Would you like to stay up-to-date with Friends of Lafitte Greenway? Sign up for our Greenway Gazette! Here's a look at our August edition. 

Greenway Soirée - Last day for Early Bird Ticket rates!

We’re proud to host the 6th Annual Greenway Soirée on Friday, October 5th from 6-11pm trailside at the Cellar on St. Louis. The Soirée will feature live music by Mario Abney and the Abney Effect, and Slick Leo, food from 14 premier New Orleans restaurants, and a live auction featuring Lafitte Greenway businesses. Join us for an elegant evening of dining, dancing, and drinks to support the Greenway you love! For the first time this year, all Soiree attendees will receive a free one-year membership to Blue Bikes, New Orleans’ Bike Share system. Save $8.31 if you buy by 8/31 (today)!

 

Hip Hop Kickboxing Starts Wednesday

This fall, we’re piloting a new cardio series on the Greenway! Join us and NDO Energy for all-levels, high-energy, non-contact hip hop kickboxing on Wednesday nights from 6-7pm from September 5th through October 10th. We’ll be in the same location as our yoga series - on the Greenway between N Prieur and N Galvez, approx. 2101 St. Louis St. (Next to the new playground!). Bring a water bottle, a towel and a friend, and come ready to sweat! More information and RSVP here.

Connect the Crescent: Greenway Downtown Connection Demo

Something big is about to blast off. This September, Friends of Lafitte Greenway is working in partnership with Bike Easy, the City of New Orleans, an array of community partners and volunteers on Connect the Crescent, a project to create safer and better connected bikeways across the city. The project includes improved bike connection between the Greenway’s Basin Street trailhead and the French Quarter and Central Business District, a key safety enhancement that Greenway users have been asking for. The “pop-up” temporary roadway renovations in the French Quarter and CBD will be in place for 3 months, and residents will have the opportunity to give input and feedback to inform the permanent design recommendations to the City of New Orleans.

Join us in creating a safer, more connected New Orleans! Volunteer installations begin September 5th, and the Greenway connection install date is Saturday, September 8th. Sign up to volunteer here.

 

The FitLot Method

The FitLot Method is back in action this fall. Beginning September 19th, the free circuit training program for adults 55+ will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Mornings at 7:45am on the Greenway at N Roman. Find out more and sign up at fitlot.org/signup.

 

Walk Bike Places Conference comes to New Orleans

Walk / Bike / Places is coming to New Orleans, September 16 - 19th! The Project for Public Spaces’ annual conference will draw city planners, transportation engineers, public health professionals, elected officials, community leaders, placemakers, and professional walking and bicycling advocates from around the country and world. Friends of Lafitte Greenway is proud to participate on the Conference’s Local Host Committee. Walk / Bike / Places 2018 will feature 3 days of over 80 breakout sessions, poster displays, daily general sessions and most excitingly, mobile workshops that will explore the city's rich historic and cultural landscape. Click here to learn more.

 

Namaste

Our summer yoga series wrapped up this month, with over 180 yogis from all over New Orleans and beyond joining us to stretch, breathe, and meet their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and especially to our partners at The Ohm Well and Aetna Better Health of Louisiana for making this program so special.

 

Greenway + Gentilly + Water

No matter what neighborhood we live in, all New Orleanians have to live with water. Earlier this month, our Greenway Ambassadors hosted a Greenway tour, discussion, and film screening for residents of Gentilly to engage, inspire, and learn from one another across neighborhoods. We watched Station 15, a film directed by Kira Akerman, which tells the story of flooding in New Orleans through a teen’s experience of the August 5, 2017 floods. We toured the Greenway’s stormwater management features, and got inspired by the plans for the Gentilly Resilience District. The event was a great success, and wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our sponsors and partners. Thanks to the Foundation for Louisiana, The Broad Theater, Waggonner & Ball Architects, Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, the Greater New Orleans Water Collaborative, the Gulf Restoration Network, and Ripple Effect.

 

Thank You, Ambassadors!

The Greenway Ambassadors completed their 10 month term with us this month. We’re so grateful to these six incredible community leaders for their time, energy, and ideas over the last several months. Together, they taught over 500 neighbors about water management, held the first ever Lafitte Greenway Crawfish Boil, inspired hundreds of Hikers and reached out to over 1,400 New Orleanians to hear their ideas about the Greenway. Our deepest thanks to Paulette Davidson, Lichelle Gibson, Sam Ndiaye, Michael Riches, Lauren Talbot, and Derek Wilson. Special thanks to the Foundation for Louisiana for making this program possible.

 

HEY Coffee Co. comes to the Greenway

We're pleased to welcome HEY Coffee Co. to the neighborhood! The coffee company known and loved for its uptown cafe and roastery on Magazine Street will be opening up along the Greenway at Greenway Apartments, 2606 St. Louis St, as soon as next month. The Gambit has the full story. (photo courtesy HEY Coffee Co.)

 

TrepWork for Good Happy Hour

Save the date! We’re teaming up with our friends at trepwise and the Urban Conservancy for their “trepwork for good” happy hour at The Eiffel Society on Thursday, September 20th from 6 - 8:30pm. More info to follow!

 

Farewell, Nicole!

This month our teammate Nicole Reeder, Americorps VISTA Community Outreach and Development Associate, concluded her one-year term of service with the Greenway. We’re so grateful for Nicole’s leadership in our Planning and Design Committee, Ambassador program, and fundraising efforts; and for the positive attitude she brought to our work, our team, and the Greenway we love. She has transitioned to a position at Tulane University’s Center for Public Service. Congratulations, and thank you, Nicole! We can't wait to see what's next for you!