Disclaimer - This trip is fuzzy in my memory... R and I were both under some stress from moving so far away for the first time... and its the ONE trip I didn't journal.
R and I had almost 2 weeks to report for work in Virginia... and many states to get through before then. We loaded up both of our vehicles to the brim and headed east. I had bought little walkie talkies for us to use on the road.
(before great cell reception and waaaaaay before texting...) We very quickly learned that our walkies would pick up every vile foul thing truckers were saying to each other, and to the 'ladies' who worked the truck stops. Ew....
Our first stop was in New Orleans. I'd been there several times before but never without family, making my own decisions on what to do and where to go. We stayed in a nice high rise hotel on Canal, at the intersection of the French Quarter and the medical district. Basically tourist central... I remember our hotel had no 13th floor.... if you didn't know, they're pretty superstitious down in the Big Easy.
After a good night's sleep, we set out to explore the town. We took the Saint Charles streetcar all the way to the levy where it turns around. Its open air and slow moving, so its a great way to get a look at the city. One of the most notable things about the streetcar system is that the drivers are extremely friendly with each other. Imagine taking a cab ride in NYC, only to have the cabbie stop the car everytime he passed a cabbie friend. This is what happens in New Orleans. Our operator woman stopped the streetcar at least twice when a passing streetcar was driven by a friend. Their conversation was what you might hear in a hair salon... A five minute discussion of who's doing what, with who, and when. Very much a
laissez les bontemps roulez attitude. (translation: Let the Good Times Roll). I have a feeling that Mexican time can't compete with New Orleans time... R and I didn't mind the stopping. It was a great taste of the local culture, and gave us time to take a better look at the surroundings.
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Tracks are spaced close enough for streetcar operators to
discuss their day as passengers wait, and wait, and overhear
intimate details of these strangers lives. Fun! - ummm not my image... |
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Inside of streetcar - again, not my image. I can only hope that
this is during Marde Gras and this person is heading for a truly good time! |
At the end of the line, the streetcar literally turns around. Everyone on had to get off and stand to the side as the track spun in a circle, then they let us back on and off we went. R and I got off at the garden district and walked to Garden District Book Shop. I'd read online that there were free walking tours given by local old men most mornings. This was intriguing, and in hindsight I wish every city on the planet would do this! The book store was this cute little shop directly across from Lafayette Cemetery #1. Our guide was an old creole man that I can only describe as "jolly and also a bit curmudgeony". He took us and 5ish others out to walk the Garden District. We wandered through the cemetery and learned the history and culture of the Lafayette cemeteries.
none of these are my photos...
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| there are 5 or 6 Lafayette Cemeteries spread around New Orleans |
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Crypts are above ground due to the low lying land, beneath the water
table. Galveston Island does the same thing... |
The idea behind the crypts is that each one is owned by a family. When someone dies, there body is placed in the crypt, either in the center slab or off to a side slab. Nowadays coffins are used but before the 1940s, the bodies were simply placed on the slabs. Its so very Buffy the Vampire Slayer in there. Once a family dies out, the crypt is put on the market and a new family will take over. I have no idea what the new family does with the old families remains....
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| cheaper crypts... not family owned |
These 'condo-style' crypts are usually owned by the city or a mortuary. These are much more interesting. Our guide told us that they don't use coffins. The interred body is allowed to stay there for at least 366 days, or a year and a day, to rest. Then if the crypt needs to be used again, the body is pushed to the back where there is a large enclosed hole that goes down to the ground. There would be piles of bones 8 feet high as more and more people are 'buried' here. Super interesting!
Walking through the cemetery was a bit unsettling. An underground burial is so easy to dismiss and these crypts are so visual, so many of them are beautiful, and you realize that you're looking at, what is essentially, a house of bodies. LC#1 is the most famous, being the oldest, and has been the setting for many books and movies. We were there in 2002, so a lot of talk revolved around Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire.
After leaving the cemetery, we walked into a neighborhood of Garden District homes. These gorgeous homes have survived centuries, first built as home, slave quarters, and stables on each block. As we evolved and no longer used slaves, those grounds were filled with more homes and stables, doubling the population density. Then as cars took over and the stables weren't needed anymore, these stables became smaller garage apartments, increasing the population density even more. An aerial view of the district now would show a haphazard, scrambled collection of properties. An urban planner's nightmare.
Every house that we walked by was gorgeous! Most were painted white, all were surrounded by picturesque Live Oaks, the air was humid and quiet, with birds chirping everywhere. Our guide took us by Trent Reznor's house (frontman for Nine Inch Nails) and the home that Anne Rice lived in while writing her Vampire books. We also learned that most Garden District homes have the ceilings of their porches (big glorious wrap-around porches!) painted a pale blue to keep bees and wasps away. An old antebellum trick that really works!
Before leaving our tour, we asked for a restaurant recommendation in the French Quarter. Our guide gave us a name of a restaurant and the owner's name, saying 'he'll hook you up'.
The next day R and I hit the French Quarter and Jackson Square. Now I remember Jackson Square from when I was a kid. There are face painters, sidewalk painters, buskers, etc. My parents had friends in New Orleans so we went there often. I even have vague memories of the 'family' Mardi Gras parade. I say 'family' because the French Quarter will forever smell of stale beer and pee, and the exotic bars all advertise with pictures of each of their dancers. I spent a lot of time asking my parents why the women had black bars of areas of their bodies... hmmmm.
Jackson Square was gorgeous the day R and I went there. The square was built in 1815 and named after future President Andrew Jackson for his heroism during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. We visited St. Louis Cathedral and Cafe du Monde. We walked down Bourbon Street and I was able to reminisce about my childhood thanks to the stale beer/pee smell. :-) The architecture of the buildings is pure French and gorgeous. We found the recommended restaurant and had a great meal - I don't remember the place or the dish, but I remember it was great!
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| not my image... but everyone who visits takes this same shot... |
After visiting the Garden District and the French Quarter, we'd seen what we wanted of the Big Easy and so we took off towards Mississippi for more adventures. But first we had to cross Lake Ponchartrain. I remember a huge traffic jam that caused us to sit on the bridge for an hour. Fine by us - great views and the feeling of the bridge swaying were enough to keep us occupied. (I remember later telling my parents about this and making my dad very uneasy... he hates big bridge, especially if they sway!)
In Mississippi we stopped at
Gulf Islands National Seashore for a quick visit... Its RIGHT off the highway. We didn't have time for a hike or beach visit. We simply stopped at the visitor center at the Davis Bayou section of the park. Gotta get that park stamp!
We also detoured down to Pascagoula and Moss Point. I'd spent a Thanksgiving holiday there one year and fell in love with the drapey Spanish Moss that is everywhere! One road in particular that we needed to go back and photograph.
(and of course I don't have the photographs anymore. boo)
Onward to Alabama and Tennessee to the Jack Daniels Distillery!
To Be Continued....
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