S THE US LOUISIANA DESTINATIONS Roll with it L


New Orleans is the ideal gateway to get around Louisiana, finds Tamara Hinson


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s I rumble through another Grand Canyon-sized pothole, my guide


Laura cackles. “Enjoying the New Orleans massage?” Luckily, last December’s launch of


New Orleans’ first bike-share scheme, Blue Bikes, has prompted authorities to embark on a pothole-filling frenzy, which is partly why New Orleanians are saddling up in droves. They’re not the only ones. Visitor numbers to the Big Easy – which marks its 300th anniversary this year – have rocketed since British Airways introduced the UK’s first direct route to the city in 30 years. Nola is one of America’s most iconic cities, and the starting point for self-drives exploring the rest of the state, so we hop on for some good ol’ Louisiana hospitality.


w FRENCH FANCY My guided tour of the French Quarter, with The American Bicycle Rental Company and FreeWheelin Bike Tours, rolls along Frenchmen Street, famous for having Louisiana’s highest density of live music venues, and through City Park, with its swan-filled lakes and thousands of oak trees. We stop for beignets – the


sugar-coated pastries beloved by New Orleanians – then pedal to St Louis Cemetery and wander between neat rows of giant marble tombs stretching as far as the eye can see. After the tour ends, I cycle to the Garden District for dinner at the


5 July 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 57


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FAST FACT


British Airways has return flights from London to New Orleans from £683


PICTURE: ZACK SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY


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