Help me navigate Memphis and New Orleans by Amtrak and bicycle
January 28, 2016 11:56 AM
I'm planning our ten-year anniversary, complete with stays in Memphis and New Orleans in mid-to-late September. I've booked the tickets on Amtrak, and would ideally ship our bikes so we can get around car-free. Can you help me locate good areas to stay?
We plan to find an AirBnB in each city to stay at and use as a base of operations. That said, I'm largely unfamiliar with the geography and bike-friendliness of these cities.
Since we'll likely do our share of tourist crap, along with seeking out craft beer and good food and just sort of *being* in both places, I'd like to find something convenient to what each city has to offer. As an example, while the Amtrak station is in downtown Memphis, close to restaurants (and presumably hella nightlife), a quick read of a map suggests we'd be better off staying in Cooper-Young or Central Gardens if we wanted to hit a variety of local breweries as well as visit Stax, Overton Park, and other stuff (like maybe Graceland), on top of checking out Mud Island and the downtown scene.
Similarly, New Orleans looks like nearly everything is centered around the French Quarter, so maybe staying there or Treme would make most sense, in addition to being close to the station.
We generally like to take in a couple of the "have to do it" tourist stops, but we also appreciate odd, out-of-the-way experiences, and travel more for an idea of what it is like to exist in a city. Once we've got a spot we're staying at, we're very good at finding the area vibe.
As far as getting around by bike - I'm a very confident cyclist; I am legit not bothered by just taking up a lane of traffic if that's what needs doing. My wife, less so. We can both ride great distances under favorable conditions, but nasty roads and hateful drivers would tend to keep us close to where we're staying (and the Amtrak station as well) just because. It's no fun to dodge potholes, middle fingers, stray chunks of curb, and hurled cans all at once :)
Finally: how paranoid should we be about bike theft? We'll be keeping the bikes indoors at night, but will I be able to relax a bit if we're eating lunch or dinner out of sight of them, and practice good locking technique?
Thanks in advance, and I can't wait to visit these great river cities!
We plan to find an AirBnB in each city to stay at and use as a base of operations. That said, I'm largely unfamiliar with the geography and bike-friendliness of these cities.
Since we'll likely do our share of tourist crap, along with seeking out craft beer and good food and just sort of *being* in both places, I'd like to find something convenient to what each city has to offer. As an example, while the Amtrak station is in downtown Memphis, close to restaurants (and presumably hella nightlife), a quick read of a map suggests we'd be better off staying in Cooper-Young or Central Gardens if we wanted to hit a variety of local breweries as well as visit Stax, Overton Park, and other stuff (like maybe Graceland), on top of checking out Mud Island and the downtown scene.
Similarly, New Orleans looks like nearly everything is centered around the French Quarter, so maybe staying there or Treme would make most sense, in addition to being close to the station.
We generally like to take in a couple of the "have to do it" tourist stops, but we also appreciate odd, out-of-the-way experiences, and travel more for an idea of what it is like to exist in a city. Once we've got a spot we're staying at, we're very good at finding the area vibe.
As far as getting around by bike - I'm a very confident cyclist; I am legit not bothered by just taking up a lane of traffic if that's what needs doing. My wife, less so. We can both ride great distances under favorable conditions, but nasty roads and hateful drivers would tend to keep us close to where we're staying (and the Amtrak station as well) just because. It's no fun to dodge potholes, middle fingers, stray chunks of curb, and hurled cans all at once :)
Finally: how paranoid should we be about bike theft? We'll be keeping the bikes indoors at night, but will I be able to relax a bit if we're eating lunch or dinner out of sight of them, and practice good locking technique?
Thanks in advance, and I can't wait to visit these great river cities!
(oh and make sure your rear lights work. I think they've calmed down but there was a period where the NOPD was handing out tickets to anyone out at night without a working rear light.)
posted by komara at 12:28 PM on January 28, 2016
posted by komara at 12:28 PM on January 28, 2016
You can bike from downtown Memphis to Midtown along Madison Ave. likely without issue; bike lanes and everything!
