I took a few pictures round and about the French Quarter,
mostly thinking I might
email some to my friends; and besides, they made nice pictorial
souvenirs. I apologize if they are a bit amateurish,
but then I am, after all,
just an amateur.
They remain reminders of a happier time.
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I'll start off with a shot of
one of the city's more famous
landmarks, the St.Louis Cathedral.
It was, and still is, the focal
point of several long blocks of
18th century architecture, and one
of the few Catholic cathedrals
in America. |
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Andrew Jackson isn't kindly
remembered in most places for
his mistreatment of Cherokee
Indians and his rough-shod,
scandal-ridden administration.
However, he is lionized in New
Orleans as the great American
general who defeated the British
Army at the Battle of New Orleans
--the last major conflict of the
War of 1812, an extension of the
Napoleonic Wars in Europe. |
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Speaking of the Napoleonic Wars...
A little known fact is that there was an organized attempt to
"rescue" Napoleon Bonaparte from his British prison on the Island
of St.Helena. The plan was to sneak him into North America through
Mobile Alabama, then set him up in New Orelans with a house, an
intact army,
and the very good probablity that the wars of Europe
would be brought to America.
Preventing this was one of the real
reasons the British invaded America,
and no doubt one of the
reasons Napoleon was poisoned.
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This is the house that was built
to be Napoleon's residence, so it
is called - what else? -The Napoleon
House. Needless to say, it was not
fated to become the Imperial residence
after all, but a bar & grill popular
with modern-day tourists.
Alas! |
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The catchy little shop sign hanging
over the doorway of the Napoleon
House certainly lets you know that
the Emperor would have slept here.
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St.Joan of Arc is the Patron
Saint of New Orleans, and her
golden statue stands at the
end of Decatur Street, watching
over the Mississippi River. I
I suppose she did her job. During
Hurricane Katrina, the river's
levees held and flooding from the
river thankfully did not happen. |
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The apartment building, called the
Pontalba, is one of the more famous
buildings in the city, although over
the years it has been damaged and
rebuilt several times.
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I just liked the cheerful look
of this old building, with
its rows of Christmas wreaths
and garlands. Most houses in the
Quarter are apartment dwellings,
and they come in all price ranges. |
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This charming storefront looks
like something from an English
novel. I do not remember what
it was a store front for,
but there are many like this,
and each one has its own style. |
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This is a typical French Quarter
balcony, and there are scores
more like this. The people
who live in them decorate the
balconies with season themes.
rather like in the picture below. |
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This balcony is decked out
with a splendid collection
of Christmas trees. It was
an overcast day, so I'm
afraid the picture did
not come out as well as I
would have liked, but you
can still get the idea. |
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One of the most delightful
places in the Quarter is the
Cafe du Monde where you can
order the world's best coffee
and bengiats. |
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This is the Jackson Brewery--
and believe it or not, is
a shopping mall, and a very
nice one, too! Some time ago,
it was converted from an old
brewery, as the name suggests,
and has lots of great shops and
eateries, and is popular with
locals and tourists alike. |
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A trip to the Quarter wouldn't
be complete if there was no
mention of Bourbon Street.
It wasn't named for the booze,
however, but for the Royal
House of France! That's why
Royal Street runs parallel. |
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Remember the movie, "Forrest
Gump"? Someone else did, too,
and so now there's a real
Bubba Gump Seafood restaurant
down in the Quarter. The food
is pretty good, too - like all
New Orleans food. |
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While we're on the subject
of Bourbon Street and the
movies, someone put this
clever Blues Brothers
window display up as a
Christmas decoration. |
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Last but not least, a real
street musician - a sax player.
The Quarter is full of street
entertainers: musicians, mimes,
artists, dancers, jugglers and
singers. Most of them are quite
good, and many careers have been
launched this way. |
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