New Orleans: hearing the name, no matter how it's pronounced (but saying New "Orleens" will brand you a Yankee!)...just the sound of the words brings to mind images of balustrades spun from delicate iron lace; sultry evenings freshened by soft notes of jazz; Creole and Cajun meals that rouse the taste buds; and revelers cheering "Laissez les bons temps rouler" (let the good times roll)!! The Crescent City (christened thus due to its location in a cusp of the Mississippi River) contains all of these elements and more...many are exotic; most are unique to this exuberant old town with its tumultuous history and graceful structures. For me, New Orleans pretty much defines the word "picturesque"!!

I read a magazine article in which the writer described returning to New Orleans from elsewhere in the U.S. as "coming back home from 'America'." Such a sentiment is easy to understand while strolling the narrow streets of the French Quarter. That famous and distinctive section, known as the "Vieux Carre" (Old Square), still embodies the spirit of the first European settlers. The area was founded in the early 18th century by French Explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne; the site was selected because ships could navigate the river, and it was a convenient anchorage and critical fortress. The city was laid out in 1718 or 1719 in a square pattern of 120 blocks (thus the designation "Old Square") and was named "La Nouvelle Orleans" in honor of the Regent of France: Phillipe, Duc D'Orleans. After a fire demolished much of the French Quarter on Good Friday in 1788 (perhaps because it was a holy day, the church bells weren't rung in time as an alert), the newly constructed buildings blended the original French architecture with the later Spanish influences in the charming mix that is seen today.

The city took on many fascinating personalities: after the Creoles (the French and Spanish aristocrats) established a gracious and cultured lifestyle, the Cajuns arrived in 1763. They were French Canadians who were exiled by the British from Nova Scotia ("New Acadia"...Cajun is an adulteration of the word Acadian) and brought with them their zest for fun and their colorful patois (their own altered form of the French language). Adding to the cultural concoction were pirates such as Jean and Pierre Lafitte, who were said to be owners of a blacksmith shop (reported to be a headquarters for smuggling) on Bourbon Street. The brothers became heroes after helping Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. "Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop" is now a bar, which is to be expected given its Bourbon Street location! By the way, there's more to come regarding infamous Bourbon Street; but as a quick sidelight here: it was named after the Bourbon family...not the beverage, as one might expect given its reputation and activities!!

The parade ground or "place d'armes", originally established in 1721 (which was known as the Plaza de Armas when the colony was owned by Spain) was renamed Jackson Square in 1848 to honor Andrew Jackson; the statue of General Jackson on horseback was added in 1856. The square is home to such beautiful and historic edifices as the St. Louis Cathedral and The Cabildo. The present-day Cathedral was built in 1849 and was the third church to be constructed on this location... following destruction of the first by hurricane in 1722 and the second by fire 75 years later. The Cabildo was erected in 1779 and served as headquarters for the Spanish governing council. The first building was lost in the previously-noted fire of 1788. Its replacement, still standing, was built in 1795-99 and hosted the signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Nearby is the lively French Market. A French Quarter fixture for over 165 years, it is one of the oldest public markets in the U.S. and contains shops, bistros, restaurants, and an open-air farmers' market. At one end is the notable Cafe du Monde. Since 1860 the Cafe has served cafe au lait (flavored with chicory) and beignets (squarish, holeless doughnuts tinted with powdered sugar). Poet Walt Whitman was an early guest who wrote about "those funny French doughnuts", and it's still a popular place to engage in people-watching through coffee steam and a fog of sugar!!

A guided walking tour of the French Quarter is a very definite must! The quaint old streets, alleys and courtyards harbor many fascinating "secrets"; and the guides love to share their tales of prominent citizens (as well as those of ill repute), haunted houses, Voodoo shrines, and entertaining accounts of the daily life of the Quarter...then and now. Nowadays, the shadows of downtown New Orleans' skyscrapers fall on the sidewalks (called banquettes because they were benches or "little banks" built up 2 or 3 feet to keep the formerly recurrent floods at bay in this reclaimed swamp) fronting townhouses with their finely-wrought "balconies" (which are free standing) and "galleries" (which are built upon supports from street level). This dynamic district still retains the scents, flavors and echoes of its vibrant past. There are also plenty of dichotomies: sophisticated art galleries and dignified shops offering fine antiques line Royal Street, then just a block away is notorious (and uproarious) Bourbon Street!

We ended up on Bourbon Street on an average Sunday evening in May...and found a party inprogress, which we quickly discovered was just another "normal night" for that rather abnormal lane! The street was closed off to vehicular traffic, and pedestrians were roaming among the stands offering walk-away drinks including Daiquiris, the ever-present Hurricanes, and just about everything else; the ubiquitous Lucky Dog carts (with their detailed shape of a hot dog...bun, mustard and all); clubs with doors open to the street so that the melodies from incredible music of all types filtered out to the passersby (many of whom were just as happy dancing in the street rather than going inside); well-known restaurants next to adult nightclubs with signs such as "Wash Your Favorite Girl" (yes, wash -- not watch!) or with barkers proclaiming it to be "family night" (I'm still not sure what that may have meant!)......in other words, it's a world unto itself!!  I did see the filigreed ironwork that I expected in New Orleans, except on Bourbon Street there was a swing (holding a pair of legs clad in black-net stockings) gliding in and out of the window!!!

