GREATEST DIVE BAR ON THE PLANET

RIP O'Neil Broyard, its late original proprietor, and our good friend.

Saturn Bar

O'Neil Broyard, its late original proprietor, made the Saturn Bar a St. Claude Avenue landmark as much for its eccentricities as for its cold beer and cheap liquor. For more than 40 years, his singular taste and hoarders' zeal filled the corner tavern with quirky odds and ends, including leopard-print velour booths, neon signs from bygone businesses and a vast collection of strange art, such as the dark and compelling paintings of bar regular Michael Frolich, full of red skies, spidery trees and leering demons.

After Broyard's death in 2005, his nephew Eric and Eric's then-teenage daughter Bailee excavated the bar's junk pile, keeping the odd charm (the art still hangs, a mural of the planet Saturn still graces the ceiling, the springs in the leopard banquettes are still broken and a friendly cat still strolls between glasses and bottles on the bar), but freeing up the back room for live music.

Most weekend nights (and some weekdays) Bailee Broyard books an eclectic roster of local and touring acts, from the sea-shanty singing Valparaiso Mens' Chorus to blues, garage, punk and metal. It also is the new home of the wildly popular all-45-RPM vinyl Mod Dance Party DJ night, which keeps the dancefloor twisting and shimmying 'til sunrise one Saturday a month.

Tip: Pick up one of the bar’s iconic calendars as a souvenir.

---

Venue information: 3067 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans LA

ST. ROCH MARKET

ESTABLISHED 1875 -- REBORN EARLY 21ST CENTURY

St. Roch Market is a southern food hall featuring a diverse lineup of food and beverage purveyors.

Open daily, we offer a unique dining experience along with great shopping and an excellent craft cocktail bar. 

For entrepreneurs, the Market represents the ultimate platform to grow a food brand and build consumer exposure.

http://www.strochmarket.com/ 

HOLT CEMETERY

FINAL RESTING PLACE OF BUDDY BOLDEN

Holt Cemetery is a potter's field next to Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

It is behind the right field fence of the school's baseball facility, Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

The Cemetery is named after Dr. Joseph Holt, an official of the City Board of Health (famously involved with city health issues concerning Storyville, the Red Light District of New Orleans) who officially established the cemetery in the 19th century.

The cemetery was established in 1879 to inter the bodies of poorer residents, and was frequently used due to allowing funerals to proceed around, rather than through, the city; it was expanded in 1909.

 It contains 99% in-ground burials.

The cemetery contains the remains of known and unknown early blues and jazz musicians, including Jessie Hill and Charles "Buddy" Bolden.

Bolden was an African-American cornetist regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music, or Jass, which later came to be known as jazz.

ALGIERS, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

ABOVE GROUND CEMETERY UNDER BRIDGE ACROSS MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Algiers is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans and the only Orleans Parish community located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. 

Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS STREET CARS

 ST. CHARLES LINE

HISTORIC, BUT SADLY, NOT WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE

MAGAZINE STREET

Magazine Street is six miles with a distinctly unique flair

Visually, the street offers an abundance of historic buildings from mansions, (now housing elegant bed & breakfasts or single family homes) to Victorian row houses, some residential, some art galleries, some local shops; to a renovated bus barn, converted to a neighborhood grocery.

Magazine Street is Main Street USA in true New Orleans style, offering an array of experiences with incredible flavor.

While you will find a few national brands, locally owned businesses are the norm.

Unique boutiques, top chefs, arts studios, and markets have been popping up along this exceptional thoroughfare since the early days of New Orleans.

The downriver end of Magazine Street is at Canal Street; on the other side of Canal Street in the French Quater the street becomes Decatur Street.

From Canal through the CBD and Lower Garden District, Magazine Street is one-way in the upriver direction; downriver traffic forks to join Camp Street, the next street away from the river.

 Above Felicity Street to the far Uptown end it has a lane of traffic going in both directions with parking on both sides.

The street follows the length of the crescent through Uptown,

After several miles of residential and commercial neighborhoods, it cuts through Audubon Park with its zoo on the river side of the street.

