39 $1,019.49 $86.90
Total Energy $175.06 $137.12 $37.94
Optometrist $170.17 $75.35 $94.81
Lipitor $153.45 $148.64 $4.81
Doctor Visit $133.17 $83.99 $49.18
Dentist Visit $120.42 $67.07 $53.35
Washer Repair $70.47 $72.05 $1.58
Vet. Services $52.63 $39.92 $12.71
Beauty Salon $43.27 $37.04 $6.23
Women's Slacks $27.99 $21.38 $6.61
Men's Shirt $25.15 $28.38 $3.22
Boy's Jeans $25.01 $22.10 $2.90
Phone $22.41 $23.70 $1.29
Hair Cut $18.67 $12.24 $6.42
News Paper $16.43 $18.95 $2.52
Pizza $15.46 $11.06 $4.40
Tire Balance $12.71 $9.98 $2.73
Ibuprofen $11.76 $9.30 $2.46
Dry Cleaning $11.75 $10.58 $1.17
Beer $10.63 $7.94 $2.69
T.Bone Steak $10.18 $9.46 $0.71
Movie $10.11 $8.79 $1.32
Wine $9.49 $7.53 $1.96
Cascade $5.90 $4.40 $1.50
2-pc Chicken $5.44 $3.19 $2.25
Parmesan Cheese $5.16 $3.40 $1.76
Potato Chips $5.12 $3.25 $1.88
Sausage $4.62 $3.09 $1.53
Bowling $4.55 $3.81 $0.74
Coffee $4.53 $3.37 $1.16
Orange Juice $4.48 $2.77 $1.71
Cereal $4.41 $3.40 $1.01
Canola Oil $4.31 $2.71 $1.60
Hamburger Sandwich $3.88 $3.23 $0.65
Frozen Meal $3.49 $2.46 $1.03
Toothpaste $3.46 $2.48 $0.98
Ground Beef $3.37 $2.82 $0.55
Potatoes $3.33 $2.48 $0.85
Gasoline $3.31 $2.62 $0.70
Peaches $2.79 $2.02 $0.77
Sugar $2.71 $2.24 $0.48
Klennex $2.59 $1.88 $0.71
Tennis Balls $2.52 $1.92 $0.60
Frozen Corn $2.47 $1.14 $1.33
Half Gal. Milk $2.43 $2.40 $0.03
Dozen Eggs $2.31 $1.50 $0.81
Coke $2.24 $1.46 $0.78
Bread $2.03 $1.23 $0.80
Sweet Peas $1.56 $0.99 $0.57
Fried Chicken $1.39 $1.03 $0.36
Lettuce $1.34 $1.48 $0.14
Margarine $1.27 $0.82 $0.45
Tuna $1.17 $0.84 $0.33
Shampoo $1.07 $1.16 $0.09
Bananas $0.82 $0.53 $0.29
Mortgage Rate (%) 4.95% 5.12% -0.17

Hurricanes.

Is the Mississipi River Bridge easy to bike as an everyday commute, or is it intimidating and stressful?
Also.. FRAPS law?

Mississppi river bridges (the one near downtown, by the Superdome as well as the Huey P Long bridge on Clearview) are not bikeable. You can, however, take one of several ferries across the river. Those aren't too bad, they run every 30 minutes, I believe. Much nicer, and free.

FRAPS stands for "Far Right as Practicable" which basically means you have to stay to the right side of the lane. The law says travel lanes, and in a sensible state, that would be enough. Louisiana locals, however, take FRAP as meaning "off the road completely, or on the shoulder where the glass and shrapnel is". Basically, the laws are there, but don't expect local law enforcement to rule in your favor. There seems to be more understanding around the UNO campus and downtown, where there's more cyclists.

In general, most people will give you room, but there will always be people who feel it's their job to "teach you a lesson." No different from anywhere else.

If you've never lived in or been to the deep south you are in for a huge awakening! New Orleans and the deep south are very different from any part of the U.S.A. in every way imaginable; culture; weather; terrain, etc., etc. Try to avoid living in the suburbs. Oh, i lived in the Big Easy from 1939 until 2005. Presently, I live some 2,500 miles to the west of N.O.

