Four Nights In New Orleans

As we wandered the French Quarter very late on a Sunday night we heard the happy sounds

of a Jazz wedding procession.

I have been infatuated with New Orleans since the 1990's when I first read Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, a supernatural confessional mostly set in and around the Crescent City.  It's Rice's hometown and she's featured it heavily in her books, particularly The Witching Hour and its sequels.   In her fiction, she paints a compelling picture of a city that is both vividly alive and steeped in the past.  It's not for nothing that one of New Orlean's many nicknames is America's Most Interesting City.  In fact, in many parts of the city, it's easy to forget that you are in fact in the 21st Century United States instead of some long ago Caribbean settlement.  After almost twenty years of wanting to visit, I finally made it there for a long weekend in April 2013.

French Quarter building with characteristic lace iron balcony.

I've never been to a city that so vigorously guards and protects its past.  Construction in the French Quarter and the Garden District is strictly regulated to keep with historical aesthetics.  The result of this is a wonderful architectural coherence.  A walk down Royal Street at night is a stroll into the romantic past with its moody 18th Century buildings and pools of soft light from faux gas lamps.  In the Garden District, the 19th Century rules. Here you'll find looming Greek Revival and Italianate mansions.  Even on Canal Street where the French Quarter gives way to Uptown and the modern city, the architecture is carefully managed.  Early and mid 20th Century buildings line the street as though to ease one's transition into modernity while the palm trees  and art deco flourishes give the street a Floridian flavor.

The Greek Revival Garden District mansion formerly owned by Anne Rice 

and the setting for her novel The Witching Hour.

From our hotel in the French Quarter we explored raucus and messy Bourbon Street, which even at a relatively quiet time in April was overrun by loud, drunken tourists wearing belated Mardi Gras beads.  New Orleans has very relaxed alcohol laws and although one is allowed to drink on the street, public drunkenness is illegal. We were there long enough to see a drunken fist fight between tourists and the resulting arrest.

In the French Quarter, even the garbage is festive.

Immediately noticeable in the Quarter are the balconies with gorgeous wrought iron railings and which are on many buildings.  These decorative embellishments are actually a reminder of the decades in the 18th Century during which the city was a Spanish holding.  Despite the dominance of French culture in the city for most of its history, a lot of the characteristic architecture is actually Spanish colonial and for anyone who has lived or travelled in Latin America, the aesthetic of the French Quarter will seem very familiar.

A French Quarter building, with double wrap-around porches and iron lace frames.

Part of the beauty and charm of the French Quarter is in it many architectural levels, lines and embellishments.  The balconies elegantly frame and scaffold their buildings and give them a sense of flourish and depth.  The balconies themselves are not just simple linear structures but are framed by delicate, ornate ironwork and often decorated with antiques and gardens which have grown heavy and lush in the Louisiana hothouse climate.

Sometimes hidden in the shadows behind the main buildings are smaller buildings which were often the slave and servant quarters, themselves elegantly decayed.   One can occasionally see hidden gardens and courtyards glimpsed through iron gates and tropical foliage.  Often, buildings will have a mysterious gated corridor seemingly leading behind the structure to a rear courtyard.  These are carriageways from the days of horse and buggy travel and they lead to what would have been the stables or carriage houses.  There are many reminders of the French Quarter's equestrian past scattered around the neighborhood.

These iron horse ties are all over the Quarter
and reminders of the days of horse travel.
This beautifully weathered one is on Esplande.

There is no need for cabs or cars within the French Quarter, as it is not very big and it's clear that its narrow streets were not designed with cars in mind.  In fact, you do yourself a disservice by not walking through the Quarter as much as possible.  It is one of the most walkable  places that I have ever been to in both its size and the joy of discovery.  New Orleans, as a whole is not a huge city and from what I was able to see, a bicycle would be a great option for getting between the major sites.

As you walk farther towards Canal, the Quarter becomes increasingly upscale and filled with expensive restaurants, boutiques and antique shops.   The opposite, northeastern border of the French Quarter is Esplande Ave, which is quieter and more residential.  A large median which is overgrown with towering trees and greenery separates the traffic lanes.  This stretch of Esplande Ave was very pretty and one of my favorite parts of the city.  As you are walking along you catch glimpses of beautiful old Creole buildings in their pastel glory framed by trees and lush tropical plants.

Building on Esplande Avenue.

As you travel towards the Mississippi, there is a definite funky and Bohemian vibe.  Jackson Square-a Spanish colonial style Plaza de Armas-is surrounded by people selling everything from paintings to  Tarot readings.  You'll also find the kinds of skeevy street kids you find in places like Portland.  Jackson Square is a great place to catch street performers and musicians who do their thing in the shadow of the great St. Louis Cathedral.    Despite all of the chaos going on around it, the actual square is surprisingly immaculate with its clean flagstones and well-trimmed greenery that surround the statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback. 

Jackson Square with St. Louis Cathedral in the background.

