Bicycle Second Line on October 7!!

Ready to cruise New Orleans

A second line is a kind of informal parade native to New Orleans.  People march behind the first line.  

What is the first line?  It is a band of musicians who lead the parade and the people who hired the musicians to provide musical accompaniment while they march through their neighborhood.  What is the second line?  It is everybody else who joins in.  The second line can stretch for blocks and blocks.

There is going to be a bicycle second line during Gentilly Fest on October 7, 2012.  It is sponsored by Bike Easy, an organization that promotes safe bicycling in this fair city of New Orleans, LA.

New Orleans is the kind of city that is made for bicycles.  It is flat.  Around every corner is a fresh surprise.  Traveling New Orleans streets by bike is the best way to experience the cityscape.

We have ridden in a number of Bike Easy's second line parades.  It is always a good time as an armada of bicycles wend through the streets ringing bells and waving to everyone who comes out on their front porches to shout encouragement.

The best way to get around the city

There is a donation required to get some official swag, but in the spirit of second lines, everyone is welcome to join.  When we first moved to New Orleans, and participated in our first bicycle second line, we corresponded with Jamie Wine, Bike Easy's executive director and a gentleman of the velocipede.  He said that anybody can join the parade, donation or no.  "It's New Orleans.  It's a second line, for goodness' sake," he said.  Naturally, we encourage donations to this fine organization to support their good work and to get a nifty tee shirt and admission to the after party.   

La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast currently has four bicycles in its fleet, available free of charge to guests who would like to pedal about the streets of New Orleans.  If you haven't forgotten how to ride a bike, this second line parade is an excellent way to enjoy some New Orleans culture and camaraderie firsthand, and to enjoy Gentilly Fest.  Gentilly Fest runs from Friday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 7.  The music promises to be great.  Pontchartrain Park, where the festival is held, is about a half-hour picturesque bike ride from the 2200 block of Esplanade Avenue.

The men's model in front of our fountain

If you are looking for a unique experience flavored by a thriving community, consider La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast to attend Gentilly Fest.  We will provide the bicycles.  New Orleans will  provide the memories.

The ladies' model on the other side of the garden

A votre sante.

  

Enjoying the view

A pleasant oasis

I am sitting on the front porch of Les Fleurs Suite as I write this.  It is a beautiful day.  The view toward the Lake...

Gayarre Park through the wild ginger

Straight ahead...

Where Bayou Road crosses Esplanade Avenue

And toward the River...

The corner of North Miro Street and Esplanade Avenue

Let's look up at one of those old Southern Oaks...

At least a hundred-year-old tree

Les Fleurs is the largest of the suites currently open at our colorful and eclectic inn.  Because it is slightly above ground level its porch interacts with the street.  People walk by all the time.  They mind their own business.  If they do stop, it is to admire the building.  You can't blame them.

I've been sitting here for about a half hour, watching the world go by in our little corner of it.  All is peaceful this afternoon.  And that is the kind of news we like to report around here at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.

You could be sitting here

A votre sante.

More about Les Fleurs Suite

The shutters were for Hurricane Isaac when this photo was taken.

The largest of the suites currently open is Les Fleurs Suite.  It was the first to be finished, and even after that we've been making additions to the decor.  As we visit antique stores and art galleries around New Orleans, we find new additions for La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  Not just for the new suites, but also for those that we think are done.  When making a work of art, the work is never done.

Today we focus on the sitting room rather than the bedroom of Les Fleurs Suite.  Not that the bedroom doesn't deserve its own post, but we featured the flower bedecked bed enough with our last entry on these rooms.

We've added some prints to the sitting room:

Antique sofa and marble topped table

Les Fleurs Suite is located on the first floor, across from the dining room.  It has two rooms with a private bath.  The bathroom is just that, a place for full washing in an antique claw foot tub.  The sink is located, a-la-Europe, in the bedroom so that guests have complete privacy in the spacious water closet.

We picked up the table in Central City.  Get ready for a New Orleans geography lesson...

Central City is the neighborhood that lies uptown of Canal Street and the Superdome, roughly between Claiborne and St. Charles Avenues as far as Napoleon Avenue.  It is not in the center of the city, nor is it related to Mid-City, which is also not in the center of the city.  Tourists rarely visit Central City.  It is a relatively self-contained world serving the needs of its inhabitants.  It is a fascinating place, however, and was home to a thriving Jewish community and many jazz legends.  The Uptown Mardi Gras Indian Tribes are headquartered in Central City.