"We're mostly looking at Metairie on account of cost. Don't know what that place is like." Probably the most Republican parish in the state of Louisiana. Get my drift?

UNO and Metairie are quite a distance apart. I'm not aware of any good cycling route to UNO from Metairie or good public transportation for that matter. Gentilly is closer to UNO with good cycling routes. There are good cycling routes and public transit from Gentilly to the CBD and French Quarter.

You don't really want to commute over the bridge.. and the summer here is hoooooottttttttttt... so get ready...
Two really good yahoo groups for biking questions are LAMBRA and NOBC
Are you a commuter or faster than that? Dwight in Mid City New Orleans

There's actually an article about riding in New Orleans in the April issue of Road Bike Action.

NOLA is easy to get around on a bike once you learn to navigate. JoeyBike has a map on his website....joeybike.com. I'd recommend Mid-City or parts of Gentilly. Mid-City is close to the French Quarter, real close to city park, and has access to public transportation. I live Uptown, work in Mid-City, & attend UNO as well. It's flat down here so cycling is easy, but the heat/humidity can be a downer & takes some getting used to. Good Luck!


There's actually an article about riding in New Orleans in the April issue of Road Bike Action.
Was it positive? Is there a link to the article?

I am a New Orleans native and just moved back to NOLA after 28 years in the Northeast. First off, you need to change your expectations a bit. You won't have lots of options for routes like you are used to, but the routes aren't bad. Its all flat so your butt is in the saddle all the time, and you learn to get out of the saddle now and then just for circulation. Your ass will be more numb and uncomfortable as a result.

There are three different routes for road cycling, but you can change them up a bit to keep it interesting: Lakefront/Gentilly, City Park, and the Mississippi River levee. The rest of the roads outside these main routes are not good for road cycling because of the poor condition of the streets. My next bike purchase will be a cyclocross, which will open more routes for me. NOLA is not a cycling mecca like the Northeast where I came from, but there are other activities to supplement the down-tick in cycling options.

1. There is a sizable and growing triathlon/multi-sport communtity here.
2. Lots of runners
3. A really nice new state of the art tennis center with lots of courts in City Park
4. There's a frisbee golf course in City Park
3. Gyms

With this in mind, cycling can still be your primary sport supplemented by some of the above.

Let me be clear, you likely will not live car free in New Orleans. You can minimize the driving, but you will need wheels. Metairie is a suburb of New Orleans, and its not a terrible driving commute to UNO, but its not nearby, and not practical for bike commuting. Gentilly and Lakefront neighborhoods are much closer, and parts of these areas are nice. Slightly farther from UNO than these two are Bayou St. John, City Park and Mid City. Again, parts are nice, and they are in bike commuting distance to campus. Bike commuting is becoming more common, more bike lanes and routes are being added to the city, and motorists are becoming more used to bikes.

I live in Mid City near the intersection of Carrollton Ave. and Canal St. Its ok, but you have to pick your block wisely because some are ok, and some are higher crime, which is typical of New Orleans (good and bad neighborhoods border each other, and it can change by crossing the street to the next block). If I were to do it over again, I would live closer to the cemeteries in Mid City, not on the downtown side of Carrollton where i now live.

UNO is right on the Lakefront, where there's good cycling, and it connects to City Park, where you can get some miles in lapping the outside of the park (Marconi Drive, Wisner Blvd., Robert E. Lee and City Park Ave.)

You will love this city, and cycling is ok here, but manage your expectations as you are likely spoiled, as I was.

NOLA is easy to get around on a bike once you learn to navigate. JoeyBike has a map on his website....joeybike.com. I'd recommend Mid-City or parts of Gentilly. Mid-City is close to the French Quarter, real close to city park, and has access to public transportation. I live Uptown, work in Mid-City, & attend UNO as well. It's flat down here so cycling is easy, but the heat/humidity can be a downer & takes some getting used to. Good Luck!


Was it positive? Is there a link to the article?

Yeah, I don't think it was negative. I only quickly browsed the article and have since lent the issue to a coworker. I couldn't find a link to the article online.

