NEW ORLEANS ARTISTRY, Alive and Well

Yes, sure it has its ugly step-sister side, but Oh the music -- jazz in sedate settings, jazz piano at the National Park Jazz Center, brassy street music, violins and guitars playing Pachelbel; street artists in every nook and cranny.  And to think I almost drove past this magical city!

A calliope greets visitors to the Riverboat Natchez.

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Boys from the hood draw dancers and smiling, hand-clapping fans wherever they go. I was originally treated to their street-corner music at the 2006 Jazz Fest. Playing in the street is their venue of choice, and of course I bought their CD.  Maybe the tuba player can buy a new one some day soon.

 

Click to enlarge this photo; capturing serendipity makes my day!

This guy could make his horn burn!

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My last evening in New Orleans was spent here with its mosaic tiled floors and old brick walls that house a fabulous collection of photographs of jazz greats.  I admit to being slightly self conscious about eating alone.  Palm Court's hostess understood and insisted on seating me at a small table next to the lace-curtained windows where my view of the band and dancers was better than from the bar.  Music/food, sublime!

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Preservation Hall, the sacred temple of New Orleans Jazz.  No visit to New Orleans would be complete without  a pilgrimage here.  Preservation Hall is tiny; the wait to get in is long; and the number of guests is limited.  The first in line can sit on the floor at the foot of the band or on one of four wooden benches.  As many as will fit can crowd into about 60 or so square feet of steerage standing room at the back -- or leave!  (No interior photographs.  By that time of day two camera batteries had already expired ...imagine an expletive here!)  By the way, the exterior is deliberately painted to look decrepit and craggy. And charming, I guess.

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S'far as I'm concerned, a mime is an artist, especially if he's covered in silver paint and can juggle while standing on an elevated 12" x 12" platform!

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This exotic beauty from Brazil at first refused to let me photograph her.  I hung around, chatted, hung around, admired her work, shuffled from left foot to right foot.  She finally relented so long as I emailed her copies.  Of course I did so; it was definitely worth my while!

Some of the artists were diligent; others not so much.

Day is done.  Back to his loft.  I hope he sold a painting or two.

Stay tuned for Part III (eventually!)

I "HEART" NEW ORLEANS, Warts and All!

Many people warned me about how down-at-the-heels she's become, about the crime and grime, about the ill effects of Katrina.  But New Orleans is a city after all.  Of course there are grungy, bad neighborhoods; of course one shouldn't take risks; of course one doesn't buy hats from aggressive Hare Krishnas!  However, not once did I ever feel intimidated or threatened, and I was in the French Quarter every night!  

Street food, street artists, mule-drawn carriages, flowers, beignets (yummy but really just a fancy French name for sopaipillas with powdered sugar rather than honey!!), unique architecture, music, mimes, fountains, cafes and murals tucked away in alleys ...let's take a stroll around this fabulous, vibrant American treasure.

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The old JAX Brewery has been converted to a New Orleans version of a shopping mall.

 

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Cafe du Monde -- very strange evolution since my first visit in the 50's:  A waitperson takes your order (beignets and choice of beverage).  He/She returns to the "kitchen" to put it together, then stands in line at the one and only cash register and prepays for whatever you ordered.  He/she then delivers the order to you and collects and pockets the tab and tip.  Independent contractors, not employees?  Some person's idea of improving efficiency or cutting costs and overhead? Someone is constantly sweeping the floors in an effort to keep up with the powdered sugar that's on every single surface; there doesn't seem to be an ant problem!  Another curiosity: each order came with a glass of water containing spoons, and I never did figure out the purpose of the water and spoons! 

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The infamous Bourbon Street.  Even though the red lantern "salons" of ill repute have been swept away, today Bourbon Street is still earning its decadent, rowdy, bawdy, noisy and FUN reputation.

The gold man

The silver man.  You want a picture?...you pay!

By day...

By night!

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I was twelve when I first visited New Orleans, and I had to see if this establishment had survived the few decades since then.  Indeed Pat O'Brien's is a thriving touristy joint with several inside bars and courtyards and alleyways to sip (one MUST sip) one of their Hurricanes:  rum with some other heady, secret stuff.  Oh my!

Yes, that reddish glowing stuff in the water is fire.  Fire water??!!!

OK, I admit:  I did indeed just fall off the turnip truck!  This contraption does exactly as it says if you press the green button (if you can't read the instructions, click on the photo to enlarge it).  I will also admit to several wasteful presses of that green button. Simple pleasures!  Fascinating!!!  The used cover simply vanished.  I definitely need to revisit New Orleans to find out where they went!

These two darlings, celebrating an anniversary, kindly let me photograph their Hurricanes.

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New Orleans' City Park (thank God they don't call it Verizon Park or something equally stooopid!), is 150 years old and located in the heart of the city.  Katrina damage included the loss of over a thousand trees that were toppled or drowned in salt water; some oaks were more than 600 years old.  The park is slowly recovering and still has something for everyone: a golf course, art museum, an amusement park, two stadiums, lagoons and lakes, to name just a few of its attractions.  For me, the Botanical Gardens was the main draw.

I found several of these perfect examples of symbiosis:  sword ferns growing in a palm tree host, both lush and healthy!

When was the last time you saw a maypole?  There were three on the garden grounds, just waiting for some magical druids to flit and frolic amongst the ribbons.

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Here come the tourists!

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I had to winnow hundreds of pictures of distinctive buildings, balconies, delicate, lacy grillwork down to just a few so you wouldn't fall asleep!  Some of the grillwork is cast iron, some is wrought iron; and I regret not taking closeups.  It's intricate and beautiful.

No, not Disneyland; this is St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square with its statue of... why Andrew Jackson of course!

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Little splashes and patches of color and whimsey are everywhere in the French Quarter, just adding more zest and character to an already-bewitching city.

The "keyboard" is paper.  Glad it didn't rain!

The locals refer to this one as Joanie on a Pony!

This concludes Part I!  Having spent three jam-packed days here, I hardly knew where to begin.  Well, the simple solution is to do New Orleans in segments so you don't get bored with too many "family vacation slides"!