Wednesday, March 15

Prior to arriving in New Orleans, we had made reservations for a number of tours and activities, with the result that we had something to do every day. This day started out with a mule-drawn carriage ride around the French Quarter (w). To quote from my 2001 trip log:

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre, is the oldest section of the city, hugging a bend in the river. In this section, the streets are narrow, and the buildings are old. Of course, there's much more to the city now, but the French Quarter is the romantic, picturesque part.

Since the city has been, at various times, under French, Spanish and American control, all of the streets in the French Quarter have three names, in French, Spanish and English. For example: St. Philip St., Rue St. Phillipe, Calle San Felipe.

In the center of the Quarter is Jackson Square, also known as Place D'Armes, or Plaza de Armas. This was originally an arms depot (hence the French and Spanish names), and is now a city square, highlighted by a statue of Genl. Andrew Jackson (hence the English name).

On the north side of the city is Lake Pontchartrain. This is a large lake, about 30 miles north to south, and even longer east to west. And according to the tour guide, the average depth is 12 feet. I commented to Terry that you could damn near wade across it.

Much of the city is below sea level. The water is controlled by levees, and a series of canals, both above and under the ground.

(end of quote)

The city was under French rule from 1718 to 1763, then under Spanish rule till 1802, when it briefly returned to French rule under Napoleon, who then sold it to the U.S. in the Louisiana Purchase.

Despite the name, most of the architecture in the French Quarter is Spanish. We were told that this was because the French built wooden buidings, most of which were destroyed by fires in 1788 and 1794. The Spanish apparently learned their lesson, and began building with brick and stucco, and these are the buildings that survive today. Here are a couple of examples:

A view looking down a street in the French Quarter.


A three story brick building with balconies on the two upper floors, both with intricate wrought iron railings.

The wrought iron railings on the balconies are prevalent throughout the quarter. And I discovered that if a balcony is held up by posts, as in the second picture above, it's not a balcony, but a gallery. So now you know.

Another interesting item about the French Quarter that I leared on this trip is that, although much of New Orleans is below sea level, the Quarter is one area that isn't. It sits on a small rise, which is why the original city was located there. Also, there are no overhead power lines in the Quarter, they're all underground. So when a hurricane hits and the power goes out and the city gets flooded, the lights are still on and the streets are still above water in the French Quarter.

The tour started in front of Jackson Square, where there were a dozen or so carriages lined up waiting for tourists. We found the one we had reserved, and got on board. Our tour guide was Lucy:

A middle aged woman with blonde hair, wearing a jacket and a cap. She's sitting sideways in her seat, so that she can look back at her passengers as she talks to them.

...and our mule was Marie Laveau (notice the green shoes - it was almost St. Patrick's Day):

Apparently, all the carriage rides use mules rather than horses, because mules can withstand higher temperatures than horses (in the summer, New Orleans gets really hot).

Along the way, Lucy regaled us with information about New Orleans and its history. As it happened, although each of the tours we took had a different focus, most of them included general information about New Orleans and its history. And all of the information was consistent; there were no contradictions between different tours. Which either means that the information we heard was essentially accurate, or that all the tour operators got together and agreed on their story! (I suspect the former.)

Throughout the Quarter, we saw a number of buildings painted in lively colors. I was particularly impressed by this one:

It's painted a vibrant purple, with trimming in lighter purple, gold, and apple green.

After the tour, we stopped at Cafe Du Monde (w) for coffee (well, I had hot chocolate) and beignets. Cafe Du Monde is a famous coffee shop which has been in business since 1862. Their menu is limited to coffee, hot chocolate and soft drinks, and of course, beignets (ben-yays). This is another N.O. specialty; they're essentially squares of dough, deep fried like donuts, and covered with about a pound of powdered sugar:

A closeup picture of our table, showing two beignets.

We then went for lunch, where I had alligator bites (chunks of alligator meat - yes, it really does taste like chicken), after which we had some time to kill before our next tour. The location where we were to meet our guide was right across from this park:

A large white arch stands at the park's entrance, with the name Armstrong in large letters.

...named, of course, for Louis Armstrong (w). That arch is lit up at night, but I never got a picture of it.

Terry, Lucia and Esmond found a bench to sit on and wait for me while I explored the park. Of course, there was a sculpture of Mr. Armstrong himself:

A bronze statue of Louis Armstrong, mounted on a pedestal. He holds his trumpet in his left hand, and his trademark white handkerchief in his right hand.


A plaque at the base of the statue reads: Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, 1901-1971. His trumpet and heart brought everlasting joy to the world, embodying jazz as The Pulse of Life. In appreciation, National Park Service / Tourism Cares. April 18, 2008


Another plaque reads: Louis Armstrong Statue. Dedicated by Lucille Armstrong, April 15, 1980. This statue was paid for through the contributions of over one thousand individuals from over twenty-six nations around the world. The statue project was coordinated by the Louis Armstrong Statue Fund, Benny Carter, Chairman, Floyd Levin, Director, Elizabeth Catlett, Sculptress.

Wandering around, I saw several other sculptures. This one intrigued me:

A surrealistic sculpture consisting of a number of large blocks covered with mosaic tiles in various patterns and colors, as well as three large metal spheres and a metal wave shape.