The far upper end of the street is at Leake Avenue, a part of the Great River Road, where it turns away from the river in the Carrollton riverbend.

FROM THE PLUSURBIA DESIGN FAMILY TO YOURS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS + HAPPY NEW YEAR

SPOTTED CAT MUSIC CLUB

FRENCHMAN STREET

The Spotted Cat Music Club is the Quentessential Jazz Club of New Orleans.  

Located on the famous FRENCHMEN STREET in the heart of the Fauborg Marigny District, "The CAT", as its known by locals, has been recognized as an international destination for JAZZ music. 

Numerous movies, commercials, and print media have filmed and written about the "CAT" for its outstanding music and unique ambiance. 

---http://www.spottedcatmusicclub.com

ANTOINE'S RESTAURANT

The country's oldest family-run restaurant

It was spring in 1840, when New Orleans was queen city of the Mississippi River, when cotton was king and French gentlemen settled their differences under the oaks with pistols for two and coffee for one. "Dixie" had not yet been written, destined to become the marching anthem for Confederate forces in the War Between the States.

This was the city young Antoine Alciatore adopted, after stopping in New York, to establish a restaurant that would endure under his family's direction for more than 174 years and set the standard that has made New Orleans one of the great dining centers of the world.

It was on St. Louis Street, just one block from the spot the famed restaurant occupies today, that the 18-year old Alciatore started what was to become simply "Antoine's" as a synonym for fine food. He felt at home in the French-speaking city of lordly aristocrats and their extravagances, an ideal audience for his culinary artistry.

After a brief period in the kitchen of the grand St. Charles Hotel, Antoine opened a pension, a boarding house and restaurant.

It was then that he made arrangements for his fiancée' to join him from New York. She came to New Orleans with her sister and she and Antoine were married. Together they worked to build up their pension with culinary emphasis.

New Orleans' gentility was so taken with the restaurant that it soon outgrew its small quarters and Antoine's moved down the block and eventually, in 1868, to the spot on St. Louis Street where the restaurant stands today.

In 1874, Antoine being in ill-heath, took leave of his family, with the management of the restaurant in his wife's hands. He felt he had not much longer to live and wished to die and be buried in his birthplace in France. He told his wife he did not want her to watch him deteriorate and said as he left; "As I take boat for Marseilles, we will not meet again on earth." He died within the year.

After Antoine's death, his son Jules served as apprentice under his mother's tutelage for six years before she sent him to France where he served in the great kitchens of Paris, Strassburg and Marseilles. He returned to New Orleans and became chef of the famous Pickwick Club in 1887 before his mother summoned him to head the house of Antoine.

His genius was in the kitchen where he invented Oysters Rockefeller, so named for the richness of the sauce. They remain one of the great culinary creations of all time and that recipe remains a closely-guarded Antoine's secret ... though it has been imitated countless times.

Jules married Althea Roy, daughter of a planter in Youngsville in southwest Louisiana. Jules and Althea had three children: Roy, Jules and Mary Louise. Roy followed in his father's footsteps and headed the restaurant for almost 40 years until his death in 1972.

Roy Alciatore managed the restaurant through some of the nation's most difficult times, including the Prohibition era and World War II. His contributions still remain vibrant today. The 1840 Room, a replica of a fashionable private dining room, still contains the great silver duck press and is a museum of curios treasures including a cookbook published in Paris in 1659.

Marie Louise married William Guste; and their sons, William Jr., former attorney general of Louisiana, and Roy Sr., became the fourth generation of the family to head the restaurant. In 1975, Roy's son, Roy Jr., became proprietor and served until 1984. He was followed by William's son, Bernard "Randy" Guste who managed Antoine's until 2004. In 2005, Rick Blount, Roy Alciatore's grandson became proprietor and CEO.

The long line of the Alciatore family members and descendants has guided Antoine's to continued greatness, through the War Between the States, two World Wars, Prohibition, the Great Depression and Hurricane Katrina.

