2010 Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl

Saturday, May 22, 2010

1. Finn McCool’s, 3701 Banks Street.  This Mid-City pub, named after the magical hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill of Irish and Scottish mythology, has won the hearts of the neighborhood with its festive and friendly attitude.  A place to watch sporting events from Saints games to soccer matches, a place to unveil book releases or hold fundraisers, a place to meet for drinks and share your knowledge of trivia, Finn McCool’s has become a welcome fixture in Mid-City.  It is the gathering point for the 2010 Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl.  Be there as early as 8:30a.m., and the ride will begin at 9:30a.m. sharp.

2. Mid-City Yacht Club, 440 S. St Patrick Street.  This land-locked tavern takes its name from the high Katrina flood waters filling its immediate neighborhood.  The MCYC also derives its name from the fact that the New Basin Canal, a shipping channel that operated from the 1830’s through the 1940’s, ran one block from their establishment where the Pontchartrain Expressway now stands.  This bar is the charitable steward of St. Patrick ball field and is the second stop on this year’s Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl.

3. Pal’s Lounge, 949 N. Rendon Street.  This off-the-beaten-path neighborhood joint gets its name from the propensity of one of its owners to call people "Pal" like in the old movies. You know, "hey, Pal" or "how's it going, Pal?"  This place was once Yvonne's Bar with a colorful history of back room poker games and slightly shady ladies, but for over eight years it has been under the proprietorship of Suzanne, Linda and Rio during which time it has become renowned for its grilled chicken and black bean tacos served every Tuesday evening with homemade Sangria.  Pal’s Lounge, inventor of a New Orleans Rum Blueberry Lemonade drink, is the third stop on this year’s Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl.

4. Candle Light Lounge, 925 N. Robertson Street.  One of Faubourg Tremé’s last surviving clubs, the Candle Light Lounge has stood as a celebrated neighborhood gathering place for over thirty years under the mothering care of Ms. Leona (aka “Chinee”).  Many a memory has been formed, and lost, in this late-night hangout!  The Candle Light Lounge hosts live music frequently including the legendary Tremé Brass Band every Wednesday starting at 9:00p.m..  Cyclists and neighbors will be treated to a short set of New Orleans folk music by the Tin Men on the grass of adjacent Tuba Fats Square during the fourth stop on this year’s Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl.

5. Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, 732 N. Broad Street.  The headquarters for the revered Mardi gras krewe normally does not open its doors to the public on Saturday morning, but once again Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club members are generously welcoming riders into their lair.   Among other things, this philanthropic krewe supports the Morris Jeff Community School, an open-access public elementary school slated to re-open in fall 2010 that is named after Morris FX Jeff Sr who pioneered education and recreation programs for the city’s youth as a director of NORD programs for nearly forty years.  Morris Jeff was a long-time member of the Zulu SA&PC and served as the much-honored Zulu King in 1972!  The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is a pillar of stability in a neighborhood that is at times troubled, and it proudly supports New Orleans’ annual “Night Out Against Crime”.  The peddlers are in turn (pun intended) proud to be embraced by Zulu’s benevolence as the fifth stop on this year’s Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl.

6. Bayou Beer Garden, 326 N. Jefferson Davis Parkway.  Opened in October 2009, this latest addition to the Mid-City cluster of watering holes is located a block from the end of Bayou St John.  With a trove of over seventy local and international beers, the Bayou Beer Garden also serves cocktails in a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.  Its outdoor deck and patio is the perfect spot to escape and wile away an afternoon or evening.  The last stop on this year’s Bayou Boogaloo Bicycle Pub Crawl has plenty of parking near the rear entrance on N. Rendon Street.

Bayou Bicycles, which has served Mid-City’s bicycle community since 1988, is once again providing offsite bicycle parking for festival goers this year.  Look for the Specialized Bicycles event tent that marks the bicycle parking area, and step inside the shop for a cup of coffee if you’d like.  This year’s Bayou Boogaloo stretches from the foot of Bayou St John up to Dumaine Street, and performances begin on Saturday at 11:00a.m..

To get a rough head count, please contact Peter Hickman (preferably by e-mail) before 5/22/10:

Peter J. Hickman
cell: (504)427-1207
e-mail: phickm@gmail.com