I would not recommend biking to Graceland, and I'm dubious about Stax.
Central Gardens is a residential neighborhood. Cooper-Young is an interesting part of Midtown; Overton Park has the Memphis Zoo (with pandas!).
There are more microbreweries now than I know much about, but Ghost River is downtown, and Bosco's is a brewpub in Midtown.
There is plenty to see downtown, and that's what I'd probably recommend. It's only like 5 miles from the train station to Midtown, for when you head that way.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:42 PM on January 28, 2016
I would not recommend biking to Graceland, and I'm dubious about Stax.
Central Gardens is a residential neighborhood. Cooper-Young is an interesting part of Midtown; Overton Park has the Memphis Zoo (with pandas!).
There are more microbreweries now than I know much about, but Ghost River is downtown, and Bosco's is a brewpub in Midtown.
There is plenty to see downtown, and that's what I'd probably recommend. It's only like 5 miles from the train station to Midtown, for when you head that way.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:42 PM on January 28, 2016
There is also the Greenline from Overton Park to Shelby Farms, but that also mostly takes you through residential areas. It's an option, though, if you need to head east.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:57 PM on January 28, 2016
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:57 PM on January 28, 2016
I loved staying in Bywater in New Orleans- we road bikes over into Fabourg Marigny and French Quarter, and then we wanted quiet, gorgeous New Orleans without all the tourists or many people at all, we returned to our Bywater B&B.
posted by nightrecordings at 2:47 PM on January 28, 2016
posted by nightrecordings at 2:47 PM on January 28, 2016
In Memphis would definitely stay in the Cooper-Young/Overton Square area. You could bike downtown for any touristy things you want to do, but the breweries, restaurants, and nightlife are around Overton Square these days. You can also get to the Broad Ave up-and-coming district super easily from there (cut through Overton Park), and from there you can hop on the Greenline to go anywhere further east that strikes your fancy. You can also easily cross the park to take North Parkway straight down to Mud Island. I am definitely NOT an experienced and confident rider and I've ridden from the park down to Mud Island many times.
I agree with the above poster that biking to Graceland ain't going to happen. You could Uber though.
I think your bikes will be fine locked up during meals in public areas.
Speaking of meals... I recommend Iris (if you're feeling fancy), Central BBQ, Bounty on Broad, Aldo's Pizza Pies, and Muddy's Grindhouse - all of which are extremely reachable from the Overton Square and Cooper Young areas. My husband's brewery of choice is Wiseacre, which is also just down the road.
posted by raspberrE at 5:43 PM on January 28, 2016
I agree with the above poster that biking to Graceland ain't going to happen. You could Uber though.
I think your bikes will be fine locked up during meals in public areas.
Speaking of meals... I recommend Iris (if you're feeling fancy), Central BBQ, Bounty on Broad, Aldo's Pizza Pies, and Muddy's Grindhouse - all of which are extremely reachable from the Overton Square and Cooper Young areas. My husband's brewery of choice is Wiseacre, which is also just down the road.
posted by raspberrE at 5:43 PM on January 28, 2016
Memphis's Central Gardens, Cooper Young, and Overton Square neighborhoods are all right next to each other and basically the same area. I live in Central Gardens, my son lives .7 miles away in Cooper Young, and my daughter lives .9 miles in the other direction in Overton Square. Central Gardens is the quiet residential area, CY is funky hipster, and Overton Square is the bar/restaurant area. Cooper Avenue is an easy connector to all three and there really aren't any loud, raucous neighborhoods to avoid.
When planning your Memphis days, keep in mind that all the east/west street numbers start at zero at the Mississippi River and increase every block going east. I live in the 1700 block of one of those, so I'm 17 blocks from the river. This number system extends all the way to the suburbs, some 70 or 80 blocks east, but for some reason does not apply to the north/south streets. If you can visualize the grid, it will be really easy to figure out where you are and how far you need to travel.