In this part pf the part of the quarter you can also find two New Orleans  institutions: Central Grocery with its famous muffaletta sandwich and Cafe du Monde with its cafe au lait and beignets, which are squared donut-like pastries.  Central Grocery has been around for over a century and is the kind of deli/grocery shop you used to find whereever Italians settled in the U.S. but which are now an endangered species.  Inside, you'll find a wide variety olive oils and Italian cooking supplies in addition to their signature sandwich, which is made of meats, cheeses, and their own olive salad and served on a giant circular loaf.  While not for everybody, it's a must try while you are in town. 

Even older than Central Grocery is Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans institution since 1862.  We tried to go there several times but were put off by the enormous crowds.  We finally found it manageable on our last night there on a Sunday evening.  The menu is essentially limited to coffee and beignets and the servers wear adorable old-fashioned paper butcher hats.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all but I must say I liked the chicory-flavored Cafe au Lait, particularly after I managed to dip the beignets (which are almost absurdly covered in powdered sugar) in a few times.

Cafe du Monde avec crowds.

Cafe du Monde  is located near the French Market which is a tented area where they sell produce and prepared foods and just about everything else.  The area has been a market in one form or another since the 18th Century.  For a number of reasons, this is a great place to hit up if your time in NOLA is short. First, you can pick up any souvenirs you need here at decent prices.  Secondly,  if, like me, you came into town with a checklist of staple New Orleans foods that you wanted to try, you can sample most of them here in a casual atmosphere.  They serve everything from Gumbo to raw Oysters to alligator sausage and pralines.

From the riverfront you can also catch a ride on the Steamboat Natchez, a still-operating paddleboat that takes short cruises up the Mississippi.  A ride on the Natchez is a great way to see the skyline and  a cool reminder of New Orleans maritime past.  If you go at the right time you may also catch a beautiful sunset behind the city.  On the way out you'll probably pass some ships heading to dock and some local landmarks such as the levees that gave way in 2005 during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

The boat also features an old-timey calliope organ on its top deck which pipes out tunes from the ubiquitious "When The Saints Come Marching In," to what sounded suspiciously like the music from the underwater levels of Super Mario Bros.  This music often floats over the whole riverfront and convention center giving the area a festive and sweetly nostalgic feel.  

Less sweet is the insanely loud fog horn on the ship.  On our way back into the city, the Natchez engaged in an extended back-and-forth with another passing cruise ship, which sounded a lot like how I imagine two Tyrannosaurs fighting over a carcass would sound.  Its a sound that you feel in the middle of your chest and one that vibrates off the buildings and througout the city like something from a Godzilla movie.

There is also an option to have dinner aboard the Natchez but the food is nothing special.  You're better off spending your money at one of New Orleans fine restaurants or grab yourself a couple of delicious poboy sandwiches.  If you are interested, you can also take a walk down to the steam engine room on the ship.  I highly recommend a ride on the Natchez as it is one of those uniquely New Orleans experiences.

If you are looking to venture out of the city consider a combination swamp/plantation tour like those offered by Cajun Pride Tours. The service includes hotel pick-up and drop-off and a tour of a private swamp in a flat-bottom boat and admission to either Oak Alley or Laura Plantation.  Our shuttle driver was a New Orleans native who pointed out many of the sites on the way, giving a de facto tour of the city and environs. 

The driver also gave us a chance to hear an authentic New Orleans accent.  Because of it's location, people will assume that New Orleanians have a "Southern" or possibly a Cajun accent but the fact is that the characteristic dialect (at least for the working class white population) is one that sounds remarkably like the kind of dialect you would hear on the east coast, particularly in and around New York City.  It actually makes sense as both are large port cities in which settled huge amounts of Irish, Italian, and German immigrants which influenced the spoken English.

A (replica?) Cajun trapper hut.

Cajun Pride has their own section of swampland and even on what was a rather cold day we saw about half of a dozen alligators.  Our swamp tour guide even surprised us with a baby alligator which was basically passed around the boat like a joint.  Alligator culture is big in Louisiana and gator farming is a major industry in the state.  Consequently, you can find gator meat on the menu in many local restaurants.  I had a dish called Alligator Picante at the Corner Oyster House in the French Quarter.  It was a tasty dish and I found the meat to have a fish-like consistency in the sauce.  It wasn't as chewy or substantial as I was expecting.  I also tried the alligator sausage at the French Market and it was quite good, although it has some pork mixed in.

The swamp tour guide even gave us a little background on the Cajun culture of Lousiana and how it was different from the more diverse and cosmopolitan Creole culture of New Orleans.  The Cajun people have a fascinating, globetrekking history that took them from France across the Atlantic to Canada, where they were run out by the British.  These people who originally called themselves Accadians then made their way to Louisiana but purposefully settled away from the French Creole culture.  The Cajuns flourished in the remote, rural parts of the state and they are the last holdouts of French-speaking Louisiana culture, as French has not been widely spoken in New Orleans for a century.

Meanwhile the Creole culture has adapted and absorbed infusions of Spanish, Indian, African, and European immigrant culture.  Creole cuisine, for example, takes many cues from Cajun food and while they may be similar in the broad strokes, Creole food will incorporate ingredients like tomato sauce borrowed from Italian cuisine and one can see the influence of Spanish cuisine in Jambalaya, which is a Paella-like dish.  