---from http://www.antoines.com

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #1

ONLY OPEN TO TOURS AUTHORIZED BY THE ARCHDIOCESE

Established in the late 1700’s, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest existent cemetery in New Orleans and is still the site of several burials a year. The cemetery is the final resting place of many prominent New Orleans families, particularly the Creole population. Upon initial development, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was divided into sections for Catholics, non-Catholics, and “Negroes,” possibly referring to slaves since gens de couleur libres were buried according to their religion.

By the late eighteenth century, the cemetery for the city, St. Peter Street, had begun to fill up, and the town development had reached the site’s boundaries. Recognizing the need for the new burial place, the Cabildo wanted the cemetery far away from the center of population, due to fears that contagion and disease spread from the cemetery to infect the populace. New Orleans’ location on swampy, below sea level terrain made any high ground extremely valuable. Precious high ground would not be designated for the dead when the living could benefit from it; therefore, the Cabildo chose a swampy site on St. Louis Street. On August 14, 1789, a new cemetery was created by Spanish Royal Decree. The cemetery was placed 40 yards behind the Charity Hospital, which was located on Rampart Street between Toulouse and St. Peter Streets.

In 1796, a canal was installed next to the cemetery for the purpose of transporting goods as well as draining the swamp around the city. The turning basin was located at the intersection of Basin and St. Louis Streets. The location of the canal led to industrial development in the area, including warehouses and depots, and eventually led to the development of the Tremè neighborhood.
Initial burials appear to have taken place in a haphazard manner, leading to the current maze of tombs and aisles. Current theories about tomb and site evolution suggest that initial burials took place below-ground or in low, quasi-above ground tombs that only held one burial.  As the needs of the site grew, existing burial plots were added on to create additional burial vaults while retaining the original tomb footprints; thus, the one tier semi-below ground burial space became the fully realized above-ground tomb found throughout the cemeteries of New Orleans.

Due to its location in a swamp, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was constantly threatened by flooding. To combat the rising waters, sand and shells were continuously added to the site, particularly along the pathways. In 1816, the waters of Macarty Crevasse flooded the cemetery to the extent that the site was closed, and burials took place across the river.

By the early nineteenth century, New Orleans had grown, and the City wished to extend Tremé Street, but the cemetery, particularly the Protestant Section, was in the way. Furthermore, with the Louisiana Purchase and impending Louisiana statehood, the city had experienced an influx of Americans, the majority of whom were Protestant. To remedy these issues, in 1822 the City proffered a site in the Faubourg St. Marie to be used as a Protestant burial ground, later known as Girod Street Cemetery.
Around the same time, the City created and the Church consecrated St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, even further removed from the city center, in 1823. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 remained in operation, but the more ornate tombs of the Creoles and the Benevolent Societies were being constructed in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.

Further city development resulted in the shrinking of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, resulting in a site that is significantly smaller than its original size.  For example, the pyramidal Varney monument, once located at the center of the site, now marks the entrance.  By the late nineteenth century, the area surrounding the cemetery had become chiefly residential, with few undeveloped lots left available. In 1898, “Storyville” was created in the sixteen square blocks that included the cemetery, and was bounded by Iberville, North Robertson, St. Louis and Basin Streets. The “red light district” lasted until 1917, when the Navy ordered it closed.

Significant changes started taking place to the area surrounding St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in the mid-twentieth century. Construction began on the Municipal Auditorium in 1930, and the canal was filled in by 1938. What was left of Storyville was demolished to make way for the Iberville Housing Project in the 1940s. Neighborhood decline continued with the construction on Interstate 10. The city made several attempts to rehabilitate the area, including the creation of Louis Armstrong Park in 1976. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 acquired a reputation as an extremely dangerous site, resulting in tomb owners, families, and locals staying away from the site. As a result, the site and tombs were neglected and became overgrown.

Scenes for the movies Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Easy Rider (1969) were filmed in the St. Louis Cemeteries. Following the release of Easy Rider, the Archdiocese enacted a policy of disallowing any filming in its cemeteries, except in the case of preapproved documentaries and educational films.
Gradually, given its proximity to the French Quarter as well as increased intervention on the behalf of the Archdiocese, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 became a top tourist attraction for the city. As the number of people on site began to improve, families and locals gradually began to come back to the site and take a renewed interest in the care of their historic family tombs. It is now an actively visited site, and is considered safe for tourists.

