New Orleans, LA
Louisiana, so named after King Louis XIV, and New Orleans so named after the Duke of Orleans. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803, where the USA bought Louisiana from the French. New Orleans is comprised of a number of districts, such as the French Quarter, The Garden District, Downtown and, the Arts Warehouse District, amongst others we didn’t manage to have time to explore. And despite popular portrayal in TV and movies, the Bayou isn’t behind the French Quarter.
French Quarter
The reason to visit the big easy. The French Quarter is thirteen blocks by seven blocks, and is the oldest district in New Orleans. Containing such tourist attractions as Bourbon Street, Café du Monde, Jackson Square, St Louis Cathedral and, the food. The Food of New Orleans can be found in a separate post. Free Tours by Foot is a great way to get acquainted with the history of the Quarter, and I’d recommend doing this on your first day here.
The French Quarter is an easy place to take a walk during the morning while the majority of tourists are resting their weary heads. The classic scenes of wrought and cast iron balconies can be found more centrally located in this area. This elaborate metalwork is a more recent addition and is actually in the Spanish style. Bourbon Street has many famous and well maintained examples of these modifications. But to only go down Bourbon Street would be a mistake, Royal Street is its much quieter equal.
New Orleans is famous for its Beignets, where they are considered a breakfast item to be eaten fresh, moist and fluffy. These can be purchased everywhere and I tried those made at Café Beignet, next to Jackson Square. Speaking of Jackson Square, on the north east side one can line up at the 24 hour Café du Monde café for chicory and beignets, which we didn’t do as we didn’t have the time. The Tabasco Sauce store is also near here. St Louis Cathedral has a mixed and storied history. Originally built in 1727 and dedicated to King Louis IX, it burnt down in 1794. The present structure is from the 1850s.
The French Market began life in 1791 as a Native American trading post and runs along the original western bank of the Mississippi River. The Market Pavilion itself is reduced in length, and is no longer on the bank of the Mississippi. Café du Monde is the most famous store in the market.
Garden District
The Garden District was developed between 1832 and 1900 by the wealthy people moving to New Orleans at the time. Prior to their arrival the area was a plantation. Wealthy people who did not want to live with the Creoles in the French Quarter bought in the Garden District. Over time the unused space of the large lots were sold off. This created a unique layout on each block with a mixture of Victorian era houses with 19th century mansions.
It is possible to walk from the French Quarter to Audubon Park and soak up the Garden District. Alternatively the Saint Charles street trolley has many stops along the way. If you do walk, Magazine Street has a concentration of stores, bars and, restaurants to recharge at. Worthy stops in the area include Commander’s Palace, Magazine Street, and, Audubon Park. Keep in mind that Commander’s Palace has a strict dress code and bookings are recommended. The tree of Life at Audubon Park in located in the south east corner, next to the Zoo. Which is an important piece of information, apparently if you climb high enough up the tree you can catch a glimpse of the giraffes. I didn’t attempt this as I much preferred to stay closer to the ground of not-falling-out-of-a-tree.
Downtown and Arts Warehouse District
I spent little time in the Arts Warehouse District, other than to patronize restaurants. The area is revitalizing, but compared to the French Quarter, not much is there to attract the tourists. The Downtown area is essentially a car park for the French Quarter. Not as café, bar, restaurant dense as the French Quarter, there are fewer options to select from. However due to the lack of tourists, the quality is higher, and not as pretentious.
The Bayou
What is a trip to New Orleans without going to see some ‘gators? That question is rhetorical as I don’t know. But we booked a trip to the swamp, specifically Honey Island Swamp where Cajun Encounters are located. While I thought the prices were high, they do provide pickup from selected hotels to the Honey Island Swamp. The boat tour itself lasts two hours, and we were able to see wild boars, alligators, turtles and snakes. The tour also included some recent history relating to Hurricane Katrina.
March, 2019
