Cafe Rose Nicaud - New Orleans

On my last morning in New Orleans, I had breakfast at Cafe Rose Nicaud (632 Frenchman Street). Reportedly named after a slave who first sold coffee in New Orleans, she saved her earnings and bought her freedom. The cafe is a friendly and cheerful place with high ceilings and lively conversation among what seemed like neighborhood locals. The food arrived as expected without waiting too long. I had a "southern" breakfast (above) including grits. I had a small forkful and passed on the rest.

New Orleans Authors

Several well-known authors have called New Orleans home. For example, Tennessee Williams lived in New Orleans when he wrote some of his works, including A Streetcar Named Desire, which was set in New Orleans.

The house below, in New Orleans' Garden District, was the home of novelist Anne Rice. It was the the setting for her Witching Hour novels. Note the home is for sale - I don't know the asking price.
The tall, narrow, yellow building (below) is now home to Faulkner House Books. In 1925 William Faulkner lived in what was then a boarding house at 624 Pirates Alley and worked on his first novels, Mosquitoes, and Soldiers' Pay. It is now a bookshop on the first floor and the shop's proprietor lives on the three floors above. (adapted from Frommer's New Orleans 2008, p. 226)

Street Musicians

This trio - consisting of a young woman playing a guitar, a young man playing a trombone, and another young man with a drum - was entertaining passersby on a street corner in the French Quarter one evening.

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is an integral part of the Crescent City. In fact, the nickname comes from the location of the city in a crescent of the river! Near the Central Business District, the river is about 1/4 mile wide, very deep and quickly flowing. Streets parallel the river and directions such as north, south, east, and west have little meaning. Instead "upriver" and "downriver" better describe which way to go. The CBD is pictured above from the ferry that goes from Canal Street to Algiers Point, a quiet neighborhood dating back to the 19th century.
The taller buildings of the CBD provide a contrast to the older, shorter buildings of the adjacent French Quarter. St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter sends her steeples above the surrounding buildings.

Beignet

Beignets are French doughnuts ubiquitous among the tourist fare of New Orleans. They are fried and served covered in powdered sugar. The ones pictured above were purchased from Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street. I later went for a reprise of the beignet experience at Cafe du Monde, a 24-hour place in the French Market (picture below). Although I didn't have it, they are noted for serving beignets with chicory coffee.

RIP

Cemeteries in New Orleans are "above ground" since the land is at or near sea level and the water table is high. Prior to doing this, bodies were buried and they would later "float" back to the surface. The cemetery pictured here, Lafayette No. 1, was founded in 1833. It is located in the Uptown Garden District.

Garden District

Second to the French Quarter, New Orleans' Garden District draws tourists who want to view the large stately homes between St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street. This area of Uptown New Orleans was developed after the Louisiana Purchase when Americans took control of the city.

From Wikipedia: This whole area was once a number of plantations. It was sold off in parcels to mainly wealthy Americans who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles. Originally the area was developed with only a couple of houses per block, each surrounded by a large garden, giving the district its name. In the late 19th century some of these large lots were subdivided as Uptown New Orleans became more urban. This has produced a pattern for much of the neighborhood of any given block having a couple of early 19th century mansions surrounded by "gingerbread" decorated late Victorian houses. Thus the "Garden District" is known for its architecture more than gardens per se.

Vieux Carre

New Orleans' French Quarter is arguably the most famous neighborhood the city. It is the oldest part of the city dating back to 1734 when French colonists moved to the area. The later influence of the Spanish ownership is also evident in some of the architecture. The area is noted for the iron railings on balconies. Many of these were made by slaves in the 19th century.

Rue Bourbon (Bourbon Street) is the famous street within the French Quarter where you can find bars, strip clubs, tourist shops, and restaurants. The street is closed to traffic in the evenings and people fill the streets going from one venue to the next. Sidewalk musicians and brass bands can usually be heard along this street and in other parts of the quarter. Also you may see kids tap dancing on the sidewalk with their hat nearby.

This building is at the corner of Toulouse and Royal Streets. Royal Street is one block from Bourbon but has a distinctly different character. Many fine art galleries, antique stores, hotels, and restaurants are along this street.

The French Quarter is also home to many residences. These are located on the lake side of the Quarter, toward Rampart Street. Most windows and doors have shutters on them and the homes are painted a variety of colors.

A Streetcar Named...

Although the New Orleans streetcar line to Desire Street is no longer in service, the existing New Orleans Streetcar lines are an inexpensive and convenient way to navigate the city. Hurricane Katrina damaged most of the lines and many of the cars were flooded. At present, the system has returned to service but some of the cars are still being renovated and repaired. One line runs along the Mississippi River from the edge of Faubourg Marigny, past the French Quarter, to the Convention Center. A second line runs in the middle of Canal Street (see photos) from the river to several cemeteries near City Park that were originally at the edge of the city. A third line runs in the grassy median of St. Charles Avenue through the Garden District, past Tulane University and beyond.