--Historical research by Save Our Cemeteries.

Please click link to donate to them

http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/

RUE ST. ANN

FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS

VIEW OF JACKSON SQUARE AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER

FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS

The path along Woldenberg Park and the Moonwalk is often popular with joggers and walkers. 

Here, visitors can stroll along the muddy waters of the Mississippi River and watch massive freighters make their way upriver.

RUE ROYAL

FRENCH QUARTER

Historic Architecture

It is no wonder tourists and locals alike flock to Royal Street when they want a real New Orleans experience. Some of the most picturesque and frequently photographed buildings and iron lace balconies – many of which date back to the 18th and 19th centuries – are along the 13-block stretch of Royal between Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue.

World-class restaurants with scenic courtyards – containing bubbling sculptured fountains and colorful gardens – offer a pleasant, shady getaway from the excitement of Bourbon Street. These beautiful courtyards are an important part of the architecture that gives the French Quarter its iconic charm and they can be found at every turn on Royal Street.

Art and Antiques

Art galleries on Royal Street contain sculptures, paintings and mixed media from artists who are on par with the best of New York, San Francisco and other art meccas, including the late George Rodrigue and his internationally renowned “Blue Dog” paintings.

For antiques, it would be hard to find a better place to shop anywhere in this country. Many of the contents of New Orleans’ most elegant estates of the 19th and 20th centuries are for sale there. Exquisite crystal chandeliers, ornate hand-carved furniture, fine silver, jewelry, other table settings and so much more are there for the collector or those looking to decorate their homes or businesses.

-- courtesy neworleansonline.com

RONNIE THE CAT

MY GOOD FRIEND IN NEW ORLEANS

Ronnie lived at the Air BnB house I stayed at on Jeff Davis Parkway and Banks Street in Mid-City least year.

He visited while I was sleeping.

He watched over me from a shelf over my bed.

He demanded attention and affection.

He sat on my clothes and wouldn't move till I petted him.

He sneaked in my suitcase and almost came back to Miami with me.

He gave one last try at a permanent bond when he sat on my book bag and tried to convince me there was room for him.

I hope to see him soon.

St. Roch-St. Claude

UP AND COMING AREAS

The 7th, 8th and Upper 9th wards have had their issues.

Now they are popular with hipsters and young DIY types.

Through the constant change, New Orleans' unique architecture endures in all neighborhoods.

GREENWOOD CEMETERY

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Founded in 1852, Greenwood Cemetery was established by the Firemen’s Charitable and Benevolent Association after they had such success with Cypress Grove Cemetery. It utilizes small lot sizes (6 feet by 9 feet), and is one of the city’s largest cemeteries in volume. There are about 20,500 lots, with on average 1,000 interments each year.

The entrances are decorated with 5 memorials, but aside from this, most tombs are arranged to provide for maximum occupancy, so architectural or landscape beautification is placed at a lesser priority. The memorials featured at the entrance of Greenwood are: the Confederate monument, the Firemen’s monument, the Elk’s tomb, and the tombs of Michael McKay and John Fitzpatrick.

The Confederate Monument marks the graves of 600 Confederate Soldiers whose remains were collected by the Ladies Benevolent Association of Louisiana. Dedicated in 1874, this monument was designed by architect Benjamin M. Harrod and features a statue carved in Italy.

The Firemen’s Monument, a neo-Gothic design, was inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s monument in Edinburgh. The monument sits atop a 5 foot tall mound and is made of Italian granite. The monument was erected to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Firemen’s Benevolent and Charitable Association and to honor the volunteer firemen who had lost their lives over the previous half-century.

Across from the Firemen’s monument is the tomb of Lodge No. 30 of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. This tomb is surrounded by a large, grassy mound with a bronze statue of an Elk atop it, the symbol of the fraternity. The tomb was erected in 1912 and designed by Weiblen.

