Day 61: New Orleans -- Halloween in The Big Easy

Friday, October 31st was an interesting day to explore New Orleans. We took a double-decker, hop-on hop-off bus tour from our hotel near the Garden District. We first got off at the French Market and walked the French Quarter. I saw a half-naked drunk passed out cold on the sidewalk with a cop standing near him waiting for him to regain consciousness, heard live jazz on the street, and witnessed a character on the levee by the Mississippi River openly smoking a joint and chugging moonshine -- and all before Noon. (Thankfully, our daughter missed seeing most of the unsavory behavior.) There were plenty of homeless, most with dogs, many panhandlers, but also street musicians and artists. In some cases, it was hard to tell if people were dressed up for Halloween, or were simply in their usual attire.

We continued our bus tour through the CBD (Central Business District) and then finished back in the Garden District, getting off at the next to last stop and then walking a little over a mile back to our hotel so we could photograph the many stately homes and buildings.

The contrasts in this city were interesting. We walked through St. Louis Cemetery #1, among the many above-ground tombs (partly designed that way due to cultural preferences, but also because the water table is so near the surface that graves would quickly fill with water). In the near background were high-rise buildings in the urban core, just blocks away. Churches, cemeteries, bars, "gaming" establishments (gambling is illegal), art galleries, farmers markets, and all other manner of activities are all found in close proximity to each other. It's a bustling city full of activity, though nearly ten years after Hurricane Katrina it is still rebuilding. The population of the metro area is only about 1.2 million, still about 200,000 fewer than lived here before Katrina decimated the core of the city, but many more than lived here immediately after the hurricane caused the majority of the population to evacuate, many never returning.

St. Charles Avenue Streetcar. These are the oldest streetcars still in operation in the world, with some of them dating back to 1921.

A memorial to Hurricane Katrina, made of debris from that event.

In the CBD.

Entering the French Quarter.

On Bourbon Street.

Two members of this jazz band were dressed as Angry Birds for Halloween.

Saint Louis Cathedral with Jackson Square in the foreground.

Levee and the Mississippi River. The French Market is just to the left.

The pyramid-shaped tomb in the center is the future resting place of actor Nicolas Cage, who purchased it for $250,000. 

A "gaming" establishment in the CBD.

From the French Quarter's French Market, to the Garden District's Fresh Market.

The St. Charles Avenue streetcar line is heavily used, as seen here in the late afternoon. A ride is only $1.25.