New Orleans, Louisiana: The City of Crescent
Visited in November 2002 in Olean New Fefor Hurricane Katrina has taken its toll on this beautiful city. These are some of the experiences we had.
I wanted to do a reconnaissance of Nola and the road to the ferry. Ferry linking Algiers Point, established in 1718, down Canal Street. Passengers and cyclists can travel free, while cars pay only $ 1.00. The ferry leaves every half hour each side of the Mississippi River.
Stepping out of the ferry, I was confronted by the Harrah's Casino garish. At right, the Aquarium of the Americas and IMAX theater. At left is the Riverwalk mall. Now that the basic orientation was completed, we are committed to be delighted by the spirit of the Crescent City.
All the guides say that the best direction New Orleans is by riding the 13.5 mile long St. Charles Street car line, created in 1835. Just outside the door of the hotel was the famous track. Voila! For $ 1.25 per person (exact amount only) we boarded the cars well maintained, circa 1923. Clang, clang, clang to St. Charles Street under the majestic oaks, past the Garden District restaurant, Emeril's, Loyola and Tulane Universities, Audubon Park Street we moved to Carrolton. We were fortunate to have a motorman who really loved the city and its work. His running commentary environmental and crazy drivers playing chicken with the streetcar made the trip more enjoyable.
The return trip was less eventful. Being oriented towards the streets of the membrane of the river (Jackson, Louisiana, Napoleon, Jefferson, and Carrolton) toured the area easier in the future.
The tram drops us off at Carondelet and Canal Streets (Street Canal was originally supposed to be a channel. Now the center of the street is transformed into another tram line, which will run from the river in Park City, near Lake Pontchartrain. Directly in front of Canal Street was the beginning of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.
The French Quarter, about 70 square blocks, is the heart and soul of Nola. History, Architecture exciting and dynamic, the French Quarter must be considered either by walking or carriage. There is a motorized cart, which is also around the region. I visited the place forty years ago with my sister and was eager to see if the old haunts were still there. The answer is yes (mostly). Al Hirt died and a statue marks the spot where his horn sang Dixieland tunes.
The best way to see the neighborhood is to walk with a guide. Most of the beauty is in progress and on the second and third floors of buildings. Certainly playing tourist, we did exactly that. Bourbon Street is the center of entertainment. Nightclubs lure you inside with Jazz, Zydeco, Blues music streaming live implode upon your senses. toy stores for adults, striptease clubs, and three for a "Happy Hours" encourage travelers the most prudish to enjoy the "pleasures of life. As the street goes beyond the Canal, he became more calm. A block down is the Rue Royale, the house of fashion boutiques, art galleries, and upscale residences. Center Activity peaked in Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. Along each side of the square are local artists, fortune tellers, and musicians street. Overlooking the merger pot of humanity is the Cathedral of St. Louis, where many are buried in its walls and many dignitaries have come down the aisle. Accompanying the cathedral are some of the oldest buildings in the city: the first building in the country, the government offices of the colonial times French and Spanish, and other historic buildings. Words can not describe the spirit, dynamism and cosmopolitan feel of the French Quarter.
Departure of the French Quarter, we walked along the riverbank, past the Aquarium and the Riverwalk through. Exhausted we made the ferry back home.
The cemeteries are unique to New Orleans, because the bodies are buried above ground. When they tried burying them in soil or water that reaches the dug one foot, or the hole would quickly fill with water after being dug. The tour was to begin at 1:30 PM We got to pick up about 10 minutes before the hour. The tour had already disappeared. Luck was with us though. On the walk from the ferry, I saw a sign on the bus from Canal Street, "cemeteries". We jumped on the bus and after a half-hour we were at Greenwood Cemetery north end of town. There were other cemeteries as well. After visiting the graves and get an idea of the place, We returned via the same bus. We went down to the street basin, as in Basin Street Blues. I went to explore St. Louis Cemetery # 1. Alas time is 3:00 PM and the cemetery had closed their doors. Most of the historic sites of interest around 3:00 PM in and around the French Quarter because of fear of vandalism. Key West, Florida, is another place where you can see bodies buried above ground. This is because the island is a rock.
Just north of the French Quarter is the District treme. It is the oldest African American neighborhood on the continent established in the beginning 1700s. Right at Basin Street is the Mahalia Jackson Performing Arts Center and the Louis Armstrong Park and Arch.
I explored more of the French Quarter. I found a few shops and a voodoo museum voodoo. Voodoo is a combination of Catholicism with the Haitian and African religious rituals. Most people know that the development of Voodoo spell on people with dolls and other objects. Religion is much deeper than that. Most of what we have heard about voodoo is a brainchild of Hollywood.
Saw the Ursuline Convent, which dates from 1745. Adjacent to the convent is the church of St. Mary's, the house the monstrance used for the Eucharistic Congress 1938, held in New Orleans. The monstrance is encrusted with jewels given by the people of Louisiana. For many years it rose from the vault vault until the pastor of St. Mary's has promised to give him a permanent home. Now it is exposed daily on the altar encasing a guest of the Holy Eucharist. Group ensure the faithful in prayer while the Eucharist is the screen.
The next day I took my bike on the ferry faithful Gretna, another historic river, about ½ mile on the road from where we stay. The ferry crosses the river at Jackson Street, a few blocks from the Garden District. The Garden District is a neighborhood of stately homes in the renaissance of Greek architecture. Many homes columns in the Ionic, Doric, Corinthian and styles. It was originally an American suburb in Nola. Now, like many other neighborhoods, it is part of the city itself, as Algiers Point on the west bank and Carrolton. The Garden District has its own cemetery Lafayette. The most famous resident the region is Ann Rice, the noted author of popular novels vampire. Down the street from his house is the house where Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederation died.
While I was riding my bike in the neighborhood, I saw a group of ladies, elegantly dressed who gather around a houses. The plaque on the fence said that it was Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The group reminded me of the kindness of Southern women, who attend events dressed in hats and gloves.
My next destination is the Audubon Zoo. As I drove through neighborhoods in zoo about three miles away, I noticed how each region has its own personality.
The zoo is a pretty location. The Zoological Society has made great efforts to provide the animals an environment where they feel comfortable. Their use of thematic sections also allows visitors education on the lives of animals. For example, the wetland area has not only alligators, turtles, fish and other aquatic invertebrates living, but also Farm Bayou floating different types of marsh boats and exposure within the life under water. It is the section with Asian Hindu temples, white Siberian tigers, Asian lions and other animals indigenous to the region. Part Jaguar Mayan temples and objects as well as the type of animals one might find in the rainforest. The zoo is a must in the city.
About the Author
John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy. He is retired from the rat race of working. He is a full-time RVer, who ran away from home. He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System. He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.
NYE 2010 – New Orleans Fireworks as seen from Algiers Ferry