The next two monuments are the tombs of former Firemen’s Benevolent and Charitable Association presidents. The first is for Michael J. McKay who was the Association’s president for 16 years, erected in 1938. The tomb for the second president, John Fitzpatrick, was erected in 1927. Mr. Fitzpatrick served as president for 27 years, and also served a term as Mayor of New Orleans from 1892-96.

--background from the best guardians of the graves non-profit on earth:

http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/

BUTTERMILK DROP BAKERY

A TREME FIXTURE 
THAT SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEEN AROUND MUCH LONGER THAN 8 YEARS

Did you know, that the idea for Buttermilk Drop Bakery existed long before they opened their doors? 

The seed was planted with the opening of Canal Street Bakery and Deli in 2001, but development was shortly put on hold with the impact of hurricane Katrina in 2005.

A few years later, the owners of the original bakery came together in collaboration with a local baker to bring a new twist to an old favorite pastry, the buttermilk drop. 

After the recipe was perfected they opened the doors of the Buttermilk Drop Bakery located in the historical neighborhood of Treme in 2008.

Since then, the Buttermilk Drop Bakery has received many accolades for its perfected renditions of classic baked goods including their award winning king cakes, melt in your mouth donuts, and of course the timeless buttermilk drop.

--text courtesy of Buttermilk Drop Barkey (which sadly experienced a major fire at its relatively new store in Gentilly recently)

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #3

VERY SAFE CEMETERY TO VISIT

Text courtesy of the incomparable Save Our Cemeteries:

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 is located near the end of Esplanade Avenue, near Bayou St. John. The cemetery had its beginnings in 1848 when an Act was passed by Legislature in March of that year under which the City Council privileged the Cathedral wardens to establish a new cemetery. The next year, 1849, the wardens bought from Felix Labatut a tract of land on Esplanade near Bayou St. John.

The price was $15,000 and the wardens used money that the City had set aside for this purpose when they were dispossessed of Square 4 of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 in 1846. The authorization by the city to establish the new cemetery was accepted by the wardens in December of 1850. It was not, however, until 1854 that the wardens advertised for bids for clearing the land and building fences and an entrance gate.

The plan for the first two ‘squares’ of the new cemetery called for three main aisles, the center being named for Saint Louis and the other two for Saint Peter and Saint Paul; four smaller parallel aisles or allees were named after Saint Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Magdalene, and Saint Philomene.

After the cemetery was in use for some years, on April 14, 1865, a new plan was developed by J.A. D’Hemecourt, surveyor, which greatly extended the depth of the burial grounds. The main aisle was increased in width by 10 feet at the expense of the two side allees so that the cemetery presents a rather uncrowded appearance despite its multitude of closely built tombs. The cross aisles for the new plan were named for bishops and archbishops of the diocese.

In the 1980’s, St. Louis No. 3 was expanded to its present size increasing the number of squares from three to five full squares and a smaller square 6.  There are approximately 10,000 multiple-use burial sites which include 5,000 in condo-like mausolea, 3,000 wall vaults, 1,500 to 2,000 individual family tombs, and about twelve society tombs of which six to eight are considered active today.

LIUZZA'S -- SINCE 1947

 BEER IN A FROSTED MUG -- MID-CITY FAVORITE

Liuzza's often shows up on Eater.com's Essential 38 restaurants of New Orleans.

In a town with more than 380 great restaurants, that's pretty fine company.

From Eater NOLA:

This classic family-owned, neighborhood haunt in Mid City serves giant frozen mugs of soda and beer, Bushwhackers, huge helpings of red beans and rice, pasta, all the fried seafood you cold ask for, and a killer shrimp remoulade.

http://www.liuzzas.com/

ESPLANADE AVENUE

THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN FAUBOURG MARIGNY AND VIEUX CARRE 

The Faubourg Marigny has an eclectic mix of late-Georgian, one-story Creole cottages and shotguns, and some two-story doubled-galleried structures.

