| Pictures only describe a fraction of New Orleans, a city that bombards all the senses. Only your sight is satisfied by this photo album. Hopefully my descriptions will fulfill your other senses. Listen...can you hear a sad, jazzy, bluesy version of the Godfather theme? Believe it or not, that was the first song I heard in New Orleans, being played on the corner of Canal and Carondelet by a man in a wheelchair. And the smell...both the attraction of creole spices and the repelling odors of sewer and horses. Perhaps you're munching on a sweet, decadent beignet, and washing it down with hot, strong, chicory coffee. Or maybe it's a Central Grocery muffaletta, smothered in their special olive salad? At any rate, the heat is making you sweat. Wipe your brow my friend, because we're beginning our tour of the Big Easy. |
Cafe Du Monde, the ultimate coffee and beignet shop. Marmi and I began each morning here. Beignets are square, french doughnuts covered in powdered sugar. You can get three, and a cup of chicory coffee, for less than $3. We ate inside the restaurant, where it was easier to find a table. Anne Rice's vampire Lestat has had a few memorable scenes here. |
 Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter. Behind "Old Hickory" on horseback, you can see St. Louis Cathedral, where Louis, the vampire, had an interesting scene. To your left of the Cathedral is the Cabildo. When the main drags of the Quarter got too crazy (dig that wild transvestite covered in silver paint!), Marmi and I enjoyed a relaxing respite in this park. |
 Willy gave us a ride (for a fee, of course) in his hansom cab around the Quarter. He pointed out various historical sights along the way, including the building where one of the more devastating fires of the 1700s began. I would have taken a picture, but we passed by it too quickly. He was very entertaining, and it was a nice alternative since our reservations for Honey Island Swamp tours prevented a Quarter walking tour. |
The Cabildo, up close. This museum was also the former home of many New Orleans politicos, as well as a place of government business. Most notably, the Louisiana purchase, where Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana and surrounding lands from France for less than $5 million, was signed here. |
 Napoleon Bonaparte's death
mask, only one of three in existence. This photo doesn't
really do it justice. I had to take it quickly as a bunch
of schoolkids on field trip were hogging it as part of
their assignment. I know this sounds morbid, but he
looked like he was quite handsome. I was just in awe of
the fact that I was viewing anything that had to do with
Napoleon. New Orleans is steeped in history, and I was
constantly being confronted with the city's, and
country's, past. It was wonderful to experience such
strong links to the past, firsthand, and not just in
books. |
Click on to the second page of my trip.
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