Show up in late October and leave in early May, and you'll love it. Summers here are Africa hot. Stand by for a bit of a shock to the system culturally and aesthetically. All of New Orleans (real New Orleans, anyway) is old and much of it is very run down. Good neighborhoods border bad, like orcanova mentioned. I hated it here at first, but this town will definitely will grow on you. And you'll never find an area where the residents are more proud of their town.

The levee (Mississippi River Trail) is a good place to ride, but it'll be a drive from where you're looking to live. I live in Uptown on St. Charles and love it. I can get anywhere worthwhile without a car, and the scenery in Audubon Park can be outstanding...Tulane right across the street, if you catch my drift. Pretty far from UNO, though. Great restaurants everywhere and good music, of course. Kermit Ruffins is playing a free concert tomorrow in the Lafayette Square, for instance. Lot's of good things, it just takes some time to get used to.

Honestly, there's a whole other thread needed just to cover all the MUST DO's in this town.

I've never really "lived" there, but have visited numerous times over the past 40 years of my life. I jealous that you're given the chance to live there! I've walked and biked all over the quarter, the Marigny, and the Treme, as well as Mid-City, etc. Can't imagine wanting to live outside those areas, one of the most walkable and bikeable places in the States, at least based on my limited experience, of course I've no experience with the UNO area. I also remember riding a UNICEF fundraiser from the mid-80's that included a long ride around lakes Ponchartrain and Maurepas, starting from the Broad Street (is my memory right?) Gus Betat and ending in the Quarter - does anyone do such a ride now?

Depending on where you're going to be, be absolutely sure to lock up the bike -- maybe even with two locks (one to each tire). It's an awesome city though. Smells are interesting to say the least and sometimes a bit unpleasant. However you should have a great time with the rich diversity and endless things to look at. Many interesting places to ride your bike. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back soon.

Send a PM to JoeyBike to arrange private lessons in negotiating N.O. traffic.:D

Negotiating? I was unaware you could negotiate with traffic. Oh perhaps you mean navigating. :p

Just got accepted at U of New Orleans. That's a long way from Anchorage, where i'm used to riding. What should we be prepared for?

Your bike will work just the same down here. You might sweat a little more.

New Orleans is easy to bike relative to Jefferson (Metairie). Every route in Orleans Parish (county) is pretty close to a straight shot and our roads are currently in pretty good shape except for a few, and they should be fixing those soon. Jefferson is bikeable, but it is harder to get anywhere in a straight line as the major arteries are tough on cyclists and the back streets were not set up in any orderly fashion. Still, it can be done. I am car free here over 20 years and still happy about it.

As mentioned above, I have a bike map of my routes in New Orleans on my Website http://www.joeybike.com that you can print or view on a handheld device. I also have a route map of Jefferson north of the Mississippi River on Google Maps. You can access that one from my site as well.

New Orleans is a small city. I can get anywhere in 20 minutes by bike.

If you really can't figure it out with the maps shoot me an email from my site. You can PM me here, but I don't hang out here much any more.

One major car-free issue: How do you get out of town when a major hurricane is bearing down on us. My wife has a dependable vehicle. That is how I do it. You need to consider that.

Cheers!

One major car-free issue: How do you get out of town when a major hurricane is bearing down on us. My wife has a dependable vehicle. That is how I do it. You need to consider that.
Cheers!

So *that* is why you just got married!!!:lol::lol::lol:

So *that* is why you just got married!!!:lol::lol::lol:

Funnier than that even.

We have been "practicing" being married for 16 years. We knew we better Git-er-done while we still look good in photographs.

We're here.. Our bikes aren't yet, though. blah! We're going to need to fix that soon!
What's with all the fat tires? Is there a reason, or is it just because that's what the ubiquitous singlespeed cruisers have stock?

We're here.. Our bikes aren't yet, though. blah! We're going to need to fix that soon!
What's with all the fat tires? Is there a reason, or is it just because that's what the ubiquitous singlespeed cruisers have stock?

It's just part of the laid-back New Orleans lifestyle. Not everybody is like that, but yeah... it's New Orleans.

Better flotation.

better flotation.

lol.

