im going down to new orleans for the sugar bowl for a week...anyone in the area know of good areas to run?
im going down to new orleans for the sugar bowl for a week...anyone in the area know of good areas to run?
Haven't been there since Katrina but on my past trips i used to run along the St. Charles trolley car route. From center city to Audobon Park and back. It's flat, a lot of grass, and i didn't have trouble with lights, traffic, or (to my surprise) dog crap. There were a bunch of other runners and i don't know if they were locals or tourists.
Have no idea if that's possible today, or, if that was a safe route. I ran at 9am or so and had no problems. Made the mistake of running through the French Quarter one morning, what a stench!
I lived in New Orleans for a number of years and became a runner while living there. Depends on where you are staying. My favorite place to run was the Lakefront (there's water fountains every couple of miles), but that's probably not near where you're staying. City Park is great. Also Audobon Park (up the trolley car line near Tulane) has a great 2-mile loop in the park. The NOTC used to run summer 2-mile "fun runs" there. Enjoy Nawlins, but prepare yourself for the sight of massive devastation. It's still a disaster zone, but I'm glad people like you are going to the city to help support the businesses that are still there.
There are some good areas to run. Most were stated by the original responder to the thread.
I'd be more than happy to let you know about the best places to run in the city. Just give me a general idea of where you are staying? Will you be down in the Quarter or by the Dome? Or are you out in Metaire or another suburb?
im staying at the new orleans marriot on canal street...are a lot of the routes that you guys were talking about different because of katrina also?
From the Mariott, just go up Canal to St. Charles. Take a left, and you can run down the street car line (it's pavement until Lee Circle. After that, it turns into grass/dirt). After about 4 miles, you'll reach Audubon Park. Audubon has a 2 mile dirt loop that goes around it. You can extend that loop to 3.5 miles if you go behind the Zoo to the Fly (a park area that runs along the Mississippi River). Also, if you go up by the Zoo, you can find a asphalt bike trail that extends for miles along the Mississippi River.
Another possibility is running through the French Quarter (pick any road you'd like) until you reach Esplanade. Take a left here, and you can run all the way until you reach City Park (which is enourmous, but lacks trails). Some of this route can be a bit dicey, especially when you get by N. Rampart and go under the interstate. However, you'll also pass some amazing areas and homes, one of which used to belong to Degas. This is a route to do during daylight hours (the St. Charles run can be done at almost any time).
Granted, these are routes I did pre-Katrina. The St. Charles/Audubon route was not affected at all, but the Esplanade route may have.
If you'd like any suggestions on nightlife, let me know. I lived in the city for a few years, and will actually be back for the game. More than anything, if you are going to be in the city for a few days, I'd just do Bourbon St once. It's a nice experience - Pat Os, Tropical Isle, and Cat's Meow are great places - but there are some fantastic places Uptown, in the Marigny, etc that you should check out. You may even want to look online at the websites for Tipitinas, House of Blues, Snug Harbor, Funky Butt (does it still exist?) to see if there are going to be any great concerts going on.
Sundays at 7-8am people meet at the fountain in Audubon park to run.
click on this link so see local races.
If your fast enough you can run with Jesus below.
