The street car runs on tracks down the middle of the street. It's painted a dark olive green, with rust colored trim on the doors and windows.
We started this day with a coach tour of the city - all of the city, not just the French Quarter. Our tour guide was Oz (short for Oswald).
Not long after the tour started, we passed this streetcar:
The street car runs on tracks down the middle of the street. It's painted a dark olive green, with rust colored trim on the doors and windows.
Like the Red Cars in Los Angeles, the streetcars in New Orleans have almost entirely been decommissioned, and replaced by busses. There are only two or three street car lines remaining - and one of them stopped right out in front of our hotel. We never rode the street car, though, because it didn't go anywhere we were going.
Incidentally, there really is a street in New Orleans named Desire, and there really used to be a streetcar that went there, and Tennessee Williams really did get the idea for A Streetcar Named Desire while riding on that car. There no longer is a streetcar named Desire, but on our 2001 trip, I took this picture:
A picture of a number 82 city bus, with a headsign that reads "Desire."
Sadly, "A Bus Named Desire" just doesn't sound as dramatic.
New Orleans is a city built on a swamp, and much of it is below sea level. This means that burying the dead underground is not a particularly good idea. So New Orleans cemeteries are full of aboveground mausoleums:
Rows of stone and marble mausoleums, some surmounted with statues, others with crosses, arranged in parallel lines stretching out to the distance, on either side of a grass walkway.
More of the same.
A closeup view of a somewhat more ornate mausoleum, with stone columns and a wrought iron gate. A walkway leads up to the entrance, flanked on either side by a garden with hedges and pink and white flowers. Other mausoleums and a fountain can be seen in the background.
Some famous people are buried here. For example, here's the final resting place of Anne Rice, New Orleans resident and author of Interview With The Vampire, among other works:
A relatively modest mausoleum, with the name Rice engraved above the entrance.
We also got to see Ms Rice's house (or one of them):
A three story brick house, with columns supporting a second floor balcony - er, gallery - and of course, wrought iron railings. Our view of the house is largely obscured by a spreading oak tree growing at the corner.
A number of famous people have lived in New Orleans at some time in their lives. We've already mentioned a few; the ones with statues in Armstrong Park, and Anne Rice and Tennessee WIlliams. This Wikipedia page lists a whole lot more of them than you'll want to know. Here are just a few other notable names:
Wait a minute... that last name on the list - Edgar Degas. The French painter? The guy who painted all the pictures of ballet dancers? Yes, that Edgar Degas. He was born in France, and lived most of his life there, but his mother was from New Orleans, and he lived in New Orleans for about a year, staying with his brother. Here's the house he lived in:
A two story white wood house, with a Louisiana flag and a French flag flying out front.
The house is now a bed and breakfast.
After lunch, we went to a Mardi Gras museum. After admiring several rooms full of elaborate Mardi Gras costumes:
A huge, elaborate headdress, stretching several feet above and to either side of the wearer's head. It's decorated with white and blue feathers, and gold, white and blue glitter.
A room with several mannequins wearing costumes, each with a headdress as elaborate as the one in the previous picture, and matching elaborate gowns. One is decorated in pink and silver, one in gold and green, and one in gold and light blue.
Another view of the same room, this one showing two mannequins, male and female, wearing matching costumes in gold, orange and black. The female mannequin wears an elaborate gown, and the male is dressed like a Roman soldier.
Another room, with more costumed mannequins. These costumes don't have the elaborate headdresses, but are more fanciful. One is dressed like King Arthur, with a white and silver costume, with a crown and a large fake beard. Another is dressed in a costume of traditional Mardis Gras colors, gold, purple and green. Another is in a costume suggesting a Chinese dragon, in green and shocking pink. Two small mannequins are dressed like scarecrows.
...we then sat down for a performance and informative presentation about Mardi Gras (w) by Carl Mack:
Carl wears a straw hat and a glittery gold jacket. He plays a xylophone mounted on wheels, with his name prominently displayed on the front.
I had always thought of Mardi Gras as a single day - the day before Ash Wednesday. What I learned on this trip is that in New Orleans, Mardi Gras is not just a day, but a season. The festivities begin about two or three weeks before, and continue right up to the day itself. Social clubs, called "krewes" (spelled k r e w e s), will put on fancy costumes like the ones in the pictures, and go parading through the streets, tossing gifts to the crowds. Traditionally, the gifts they toss are colored beads, like the ones hanging from the tree across from our hotel. Some krewes, however, get more inventive. Mr. Mack told us about a krewe that took old women's shoes and decorated them, and tossed them to the crowds. Not to be outdone, another krewe tossed decorated bras! (Thanks, I'll take the beads.)
One thing that I had often heard of, but never quite understood, was the "second line (w)." In a New Orleans parade, the first line is the main section of the parade, typically including a brass band. The second line consists of people who follow along behind the parade. The second liners will usually be dancing along carrying multi-colored parasols. In fact, at the end of his presentation, Mr. Mack had us all get up out of our chairs, and each of us grabbed a parasol, and we all went second lining around the room. I wish I had thought to step out of the line and take a picture.
After the presentation, we went into a room full of pieces of Mardi Gras costumes that we were invited to try on:
Lucia wears a headdress in shades of orange, red and gold, with red and white feathers, and red glass jewels.
Esmond's headdress is blue, white and silver, without feathers.
Terry's is burgundy with silver trim, with large shocking pink feathers.
And mine is dark blue and silver, with aqua feathers. I'm also wearing a string of blue beads.
After the museum, we stopped for drinks at a bar near the museum called The 3 Legged Dog. It had a sign outside saying "Sorry, we're open."
We then went in search of dinner and music. Traditionally, Bourbon Street (w) has been the primary tourist street in the French Quarter. As I said in my 2001 trip log:
Bourbon Street is something of a non-stop party. Music pours out of the clubs, and people walk - and stagger - up and down the street. The street is lined with music clubs and "adult entertainment" establishments. There is much noise, much liquor, much revelry. In a way, it's fun. In another way, it's kind of sad. (end of quote)
It's still like that today, only more so. And more than one tour guide told us that if we wanted good music, we should skip Bourbon Street, and go to Frenchmen Street, just outside the Quarter. So that's where we went. We started at a club called The Spotted Cat, where we were entertained by a quartet consisting of a clarinet, a guitar, an upright bass, and a baritone sax. Sadly, we weren't impressed. We then had drinks at another bar, and then had dinner at Adolfo's, a wonderful Italian restaurant. After dinner, we went downstairs to a bar where a guitarist was playing. Unfortunately, he went on a break just as we got there. We waited a while for him to come back from his break, but he took so long that we got tired of waiting and left, and went back to our hotel.