Streetcar Tracks At Lee Circle

The weather seems strangely cool these days, but a few spins on the cycle and I’m reminded how humid it is. Today I rode around Uptown, meeting friends for lunch and then an afternoon beer and pool. Then I headed down to the Quarter (I’m not-so-secretly shopping for something ridiculous), and ended up in the Treme with D. for a lovely evening of cat-watching. I took Royal back Uptown instead of my usual Decatur. I was thinking as I pedaled along how very much a creature of habit I am. I make the same rides almost every day, and I barely even think about it. Decatur turns in to Magazine, which is nicely paved until around Washington, where the rippling asphalt makes riding to the right a dicey proposition. Magazine, though, is getting ripped up and repaved, so I’m going to have to stop riding on autopilot. Royal is a great street for riding, as is St. Charles. The trouble is Lee Circle. The intrepid cyclist must get over a lane to the left, avoiding the streetcar, and then manage to go around the circle while keeping the tires at a 90 degree angle to all of these tracks. Last winter I took a nasty spill here when my tires slipped out from under me on these tracks during a rainstorm. A couple of guys sitting in front of that gas station in the background advised me to “be careful.”  Excellent advice, gentlemen. I think about that fall every time I ride  here, but at least I’m more careful. I think I’ll start taking Baronne, though.