by Larry Lagarde

GREAT NEWS:
RideTHISbike will soon have a bike store in the New Orleans French Quarter!

After looking at locations for over a year, I am very excited to announce that RideTHISbike.com will soon have a store in the French Quarter. Located at 317 Burgundy St, the store is a few minutes' walk from Bourbon St (2 blocks), Canal St (3 blocks) and a quick streetcar or taxi ride from most New Orleans hotels, lodging accommodations and neighborhoods like the CBD, Warehouse District, Uptown, Mid City, etc.

Most of the folding bicycles currently on the folding bike page at RideTHISbike.com (as well as some other models) will be available at the store. Bikes will be offered for sale and for rent. Hotel delivery as well as helmets, water and bike locks will be available.

Why The French Quarter
The Quarter is the heart and soul of New Orleans. Designed for horses, buggies and walking, the Quarter's grid of narrow streets (where multi-story buildings stand shoulder to shoulder) is well suited for bicycling via folding bike. New Orleans is flat so a small folding bicycle with just a few gears is fine. Plus, Quarter residents, workers and visitors can fold their bike and take it with them inside where the bike's out of sight of vandals and thieves.

Hopefully, the sight of folding bikes zipping around the French Quarter will help more Americans recognize that bicycles are practical, sustainable and fun transportation.

By the way, if you're in New Orleans for a convention, cruise or something else that limits your time, a folding bike is a great way to quickly discover the city's main sights.

Labels: French-Quarter, French-Quarter-bike-shop

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
I 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.

I 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

Labels: bike-ride-video, French-Quarter, New-Orleans-bike-tour