New Orleans

The Crescent City is a mecca for the senses. Taste, hear, see… the surroundings are awe inspiring.   It is far more interesting and good-looking than we had expected. I thought it would be a dozen or so colonial houses, a few jazz bars,  restaurants... But it goes well beyond the ordinary. New Orleans is used to topping the annual ‘best-of’ lists and has received numerous accolades.  CNN Travel for example dubbed it one of “the world’s eight most romantic cities” while Condé Nast Traveler  ranked it as one of the “Top 10 Cities in the United States”.

It is at the forefront of many travellers’ minds first of all because of the food, my best form of entertainment after music and books. We were still talking about how amazing our last meal was – no matter that at times we had to queue up for it – even as we sat down to dig into our next one. Thanks to iphone reviews were instantly accessible so we never had a single mediocre meal.

Then there’s the shopping – and for me mostly window shopping though I did buy some spices and condiments. I nearly fell for a vintage pair of Chanel earrings but changed my mind when I saw the price.

From the French Quarter’s antiques and art galleries (we saw some superb art) to the six-mile stretch of retail-packed Magazine Street, we found the most eclectic mix of shops. I don’t believe we ever came across a shopping mall though.

Fascinating history and unique architecture are likewise at every turn, but especially in the Vieux Carré area.  Although found by a Frenchman in 1718 and known as the French Quarter most of the present day buildings were built under Spanish rule and show Spanish colonial taste.

We loved the festive mood which every day brought with it. Yes, everywhere there was a feeling of fiesta. Houses, grand or humble are decorated with bunting and beads. Houses are beautifully painted in a variety of colours. The grander ones have ceiling fans on the balconies and gaslight. And there are flowers, shrubs, trees everywhere. A narrow gate often leads to a shady courtyard or garden – a secret garden perhaps.

I have seen this type of colonial house in Haiti, Quebec and Mauritius. Indeed in the latter island we wanted to purchase one of them but the insurance companies would not insure it as these houses of character are made of wood and Mauritius is cyclone country.

Happily the Vieux Carré in New Orleans was affected relatively lightly by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The area is an enormous tourist attraction and its conservation and protection is high on the Vieux Carré Commission’s list which looks after its distinct architectural historic character and its zoning integrity.  It regulates all repairs, alterations and construction that affect the exterior (whether visible from the street or not) of any building situated on private property in the French Quarter. It charges owners who violate the City’s regulations and seeks the correction of such infractions. I suspect the Commission is a combination of Din L’Art Helwa, MEPA and Flimkien ghal Ambjant Ahjar.

Given that much of the Crescent City was erected on what was once low-lying wetland, it’s little surprise that the surrounding area is rich in swamp and bayou –streams, creeks, inlets . Nearly 50 per cent of New Orleans sits below sea level. It seems an inauspicious place for a city that, by the mid-19th century, would be the wealthiest in America. Although it was a bad site for a city but it was a great situation. Its strategic situation near the mouth of North America’s greatest river, the Mississipi allowed French colonials to exploit and protect their vast Louisiana claim effectively from a single point. New Orleans wouldn’t exist if not for the river. As the port grew, it made the city rich. Life, both economic and social, centered on the Mississipi. I must say I never thought I would see it and send it a few kisses when I did. Neither did I ever dream I would see the Kalahari desert from our painful geography lessons at school. When I went to Botswana on a conference years ago I was there, on the edge of it and knelt down and kissed the sand I was so moved.

While the young couple got up early and went to the swamps to feed the alligators marshmallows I took their offspring for a spin at the River Walk near the hotel where there was a Fudgery. There he enjoyed his first little piece of fudge (against all instructions from his parents) which was being freshly made while its makers sang their way through their work, to the delight of spectators.

People watching is great in New Orleans. The friendliness of everyone you meet or pass on the street is legendary. A “Good morning,” “How ya’ doin’?” or “Hey, darlin’” is all just part of this incredible city’s daily dialogue. In short they have spunk and people talk to people spontaneously whether in a shop, in a restaurant, in an art gallery.

One memorable jazz brunch which must be booked ahead was at The Court of Two Sisters in Royal Street, in the French Quarter, named after two sisters who in days gone by imported clothes and accessories from Paris.  This has a large dining courtyard – vines, creepers, plants – a very tropical and cool courtyard, the largest courtyard in the French Quarter. It has its original gas lights and flowing fountains. Picturesque and old world the buffet was excellent and there, for the first time I tasted an Oreo cake, made of Oreo biscuits. No wonder a blood test on my return showed my cholesterol is still high, in spite of the statins. The strolling trio playing New Orleans jazz not too loudly added to the most pleasant ambience and brunch.

The parks are picturesque perfect and we loved the streetcars (A Streetcar Named Desire anyone?!). The New Orleans streetcar is the oldest continually operating trolley system in the United States. In the early 20th century dozens crisscrossed the city, but a misguided push toward modernization during the 1960s had many of the tracks ripped up and streetcars replaced by buses. Today we found the city’s signature streetcars rumbling beneath the St Charles Avenue’s giant oaks, rolling along the Mississippi riverfront… It is a great way to see the city for just $1.25.

One afternoon we took a quick ferry trip to Algiers Point which put us amid the river’s traffic of tankers and cruise ships.  With the importation of African slaves, Algiers was used as a holding area until those that survived the crossing recovered enough to be dispatched across the river to be sold. Because of my life in Mauritius and because I lived with a husband who wrote about slavery it has always interested me – and continues to sadden me. Man’s inhumanity to man continues to this day in other forms of slavery.

As we walked around in the heat – Theo kept quiet as we placed the occasional little ‘fish’ in his fingers – we came across a lifesize statue of Louis Armstrong who is possibly New Orleans most famous and charismatic citizen.  Nurtured and helped by a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant family when he was young, he soon discovered they were also discriminated against. Forever grateful for their help he wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life and wrote about what he learned from them: "how to live – real life and determination.

Algiers is where the New Orleans carnival floats are built and are housed in what are known as ‘dens’.  It is a sleepy town with many churches and congregations.

We enjoyed the relaxed laziness of a hot afternoon and sat at a café for a cold beer. A very different ambience to New Orleans across the river where everyone is strolling, people watching, listening to buskers and drifting from one street to another.

That evening after dinner we set out again for the French quarter. I did not know that they were planning to walk me and Theo in his pram through the famous Bourbon Street. When we came upon it, we were reminded of Paceville. Only it seems more decadent. ‘100 beautiful girls and 3 ugly ones’ ran one sign… and pole dancers could be seen from the street outside. Theo was asleep in his pram, inspite of the noise as tourists and locals alike drifted from one entertainment to the  next, barely out of one cloud of music before they were in another. A nightmare to me. But the rest was lovely.