Pirates, freebooters and smugglers may have been somewhat tolerated in the old days of the French Quarter, but the Creoles of the past faced a worse threat to their refined society...a roguish bunch of primitives known as "Les Americaines" (the Americans), who arrived 90 years after the original French settlers! Obviously such uncivilized sorts couldn't be allowed to move into the cultivated Vieux Carre; a law was immediately enacted that only Catholics were allowed to live therein, since the uncouth newcomers were mainly Protestants. So the unwanted Americans began their own city on the other side of Canal Street, which became the dividing line between the French and American quarters (that's why the street names are different on opposite sides of Canal), and the area down the middle was known as the "Neutral Ground" (median strips are still called neutral ground to this day)!! Later, newly-wealthy American planters and merchants began building antebellum mansions (no doubt sniffed at as "gaudy" by the Creoles!) within their own domain. From these beginnings the 12-block Garden District grew, and a guided walking tour of the area is a wonderful introduction to its beauty...wander down the quiet, shaded streets while enjoying the guide's chronicles of the lovely homes and of this appealing portion of the New Orleans mixture.

There's so very much to do and see in New Orleans, and a good way to begin is by taking one (or more) of the several tours that are available, including: points of interest, fame and history throughout the city; paddlewheel steamboat trips on the Mississippi River; visits to some of the stately plantations; or swamp boat journeys into the bayous...I didn't venture out on one of the latter tours -- I don't like to mingle with snakes! I'll briefly note some of the memorable locations that I did, however, enjoy and would recommend (no snake encounters at any of them). First, there are the haunting (no pun intended--on second thought, maybe it was!) "Cities of the Dead". This is the rather poetic name for the cemeteries containing above-ground tombs, owing both to the European traditions of the area...plus the fact that the city is 5 to 6 feet below sea level and in-ground graves would produce floating coffins!! The tour guide's explanations of the "natural cremation" effects of the intense heat and humidity (which leads to the ability to entomb many generations of one or more families) was a bit ghoulish - but memorable! A totally contrasting setting was the Riverwalk Marketplace (located on the Mississippi, between the Convention Center and the striking Aquarium of the Americas). This riverfront plaza is anchored by a soothing fountain and provides beautiful city and river views, and there are also numerous shops and dining options in the converted warehouses. Next to the Marketplace I boarded one of the paddlewheelers for a leisurely afternoon spent cruising "Old Man River" past the New Orleans skyline, seeing now-familiar sights from an entirely new perspective.

Of course, no visit to "N'awlins" would be complete without tasting as great a variety of its tantalizing cuisines as possible. There are the spicy dishes of the Creoles, and the more "down-home" (and peppery-hot) recipes of the Cajuns. We happily sampled Crawfish Etouffee, Shrimp Creole, Oysters Bienville, Red Beans and Rice, Seafood Gumbo, Jambalaya... and much more! It's a well-known fact that New Orleans has a vast array of excellent restaurants, so I won't even begin to list them. I will say we had a marvelous dinner at the renowned landmark, The Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter. John even found a tiny pearl in his oyster appetizer; the waiter said he'd never seen that happen; we felt it was a good omen (the city's mysticism did tend to have an effect on us)!! Truly, every place we dined was a treat and an occasion.

There are also many fine hotels in New Orleans. We stayed at the Chateau Sonesta in the French Quarter. It inhabits the site of the first department store in the Gulf South: D. H. Holmes, which was established in 1842 and was moved in 1849 to the location of the present-day Hotel. After almost 150 years of operation, the store closed and the building's renovation into the Chateau Sonesta began in 1993. The Holmes Store clock was a meeting place for generations of shoppers, and the hotel bows to that fact with its namesake Clock Bar. The latest restaurant in the well-known Brennan family's chain is also contained in the Hotel...the delightful Red Fish, with its eclectic decor, splendid food, and outside doors leading onto Bourbon Street.

I haven't even mentioned Mardi Gras since, unfortunately, we weren't there during the festivities; and from what I've heard, that event by itself could fill several pages! The New Orleans Convention and Visitor Bureau has an excellent website, "Welcome To N'awlins!" http://www.neworleanscvb.com/. It provides information on accommodations, dining, shopping, touring, FAQs etc. I wish I'd discovered it before our trip; it would have saved me some time once we arrived. So if you're planning a visit, stop by the city's official website; incorporate any of these "Jan's Journeys" suggestions that appeal to you; then make your own jaunt to "The Big Easy"!!

Copyright © 1997 - 2008: Jan Hight
All photos are the property of Jan & John Hight and may not be copied or used in any way without our written permission.

Published -- July 2, 1997
Last Revision -- Sunday, 13-Aug-2006 03:35:28 GMT