The table was on the sidewalk.  We knocked on the door and asked if the table was for sale.  The lady who answered the door said, "That table is for the trash man.  Take it if you want it.  I can't bear to look at it anymore."  On two motor scooters, we brought the table to its new home.

If you are sitting on the couch, this is what you will see in the opposite corner:

Pocket doors to the right, antique wardrobe to the left

Let's take a closer look at that wardrobe:

They don't make furniture like this any more

Les Fleurs Suite's front window (not pictured here) opens onto a front porch that faces Esplanade Avenue.  People stroll Esplanade Avenue all day long.  Some of them are locals, some of them are tourists, and some of them are both.  While sitting on the front porch, don't be surprised to see people stop to take a picture of the building.  Don't be surprised if tour buses or bicycle tours linger on the opposite side of the street.  

Sometimes, the tour guides are discussing Gayarre Park, which separates Esplanade Avenue from Bayou Road.  Other times, they are discussing the historical significance of the three stately manors in the middle of the 2200 block.  La Belle Esplanade is the rose between two magnolias.

I'm not really interested in writing a full post about the Les Fleurs Suite's bathroom.  Let's just post a photo and be done with it:

The water pressure promotes healthy skin and hair growth

2216 Esplanade Avenue is a manor built in the 1890s.  The building has undergone a number of renovations over the last century and more.  Your hosts think this incarnation is the best of all, honoring the past while moving into the bright future of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Every suite is equipped with its own refrigerator stocked with local soft drinks, beer, water and wine.  Each suite has a coffee maker to enjoy that first cup on a private porch or balcony.  The grounds are secure and locked off-street parking is available in the rear of the sumptuous gardens.  We also feature free wi-fi and cable TV.  Why anyone would want to watch TV while in New Orleans is beyond my idea of a vacation, but it is there if you want it.

If you are thinking about staying a New Orleans B&B, consider La Belle Esplanade.  The location is convenient and beautiful, as are the grounds.  

Bienvenue a l'Avenue d'Esplanade.

Sanctus, Sacre, Nola

Breakfast on Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA

Ready for breakfast

Imagine enjoying a New Orleans breakfast in one of the sunniest rooms on Esplanade Avenue.  We like to go the the farmers' market by American Can on Bayou St. John, about a half mile from La Belle Esplanade B&B, for fresh produce.  

Our particular favorite market is in the Arabi section of St. Bernard Parish.  We meet Josie there, where she provides us with preserves and pickles.  Her cherry jelly is one of our favorites, as is her pickled mirrilton.  

Cafe style seating

I get to take my motor scooter to Alois Binder Bakery in the Marigny in the wee hours of the morning to pick up a loaf of fresh po' boy bread for Josie's jellies.  Some days I stop by Cake Cafe, also in the Marigny, to pick up some souffles or a dozen of the most interesting onion bagels you've ever tried.  The hole is stuffed with diced onion.  Other mornings take me to the Buttermilk Drop in the 7th Ward, where I pick up their signature dish: buttermilk drops.  

A buttermilk drop is a local donut confection.  I've had many midnight "only in New Orleans" moments listening to grizzled men in the dead of night discussing how to make the perfect buttermilk drop.  I know one gentleman who has spent his professional life trying to fill one with jelly.  "It just can't be done," he says.  "A buttermilk drop is a cake.  You can't fill it, no matter how hard you try."  From what I gather during our conversations, he is still trying.

The buffet table is a salvaged door

True to the city, our coffee is locally sourced and infused with chicory, the New Orleans way.  It will get you ready to start the day with a spring in your step.

Color makes life interesting

As can be seen on Mr. Henry's breakfast menu, the citizens of New Orleans don't settle for two fried eggs with potatoes.  They prefer a meal that will stick to their ribs and keep them satisfied.  Yes, liver for breakfast, though we don't serve liver at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  Instead, we serve crawfish pie, alligator bites, muffalettas, and, on Mondays, red beans.

Some days I get to go up Bienville Street to pick up some fresh empanadas, filled with either chicken or fruit from Norma's Bakery.  This is a tucked-away treasure of a business located behind the Canal Street streetcar headquarters.

Every day presents a different meal at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  While we take great pride in the dining room, guests also dine al fresco on their balconies or in the garden out back.

Thank you everyone for booking a room at La Belle Esplanade, and thanks to all for your kind comments and reviews.  We humbly do what we can to make your stay in New Orleans a memorable adventure that you will fondly recall for years to come.

A votre sante.