We're here.. Our bikes aren't yet, though. blah! We're going to need to fix that soon!
What's with all the fat tires? Is there a reason, or is it just because that's what the ubiquitous singlespeed cruisers have stock?

There's a lot of young, bohemian types here on fixies and cruisers, and get around a lot on bikes. I think their presence increases the number of and the visibility cyclists here and are helping make drivers more aware of and used to bikes on the streets. Drivers here used to not know how to deal with a bike on the road, and most thought bikes belong on the sidewalk (one big, stupid dick in a pickup truck recently buzzed me on Carrollton, and at the stoplight he yelled that I was supposed to be on the sidewalk). But for the most park drivers are much more used to bikes now, and much better about it.

Fat tires are also more common because the road conditions here suck, for the most part. The one bike I don't have, which would be probably the best bike to have here, is a cyclocross. That would open a lot of cycling routes. Time trial bikes are aplenty here, too, due to the growing multi-sport community, and they are a good choice for the winds along the lakefront, and atop the levee. There's also a lot of newbies getting into cycling, and they go for the bling of a TT bike when they walk into a bike shop. Its a byproduct of the fact that New Orleans people are admittedly tacky, gauche, flashy and flamboyant. Everything is a Mardi Gras parade and everyone wants that big, shiny red fire truck to ride in, since its a conversation piece. So you do see a fair amount of out of shape riders on TT bikes in t-shirts and camelbacks, usually with bad riding skills. Its cool, and I find it amusing.

Some good paved roads for road bike routes (look at Google maps and see how they interconnect):

Carrollton Ave.
Wisner Blvd.
Canal St.(away from downtown)
Canal Blvd.
Orleans Ave.
City Park Ave.
Marconi Dr.
Robert E. Lee Blvd. (there is one horrible stretch between Franklin Ave and Elysian Fields)
Leon C. Simon Blvd.
Gentilly Blvd.
Desaix Blvd.
Franklin St.
Press St.
Lakeshore Drive


Note that all of these are City Park/Gentilly/Lakefront area. Uptown is a bit congested and I don't know any good routes there, although they may exist.

The other long route is the Mississippi River Trail, which runs from Audubon Park to near Ormond Plantation in Norco/Destrahan La., on top of the levee on the East Bank. I think its 22 miles one way. Lots of headwinds and tailwinds as it winds like a snake along the Mississippi.

Another long route is out Hwy. 90 towards and beyond the Rigoletts, towards Bay St. Louis. Its flat and barren, but you can get a lot of miles in. I recommend not riding through New Orleans East, as the traffic sucks and there's no shoulder, but starting at Bayou Sauvage and going from there.

The main thing you need to do is make sure all your belongings are either portable or disposable. Because it is only a matter of time before another Hurricane puts that place under water again.

funny, but not funny, pitchpole. No need for derogatory comments. Really don't care if you don't care about "that place."

It was 'just a matter of time until another hurricane hit' for decades and decades and decades and nobody had any trouble. Plus, the evacuation has been dissected and replanned. Your risk meter is off.

Louisiana's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be... especially not as backwoods as some places I've been in Arkansas and Texas. But, it's all relative. I agree it's kind of dumb to have an entire community built below sea level, but hey, that's just the way it is. The city's been there longer than most of the states in the U.S.

And hey, you can't beat the food. Best cooking in the whole, entire country... bar none. History, culture, uniqueness, cuisine, architecture... and mosquitoes and heat/humidity. I put up with the bad stuff cause I love the good stuff.

JusticeZero: you get your stuff yet? Everything settled, do you need anything?

funny, but not funny, pitchpole. No need for derogatory comments. Really don't care if you don't care about "that place."

My comment is not meant to be derogatory. I have relatives who live in New Orleans and I enjoy visiting there. Hurricane activity is predicted to become more severe in the coming years. New Orleans is right along one of the most common tracks for Hurricanes and it is also below sea level. If you think the risk is acceptable go ahead. When you go to buy flood insurance please post up what the rates are.

Plenty of mosquitoes in the sweaty summer afternoons. Seriously, you may see gators crossing public roads every now and then. The summer temperatures are grueling humid, it does take a while to get use to.