Hansen's Sno-Bliz - New Orleans, LA

Hansen's Sno-Bliz (4801 Tchoupitoulas Street) has been serving up treats for nearly 70 years. The store is run by the granddaughter of the original owners and inventors. She made each Sno-Bliz shown in the picture. The one in the foreground is Cream of Ice Cream with with a sweetened condensed milk topping. The one in the background is Cream of Strawberry topped with crushed strawberries. The granddaughter told me her grandfather invented the machine to shave the ice (it is finer than a typical snow cone) and her grandmother created the flavored syrups that are poured over the ice.

The store is located a few blocks from Magazine Street (a major street running parallel to the Mississippi, going upriver from the French Quarter) in a residential and industrial area. There is no seating inside the store. I noticed a steady flow of people through the place from my seat across the street on the porch of a bookstore. In fact, at one point, a limo pulled up and a half dozen people piled out and all got a Sno-Bliz before getting back into the limo and pulling away.

This place is certainly off the beaten path but worth the trip for the tasty treats and a piece of nostalgia. The owner is extremely friendly and seemed excited to hear that people from a distance were visiting her shop.

Louisiana Superdome

(The Louisiana Superdome as viewed from the train.)

• Largest fixed dome structure in the world.
• Largest domed structure in the world when built.
• Structural steel frame covers 13 acres.
• 273 foot tall dome.
• Diameter of 680 feet.
• Maximum football seating capacity of 72,003.
• Maximum basketball seating capacity of 55,675.
• A 1980s Rolling Stones concert attracted over 87,500 spectators.
• Took four years to build (1971-1975).
• The dome has an interior space of 125,000,000 ft³.
• Construction cost $165 million (1975).
• Cost $193 million to repair and refurbish after Hurricane Katrina.
• Sheltered about 30,000 people during Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans Jazz

A visit to New Orleans would not be complete until you hear traditional New Orleans Jazz. On my recent visit I spent an evening at Preservation Hall listening to the Treme Brass Band. They opened with the unofficial theme song of the Crescent City, When the Saints Go Marching In. This was followed by several other selections and some requests.

Preservation Hall is a block off Bourbon Street and dates back to 1750. It is a family-friendly venue with no alcohol. Bottled water is sold from an insulated cooler - give the guy two bucks and go across the room to take a bottle. There is no air conditioning and the performance room is dimly lit with a few benches and the rest of the people standing in the remaining space. Several groups perform here but the Perservation Hall Jazz Band takes its name from the venue. You can see pictures of the hall and hear the type of music performed there by clicking here.

Muffuletta - Central Grocery, New Orleans

Lunch on one day of my trip to New Orleans was (part of) a Muffuletta from Central Grocery (923 Decatur Street). It's reported the sandwich was invented by the proprietor of the store in 1906 and has been a New Orleans tradition ever since. The muffuletta is about 10 inches in diameter. This is a description from Wikipedia:

A typical muffuletta consists of one muffuletta loaf, split horizontally. The loaf is then covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, and provolone. The olive salad is considered the heart of the sandwich, and consists primarily of olives, along with celery, cauliflower and carrot. The ingredients are combined, seasonings are added, covered in olive oil and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours.


The store (pictured above) is a neat little place with many interesting things to buy. (Based on the dust on some items, I'm not sure what the merchandise turnover really is!) This will probably be my one and only muffuletta dining experience, however, as I really didn't care for it.

St. Louis Cathedral - New Orleans, LA

On my recent visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, I stopped by St. Louis Cathedral, one of the landmarks of the city. The literature indicated it is the oldest operating cathedral in the present-day United States. It is neither the most ornate or largest cathedral I have visited, but it fits well in its setting. It is located across the street from Jackson Square.

Horse-drawn buggies and carts usually line the street in front of the square. Tourists can get tours and rides around the French Quarter and nearby cemetaries. A statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback is at the center of the square. Around the square are artists selling their paintings, buskers, fortune tellers, and others selling their wares or talents.

The interior of the cathedral is not as ornate or decorated as I had expected. There is an interesting painting on the ceiling and several stained glass windows. It does not have the extreme ornamentation I've seen in some other cathedrals.

Summer Music

Several songs have come across my radar this summer. I was familiar with some of them but hadn't listened to them for awhile. Others were new to me this summer. Take a listen and tell me what you think of them!

Complicated Life - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Hello - Evanescence
If - Bread
Our Last Summer - ABBA
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Top of the World - The Carpenters
Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Sucre - Madison, WI

Sucre (20 W Mifflin St.) in Madison, WI, is a good place to satisfy your sweet tooth. I was first here for dessert and sampled both the Sacher Torte (almond sponge + apricot filling + ganache) and the White Chocolate Cloud (muroise cremeux + vanilla biscuit + berry garnish). Both of these were satisfactory. Later I went for lunch but was disappointed with the selection and quality of the sandwiches and pizzettes. The best thing going for the place is the decor. The hardwood floors, white walls, and orange floors contribute to a clean look, modern with a retro twist.

Food: *** (**** for Sweets & ** for Savories)
Ambience: ****
Service: ***
(out of 5 stars)