New Orleans, Louisiana
In December 2008 we decided to take a huge road trip to Miami from our Home in Houston, en route we stopped over in New Orleans to experience this famous city for ourselves. Sarah wasted no time in refuelling as soon as we arrived.
Obviously the 'French Quarter' was our goal and dominating the skyline from Jackson Square in the centre of this beautiful area of the city is the St. Louis Cathedral, in front of which is the statue of General Andrew Jackson who defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 and later went on to become the 7th President of the United States.
from a higher point across the street the dominating position of the Cathedral is more apparent, the horse drawn carriages line up here to give tours of the French Quarter though walking is a much better way to see the area.
Jackson square is surrounded by artists selling their wares in oil, watercolour, pencil, photographic and every other form imaginable, we purchased 2 nice oil on canvas works from an artist here that really captured the feel of the place for us.
In the foreground the Steamboat 'Natchez' that cruises the Mississippi river from New Orleans, and in the rear is the Canal Street Ferry, or Algiers Ferry as it is also known. This was used in filming the movie Deja Vu. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Hollywood came to the aid of New Orleans by making numerous movies in the area bringing in much needed financial support following the disgraceful failure of the American government to react appropriately during and indeed following the disaster.
in the Eastern corner of the French Quarter is a great little French market selling all kinds of weird and wonderful things
the buildings on the French Quarter are predominantly of Spanish design having been there long before the city became part of the United States and they really do bring character and soul to the area (something which is missing in many American Cities because of their relative modernity; the equivalent in the UK would be trying to find the character in Milton Keynes)
there are a great number of street entertainers here too, it seems that around each corner you will find another person trying to get by on busking, mime, hustling or like this guy standing very still. Yes, it may look like he is crossing the street when I grabbed this shot but he is actually standing very still as is his stuffed dog!!
The shopping here is incredible but you often have to look closely to find it, many of the best little boutique stores are tucked away down blind alleys or hidden behind seemingly inauspicious doorways.
we walked along the Mississippi River down to the more modern area of New Orleans (well the modern shopping centre!!) and saw some of the juxtaposition of modernity versus historical importance, the change is abrupt and clumsy but at least you know when you have reached or departed the French Quarter.
After wearing out our shoes shopping we found a 'Bubba Gump Shrimp' on the edge of the French Quarter and settled in for a a couple of hours of eating and drinking.
when we found our way out of Bubba Gump it was dark and we walked back through the French Quarter to our hotel. This is without doubt one of our favourite places in America and one we hope to return to in the future.