Bayou St. John and Mid-City by bike

The old transportation corridor

The Lafitte Greenway follows a corridor once occupied by the Carondelet Canal and later by rail. The canal connected navigable Bayou St. John with the turning basin behind the French Quarter, which gave Basin Street its name.

Near the bicycle traffic circle, riders can turn toward the bayou or continue on the Greenway to Alexander Street and approach City Park through Mid-City.

Homes, industry, and water

Along the bayou are historic homes including Pitot House. At Orleans Avenue, the former American Can complex recalls an industrial era that was once loud enough to fill the surrounding streets.

The first section beside the bayou is exposed. Shade becomes much more generous beyond the interstate and within City Park.

A factory remembered by sound

The site owner passed American Can on the way to school when it was still operating. With the family car windows open, the machinery inside was deafening. The City Park itinerary preserves that firsthand memory beside the building's larger industrial history.