Also, the part of the city you will visit gently slopes down to the river. If you stay in our neighborhoods, your ride downtown will be easy, but heading back will be a little more difficult. AND, Memphis has added more miles of bike lanes than almost any other city in the past few years, although it was probably pretty easy to improve when you start from zero.
Stax is pretty close, the surrounding neighborhood is not great but it's do-able. Graceland needs to be an Uber ride, for sure, as Bellevue/EP Boulevard would be difficult to manage on a bicycle.
New Orleans streets are pretty rough, Memphis's are a dream compared to NOLA. We do not seem to have a committed group of bike thieves like NOLA does, either, and yours should be fine while locked during meals, etc. Most places have cool bike racks for your convenience.
I have a vacation planned for around that time in September so I might not be here when you're here. But I'll be happy to help you plan beforehand, just memail me! I am a casual bike rider, to the grocery store and back, but will make an effort to notice more so I can answer your questions. I also have several very committed and experienced riders as friends, so I will start hitting them up for advice, too. I love my little city and i hope you do, too!
posted by raisingsand at 7:16 PM on January 28, 2016
When planning your Memphis days, keep in mind that all the east/west street numbers start at zero at the Mississippi River and increase every block going east. I live in the 1700 block of one of those, so I'm 17 blocks from the river. This number system extends all the way to the suburbs, some 70 or 80 blocks east, but for some reason does not apply to the north/south streets. If you can visualize the grid, it will be really easy to figure out where you are and how far you need to travel.
Also, the part of the city you will visit gently slopes down to the river. If you stay in our neighborhoods, your ride downtown will be easy, but heading back will be a little more difficult. AND, Memphis has added more miles of bike lanes than almost any other city in the past few years, although it was probably pretty easy to improve when you start from zero.
Stax is pretty close, the surrounding neighborhood is not great but it's do-able. Graceland needs to be an Uber ride, for sure, as Bellevue/EP Boulevard would be difficult to manage on a bicycle.
New Orleans streets are pretty rough, Memphis's are a dream compared to NOLA. We do not seem to have a committed group of bike thieves like NOLA does, either, and yours should be fine while locked during meals, etc. Most places have cool bike racks for your convenience.
I have a vacation planned for around that time in September so I might not be here when you're here. But I'll be happy to help you plan beforehand, just memail me! I am a casual bike rider, to the grocery store and back, but will make an effort to notice more so I can answer your questions. I also have several very committed and experienced riders as friends, so I will start hitting them up for advice, too. I love my little city and i hope you do, too!
posted by raisingsand at 7:16 PM on January 28, 2016
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Me personally, I would recommend staying in Mid-City. You'll probably find slightly cheaper rates and we just opened the Lafitte Greenway which takes you straight down to the French Quarter on a bike- and pedestrian-only path.
There are zero parts of town where I can guarantee biking from point A to point B without encountering some crappy road surface or other marginally unsafe biking situation. Roads with bike lanes often don't have said bike lanes for the entire length of their run. You can use the New Orleans bike map to help figure out your routes.
I practice relative good bike locking procedures and have never had one stolen from outside, but I don't leave my bike out overnight. Just be locked up better than the next guy and you'll be fine, unless your bike just screams that it's expensive and worth stealing at all costs.
I know you didn't ask, but it can't hurt to say: New Orleans does have a reputation for crime. Whether or not it's deserved I guess depends on what you're used to where you're from. Regardless, keep your eyes peeled while you're out and about, and if you find that your path is taking you somewhere that looks sketchy don't feel awkward about turning around and looking for another route. That won't happen between Mid-City and the French Quarter, for example, but may as you get further into the Bywater / St. Claude area, or the Lower Garden District, or maybe it'll never happen at all.
posted by komara at 12:25 PM on January 28, 2016