Death, the supernatural, and the natural are all major themes in the Crescent City. It's hard to talk about anything else, really. Shopping, beaches, spas...none of that applies. What else do you expect from a city built on a stinking, sinking, swamp?

Yes! Anne Rice's famous home! She used to offer tours inside it, no less, until the neighbors complained about their residential streets being packed with tourists. By the looks of this photo, I'm sure they were exaggerating, right? ;-) The home was beautiful, everything I thought it would be. She has described it perfectly in her books, as the home of her Mayfair witches. You may not be able to see it, but the oak tree on the right has crumbled the sidewalk with its roots. I nearly tripped over one myself, but I didn't mind. Preservation of the oak trees are considered higher priority than preservation of the sidewalks. Only in New Orleans!

St. Louis Cemetary No. 1. Yes, the cemetaries are numbered. The reason they are above ground is because the city is actually under sea-level; when it rained, all the people they buried rose back up and floated through the streets! I can also describe in detail the methods they use to encase multiple people in a family tomb, but most people I've told this to have expressed their wish that I had refrained from doing so. So, I'll leave it out for those of delicate constitutions. But, if you'd really like to know, e-mail me, I'm more than happy to explain it!

A streetcar, of which I do not know the name. I really should have paid more attention, huh? This is a view from the front of our hotel. We took this streetcar back from the Garden District. It was a nice little ride, which I was very appreciative of after all that walking!

Typical Honey Island Swamp foliage. It was truly a beautiful, fragrant place. When the boat motor stopped, the air was so quiet and still, you felt like you were in the middle of nowhere.

There's gators in them thar swamps! Don't worry, just throw her a marshmallow and she'll leave you alone. This was just one of the friendly gators we saw at Honey Island. And they are friendly. They are mostly content just sunning themselves and napping. They love marshmallows because of the sugar rush it gives them. There were lots of wildlife, from egrets, to dragonflies, to toads. Not to mention the people who lived in Deliverance-style shantys along the rivers. Honestly, I found them more creepy than the haunted mansions in the Garden District!