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View From a Balcony View of a Busy Balcony Ladies - err, Gentlemen Balloon Guy Tourists - Post Balloon Guy Bridge Over Troubled Waters A French Quarter Street A Tight Quarter Street Another Street and Neat Van The Famous Preservation Hall P.H. From Across the Street Many-Balconied Building Well-Flowered Balconies The Green Building Building With Greenery A Massive Building Pink Building Corner of Jackson Square Jackson Square Cafe Du Monde - 3am Michele and I on Bourbon St. Michele and Her New Friends Shopping at the French Market |
The French Quarter
We spent a good deal of time over the two and a half days we were there wandering around the French Quarter. Michele was originally disappointed that it didn't look exactly like New Orleans Square in Disneyland, but soon came to appreciate the architecture and area for what it is. I was amazed at some of the architecture and enjoyed checking out the streets and the design of the buildings packed in tight along them. Of course one of the first things you notice about the French Quarter is that almost all of the buildings have balconies on them. According to the tour guide from our cemetery tour, the buildings were designed that way because the streets were so filthy that you did not want to hang out on them. So the residents would spend time on the balconies chatting with neighbors or hosting parties or just watching the world go by below. Which brings up one of the aspects of New Orleans that Michele found most disturbing: it is a dirty city. At least the French Quarter is. And it smelled. All cities do, I suppose, but New Orleans stood out for its unusual smells. And remember, it wasn't all clean and neat like Disneyland. The occasional breeze helped to alleviate the nostril irritation, but it often didn't reach all the way down to the street, and would instead just blow the flags and treetops above our heads. There was so much to see all throughout the Quarter. We did some browsing for souvenirs at the French Marker the first afternoon and then went back to make the actual purchases on Friday. That way we had a chance to check everything out and do what we wanted to do before using up our cash on the many trinkets and goodies that were being hawked there. Jackson Square, a beautiful feature of the Quarter near the river, was majestic. It was surrounded by wrought iron fencing on all sides, and then the fence was surrounded on three sides by all manner of opportunists selling palm readings, tarot card readings, voodoo spells and other random goods and services. The fourth, street side, was lined with horse drawn carriages ready to take you on a leisurely ride through the Quarter or the Garden District. The French Quarter was definitely the place to be in the evenings, though. That's where all the tourists and party people spend their nights, walking the streets, drinking, dancing and carousing. I can attest to the fact that it is just like you have heard that it is. The balconies are full of people, male and female, watching and talking to the people below, and the the streets are crowded with partiers who are out to have fun. Since you can walk the street with an open container - as long as it's not a can or a bottle - that's the main social activity. Many of the bars along the main drag, Bourbon Street, sell daiquiries or other alcoholic beverages in large plastic cups so that they can be carried without worry. A number of them even had walk-up windows right along the sidewalk. After dinner each of the three nights we were there we spent our evenings on Bourbon Street. It is an amazing place to people watch, as much for the free-spiritedness as for the interesting mix of characters gathered there. Let me recommend a tasty beverage known as the Hand Grenade, which is dubbed "New Orleans' Most Powerful Drink" and can be purchased in a series of bars known as Tropical Isle. It is far more tasty than the famous Hurricane found at Pat O'Brien's and seemed to work better, too. After having a couple of those I then discovered that the famous beignets of Cafe Du Monde on Decatur taste absolutely fabulous at 3:30am on a Wednesday evening! |