Unlike the orderly grid of the French Quarter, The Faubourg Marigny branches off into triangular patterns.

The Faubourg Marigny caters to locals and contains everything that makes New Orleans unique.

You won’t find any t-shirt stores or daiquiri shops in this neighborhood.

The world-famous jazz clubs lining Frenchman Street are routinely packed.

It also features Thai, Middle Eastern, Indian, Tex Mex, Italian and traditional Southern soul food restaurants, where up and coming chefs continually concoct the latest interpretation of the City’s cuisine.

The shops and galleries offer everything from museum-quality art to thrift-store chic.

SANDPIPER LOUNGE

ONE OF THE LAST ORIGINAL BAR ROOMS LEFT IN NEW ORLEANS.

Uptown, but not in the chic parts.

A bar for the people.

Ladies set up big trays of food for sale on the neutral ground.

2119 Louisiana Avenue    504 895-2204

BUCKTOWN USA

DEANIE'S SEAFOOD -- NEAR LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN, NOLA, LA

Deanie’s was the first seafood market to open its doors in the quaint fishing village of Bucktown over 40 years ago. For three generations, Deanie’s has remained true to its Bucktown roots by serving the finest seafood prepared in the authentic and unique New Orleans culinary tradition. Deanie’s still prepares and ships delicious fresh and boiled Louisiana seafood to customers throughout the United States. Today we’ve reaffirmed our commitment to celebrating Louisiana’s bounty and the local fishing community by dedicating and partnering with the America’s WETLAND Foundation, a champion of Louisiana’s wetlands.

Bucktown U.S.A.

Bucktown was established more than 100 years ago as a string of fishing and hunting camps lining the 17th Street Canal and Lake Pontchartrain. By the early 1900s, the area was known for its rowdy and racous residents who lived off the water and enjoyed the many saloons, speakeasies, houses of prostitution and jazz music that contributed to the area’s reputation for young bucks–said to be the inspiration for the name “Bucktown.”

The earliest structures were wooden huts raised on stilts, and the canal provided a harbor for fishing boats. The people who lived along the canal and out on the lake were squatters who made their living from fishing, crabbing, hunting and trapping, as well as from boat rentals, tackle and bait sales and entertainment for vacationers.

Development along this area originally occurred in the mid-19th century with a commercial wharf and resort called Lakeport. Steamboats docked at the entrance to the New Basin Canal (now Pontchartrain Blvd.) and at the terminus of the Jefferson and Lake Pontchartrain Railroad, which ran along what is now the Orleans-Jefferson Parish boundary at the 17th Street Canal.

The Jefferson and Lake Pontchartrain Railroad, 1853-1864, was an extension of the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, which is currently the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line. At the lake end of the railway were a hotel, restaurants, a bowling alley, dance hall, picnic ground, pleasure garden, and bathing facilities. The area later became a famous amusement park known as West End.

Just across the 17th Street Canal, the rustic fishing village called Bucktown developed during the late 19th century. Wooden camps built on stilts covered by shingle or tin roofs lined the canal. Soon were stores, a schoolhouse, and a jail, as well as saloons, gambling houses, dance halls and clubhouses for sportsmen.

During Prohibition, Bucktown was known for its speakeasies, houses of prostitution, and gaming dens. Gambling was legal in what was known as “the free State of Jefferson.” Bucktown was a rowdy, wide-open place where barroom brawls were common. The settlement is said to have been named for the young bucks who came there looking for a rough time. There are other stories about the origin of the name. Some say the village was named for the good deer hunting in the area. Others say it was named for a local fisherman, Oliver “Buck” Wooley.

Amid the unrestrained gaiety, Bucktown was one of the places where jazz was born with such tunes as the “Bucktown Bounce” by Johnny Wiggs and the “Bucktown Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton.
Bucktown was exposed to violent storms and the resulting damage contributed to its picturesque, ramshackle appearance. The fishing village survived the hurricanes of 1915 and 1947, as well as the encroachment of urban suburbs.

