Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Video - French Quarter Via Folding Bike

http://jumpcut.com/view?id=BBC1405681DC11DCB5D4000423CF382E

This is a video of a fun bike ride I did through the New Orleans French Quarter earlier this month on a single speed $169 Ultralite folding bike with 16" wheels. Outfitted from the factory with a carry rack and coaster brakes, this folding bike is simple to operate yet nimble. The bike was a great platform for shooting video while zig zagging around horse drawn carriages, oblivious motorists, street performers, tourists staring at architecture, etc.

The Route
marquee - New Orleans French MarketI started out on the eastern edge of the Quarter at Frenchmen & Decatur and rode west on Decatur towards Cafe DuMonde. At Ursuline St, I turned right. I rode past the high wall of the Ursuline's Convent and past one of my favorite bakeries - Croissant d'Or. I turned left onto Royal St and biked past Brennan's Restaurant, antique shops and the Louisiana Supreme Court. I circled the courthouse and rode up Chartres towards St. Louis Cathedral.

Folding bike with the Steamboat Natchez paddlewheeler steaming away for a river cruise down the MississippiI spun past K Paul's, the Napoleon House (a bar with an aura of old world intrigue & charm) the Pontalba Apartments and (of course) St. Louis Cathedral. I circled the art wall along the wrought iron fence of Jackson Square, pedaled through the French Market and past the headquarters for the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park (where a traditional jazz concert was taking place). I ended the ride by pedaling along the Moonwalk on the Mississippi River and made it to the steamboat Natchez just as it was pulling away from the dock for a river tour.

What a great place for a bike ride!

Larry

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