...but it had no plaque to explain it. For the rest of them, I'll let the plaques tell the story:

A bronze sculpture depicting a marching band consisting of men playing (left to right) a trombone, a tenor saxophone, a trumpet, a snare drum, a bass drum, and a sousaphone.


A plaque reads: New Orleans Marching Brass Band. Just before 1900, local Black marching bands began to improvise on rags, hymns, blues, and European marches in a new style, later called "Jazz." Often the training ground for jazz greats, brass bands remain a popular fixture in social club parades and jazz funerals. Their exciting music is often accompanied by a dance called "the second line." Sculptor: Sheleen Jones-Adenle. Dedicated April 2010. This sculpture was generously funded by the Edward Wisner Donation.


A bronze sculpture depicting a large group of Black men and women dancing and singing. Two men play hand drums.


A plaque reads: Congo Square. During the late 17th century and well into the 18th century, slaves gathered at Congo Square and sang, danced, and drummed in authentic West African style. This rich legacy of African celebration is the foundation of New Orleans' unique musical traditions, including jazz. Sculptor: Adewade S. Adenle. Dedicated April 2010. This sculpture was generously funded by the Edward Wisner Donation.


A bronze sculpture of a Black cornet player. The sculpture depicts the man in three poses, molded together so that he appears to have three heads and four feet.


A plaque reads: Charles "Buddy" Bolden. September 6, 1877 - November 4, 1931. This legendary cornet player is often credited as the earliest jazz musician and band leader. In dance halls and street parades, Bolden was among the first to improvise popular music using the Black blues and hymn vocal style on a horn. He is remembered as the "First King of Jazz." Sculptor: Kimberly Dummons. Dedicated April 2010. This sculpture was generously funded by the Edward Wisner Donation.


A bronze bust of a man, mounted on a pedestal.


A plaque reads: Sidney Bechet. "Wizard of Jazz" and master of the clarinet and soprano saxophone. Born: May 14, 1897, New Orleans. Died: May 14, 1959, Paris, France. "I have never forgotten the power and imagination with which he played." Duke Ellington, (c.1973). This memorial was unveiled by Marc H. Morial, Mayor, City of New Orleans, and Francois Bujon de L'estang, French Ambassador to the U.S., in the presence of Daniel Sidney Bechet and other Bechet family members too numerous to mention. May 6, 1997. Sidney Bechet Centennial Committee.

These were all musicians I had heard of. Then I saw a statue of another artist that I recognized, but I didn't know she was from New Orleans:

A bronze statue of a woman with her arms raised, looking up to Heaven.


A plaque reads: Mahalia Jackson, October 26, 1911 - January 27, 1972. Mahalia Jackson was born in New Orleans and became known as "The World's Greatest Gospel Singer." Through concerts and recordings, her powerful voice introduced Black gospel music to an international public. She sang in support of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Sculptor: Elizabeth Catlett. Dedicated April 2010. This sculpture was generously funded by the Edward Wisner Donation.


A wide view, in which it can be seen that the statue stands in front of a large building, the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

While I was wandering around the park, I heard a sound like POP! POP! POP! off in the distance, and I wondered if it was the sound of gunshots. A little while later, I discovered that sure enough, it was. There was a man sitting on a bench, who had apparently been shot in the leg, and a number of other people crowding around, and the police were just arriving. I left.

Just before the tour started, I needed to use the bathroom. I went into a bar on the corner, and when I found the restroom, I was confronted by this sign:

The sign reads: Restrooms are for paying customers. Want to use the restroom? Leave a tip for the bartender. We see you walk past and not even make eye contact. Be a decent human being. This is not a public toilet. Happy Mardi Gras.

So I gave the bartender a dollar and went to the bathroom.

It was now time to meet our guide for the second tour of the day, a music tour. Our guide, David Higgins, was a very entertaining gentleman, the son of Billy Higgins, a prominent jazz drummer. The tour turned out to be more of a lecture than a tour - more talking than walking - but it was very interesting and informative. His main theme was how African musical traditions influenced and shaped American popular music - primarily jazz, of course, but also blues, rock, R & B, soul, gospel, rap, hip-hop, etc.

One place he did take us to was back across the street to Armstrong Park, to an area known as Congo Square (w). I didn't get a picture of it, but I found this picture online:

A large open area, surrounded by trees, paved with flagstones arranged in curving geometrical patterns.

Apparently, slaves in Louisiana were slightly better off than slaves in other Southern states. The Code Noir (w), or Black Code, among other things, set rules for how owners could treat slaves, and outlawed some of the worst treatments. The code also mandated that slaves have the day off on Sundays. They could then work for themselves on that day, and earn money to eventually buy their freedom. They would also get together on Sundays to sing, dance and play music. At first, they would have these gatherings anywhere they could find space, but in 1817, a space was set aside for them across from the French Quarter, and this space became known as Congo Square.

Here's a picture of the tour group with David:

The picture shows David with Terry, Esmond and Lucia, and another woman who was on the tour. David is a short, light skinned black man, wearing an all black suit and a black fedora.

That small keyboard he's holding - it actually hung on a strap around his neck - is something called a melodica. You play it by blowing into a mouthpiece on one end.

After the tour, we went for drinks and dinner at Pat O'Briens Bar, and then back to the hotel. And that was it for the day.