Headwinds are going to be your hills.

I did a while back the Times Picayune marathon, if not mistaken it is now called the Rock n' Roll marathon. It was just celebrated May 06, the food is awesome, I love Gumbo / creole food big time!

Be careful with the Hurricanes, hand grenades, jagermesiter shots... lol

http://stupidfathobbit.org/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/jagermeister.png

If you go to Bourbon street, stay on the main roads, it is very easy to get mobbed as its a touristic trap. I lived in Metairie for almost 2 years, our cars got broken in 3 times.

My comment is not meant to be derogatory. I have relatives who live in New Orleans and I enjoy visiting there. Hurricane activity is predicted to become more severe in the coming years. New Orleans is right along one of the most common tracks for Hurricanes and it is also below sea level. If you think the risk is acceptable go ahead. When you go to buy flood insurance please post up what the rates are.

Fair enough. It just came across that way. But actually New Orleans is usually out of the common hurricane paths. They usually go up to the Florida/Bama region or over to Texas, but they always seem to miss here.

Many poeple also don't realize that Katrina, as for as the New Orleans area is concerned, was also a man-made disaster, thanks ot the Army Corps of Engineers designing and building the Mississippi River Gulf outlet, which gift-wrapped the storm surge and placed it on our laps, and the under spec'd canals and the malfeasance in the construction, which were even under-built from the inferior specs.

Not to detract from how amazingly powerful and devastating that storm was, but the flooding in New Orleans and St. Bernard was in a large part a man made problem, and the canals and levees are being brought up to the protection where they should be.

So far, only issue is that i'm getting a bike soon, but it'll be in Kenner. I'm in the Garden district. Not sure how i'm going to pick it up.
Oh, are there materials to watch for or avoid? I'm used to "Cotton Kills", but I doubt i need to worry much about my clothes icing up here....

You still want to avoid cotton in the summer. You will be drenched with sweat, and soaked cotton shirts are just nasty and chafing when it's 100 degrees out. We're still not in the hot part of the summer yet, enjoy this little cool snap while you can.

So far, only issue is that i'm getting a bike soon, but it'll be in Kenner. I'm in the Garden district. Not sure how i'm going to pick it up.
Oh, are there materials to watch for or avoid? I'm used to "Cotton Kills", but I doubt i need to worry much about my clothes icing up here....

If I were in town I would offer to help, as I am out in Kenner often, but I am in Natchez at the moment. That's one of those situations where a car is required, but maybe that won't happen often. PM me next week and I may be able to get you out there.

So far, only issue is that i'm getting a bike soon, but it'll be in Kenner. I'm in the Garden district. Not sure how i'm going to pick it up.
Oh, are there materials to watch for or avoid? I'm used to "Cotton Kills", but I doubt i need to worry much about my clothes icing up here....

Are you living in the Garden District? I'd recommend a taxi out to Kenner and then ride back along the Lakefront and come down Marconi to Wisner down to Carrollton Avenue to St Charles Avenue...it will be a nice ride. (I was born and raised in NOLA - I have ridden just about everywhere there.)

As for cotton - in the South cotton is king. The synthetics are good for long rides but depending on the distance of your ride a cotton t-shirt is very comfortable.

The reason for the fat tires - a lot of New Orleans streets may not be in the best condition. I preferred fat tires on the streets but a road bike for the bike path areas.

some of the best food in the whole darn country.

Just got accepted at U of New Orleans. That's a long way from Anchorage, where i'm used to riding. What should we be prepared for?


New Orleans just got voted dirtiest city in the US. Saw it on the national news last night. New Orleans must be filthy if it is dirtier than Detroit.

Got the bike, bussed it there. Put a review up in Utility Cycles. Wanted to give a good review. Still want to give a good review. Am reluctantly panning the thing hard though.
Teenage daughter showing up soon. Need to find her some work quickly. :p

New Orleans just got voted dirtiest city in the US. Saw it on the national news last night. New Orleans must be filthy if it is dirtier than Detroit.



No, its not that bad. Not the cleanest city, but Travel and Leisure readers generally only see Bourbon Street and base their impressions on that. It is one of the most violent, though.