While there's a clear marker between Cajun and Creole food, it's harder to put a finger on what the Creole identity really is.  It's not a race or ethnicity or language.  It's more of a beloved set of cultural markers that the people of New Orleans have tacitly agreed upon.  It seems more about lifestyle and food and local pride.  As an outsider, it's a hard thing to get a handle on.

As a Northerner, another thing difficult to get a handle on is the legacy of American slavery.  The second leg of our excursion took us to picturesque Oak Alley Plantation.  Oak Alley is so grand and stately that it is almost the very embodiment of Antebellum Southern American planation culture. It is so beautiful and iconic a structure that been featured in numerous films in which an impressive plantation has been needed.  It was prominently featured in the movie version of Interview with the Vampire, where it stood in for Louis' plantation house.  The plantation is named for the two rows of oak trees that lead to its entrance but which were actually planted one hundred years before the house was even built.

No visit to Oak Alley is complete without being stared at
 by creepy antique dolls.

Louisiana is dotted with old restored plantation houses which are marketed as major tourist attractions, Oak Alley foremost among them in the area.  It's hard to know how to feel about these places.  Oak Alley is undoubtably a beautiful place but it is also a place where human beings were purchased and exploited.  The impulse seems to be to present a romantic picture of the era and to gloss over this fact during the tours and refer to the slaves as "servants" with only a brief reference to the brutal institution of slavery.  Equally uncomfortable was the fact that my entire tour group was white.  In fact, the only black face I saw on the tour was that of a female employee at the plantation dressed in period clothes.

Neoclassical, much?

That being said, at Oak Alley there are some attempts to represent the perspective of the slaves.  They are in the process of reconstructing some of the slave quarters to give an idea what life was like on the other side of the plantation experience.  There is also a large plaque prominently displayed on the path to the plantation house with educational facts about slavery at Oak Alley and with the names of the slaves that were forced to work there.  Still, there is some real cognitive dissonance in visiting a place like Oak Alley and "enjoying" it.  I feel like if they are going to celebrate the experiences of the plantation owners, the only way to present a complete picture is to highlight the experiences of the slaves in equal measure, as unpleasant as the facts are.

Back in New Orleans, we took the famous St. Charles streetcar, which runs from Canal St. through Uptown.  St. Charles is one of the few remaining old-fashioned street cars running in the city.  Of course, the most famous streetcar was the streetcar named Desire from the Tenessee Williams play which was set in New Orleans.  That streetcar line was shut down by the 1950's.  The St. Charles, however, is still operating and remains charmingly retro with its wood interior and benches which faithfully recreate its 19th and 20th Century predecessors-with the exception of the automatic fare box.  A trip on the streetcar is a great way to see Uptown and one of those things you must do while you are in town.

I was on a mission to check out Anne Rice's old house at First and Chestnut in the Garden District, something the 1990's me always dreamed about doing.  After lunch on Magazine Street at a great Caribbean fusion restaurant called The Rum House, we headed to the Rice house guided by the very good Trip Advisor app (and its built in GPS) stopping at some of the beautiful homes on the way.  Fortunately, we also came across Lafayette Cemetery.  Because New Orleans is built on swampy land with a high water table conventional underground burials are not done since the corpses tend to work their way back out of the ground (and they wonder why horror stories are set there).  Instead, New Orleans cemeteries feature veritable cities of above ground-crypts.  

Each cemetery is a kind of necropolis with its own streets and alleyways and even well-maintained little lawns.  New Orleans is one of the few American cities where All Saints Day is widely celebrated, and it is on November 1st that families would traditionally go to the cemeteries and maintain the tombs of deceased relatives.

These cemeteries have also become kind of a macabre tourist attraction, especially St. Louis No. 1, where the "voodoo queen" Marie Laveau is interred.  In any case, I'm glad to have gotten a chance to at least pass through one of these remarkable New Orleans places.

Not only did Anne Rice live in the Garden District but her wonderful novel, The Witching Hour was largely set in her former home, so I was quite interested to see it for myself.  In those early chapters she vividly evokes the florid atmosphere of the Garden District in which the  stately mansions seem to be constantly in danger of being overtaken by wild "gardens" and the massive oak trees intertwine their branches overhead creating a leafy canopy. There are even plants growing on the branches themselves like green feathers.  These ancient oaks push their powerful roots in and out of the ground like muscular tentacles, causing the narrow sidewalks to buckle and break.  It really is a perfect setting for a book that is preoccupied with uncontrolable growth and mutation.

Mighty roots shoulder aside the pavement.

There is so much to do in and around New Orleans that four nights is barely enough time to scratch the surface.  On our trip we missed the Cabildo museum, Laura Plantation, Treme, Gallier House, World War II Museum, Algiers ferry, Bananas Foster, Voo Doo Museum, St. Louis Cemetery, boiled crawfish, the Audobon Zoo, and I'm sure a million other things of which I'm not even aware.  

I'll be back, New Orleans.  That's a promise.

Patrick Garone

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Looking up in the Garden District.