Until the recent years, the 17th Street Canal at Bucktown was home to a fleet of about one hundred shrimp boats. Yearly on the 4th of July, a festival was held for the Blessing of the Fleet. Through the years Bucktown remained a hub where fresh seafood could be bought from local fisherman.

Deanie’s was the first market in Bucktown and one of the first to sell boiled seafood for retail sale in New Orleans. Today Deanie’s is more than a seafood market and two popular restaurants. It is a living symbol of an old, beloved fishing community called Bucktown. And rest assured, as long as there’s Deanie’s, there will always be a place to enjoy Bucktown just like old times.

http://www.deanies.com/restaurants/bucktown/

ST. CHARLES STREET CAR

GARDEN DISTRICT, UPTOWN, NEW ORLEANS

We like to post photos that are off the beaten path.

We strive to avoid touristy pictures.

But when we were stopped at a traffic light on St. Charles, heading back from a meal on Oak Street, the street car rolled up.

And we stuck the Nikon out the window.

Amazed to see the image wasn't blurry and was pretty well framed by houses and a grand tree...we couldn't help sharing.

Enjoy.

BYWATER, NEW ORLEANS, LA

ELIZABETH'S RESTAURANT: REAL FOOD, DONE REAL GOOD

History

1996 - Elizabeth's started in 1996 with Heidi Elizabeth Trull as a catering kitchen and quickly became a neighborhood hit for a cheap breakfast and huge lunch portions.

1998 - Praline bacon was born…and Saturday brunches became a big hit. Chartres St. and the neighborhood were going through major transformations (lake Charters as we called it then). Chartres St. went through a two year construction project that was enough to kill any entrepreneurial spirit…but that didn't happen.

2000s - The new decade came and things were really doing better. Joe and Heidi get pregnant and decide to sell the business and leave new Orleans to raise their son.

2004 - Chef Bryon Peck is hired to bridge the sale to Floyd Mclamb and Stewart Anthony in order to keep the food consistent.

2005 - As we were completing some of the first renovations, we were hit with Hurricane Katrina. Chef Bryon Peck was displaced for nine months and the restaurant ran war torn like so many others in the months after the storm.

2006 - Floyd and Stewart sell the restaurant to James (Jim) Harp and Holy Lafevers. Realizing Chef Bryon Peck's importance to the operation, Jim brings Bryon back to put together the food and crew. Full swing Sunday brunches and dinners are begun and the restaurant begins to soar.

2008 - Bryon's unbelievable food and vision cause sales to double and our local/national reviews go off the chart. Executive Chef Bryon Peck is made a Managing partner.

2011 - Bryon becomes Owner of Elizabeth's and Creator of Peck Restaurant Group with his family.

2012 - Peck Restaurant Group Purchases 601 Gallier St., taking total control of the future of the restaurant.

…and we are continuing to grow and get better every day.

http://elizabethsrestaurantnola.com/

ST. ROCH'S CEMETERIES NO. 1 & 2

CAMPO SANTO

In Gumbo Ya-Ya, Lyle Saxon called St. Roch’s “one of the most unusual cemeteries in New Orleans.”

He wrote that it had an appearance of great age, despite its relative youth.

The story of St. Roch's Cemetery begins with Holy Trinity Church in the Faubourg Marigny.

This lovely church sits defunct and abandoned in a tract of land that was once called “Little Saxony,” since it received the waves of German immigrants pouring into New Orleans during the 1840’s.

This German speaking Catholic parish was founded in 1847, while two blocks away is the city’s first Protestant German church, St. Paul Lutheran, founded in 1840.

The congregations included artisans, shopkeepers, farmers, dairymen, and the settlers of Milneburg.

Holy Trinity served the area as the parish church until 1871, when it was divided and St. Boniface parish was created.

The St. Roch's cemetery chapel is particularly noteworthy due to the offerings left to those in recognition of answered prayers.

 The cemetery is well maintained by the current congregation, and is actively used today.

--Text thanks to the amazing people at the non-profit Save Our Cemeteries

STEAMBOAT HOUSES

 
LOWER NINTH WARD

Steamboat houses on Egania Street at the Mississippi River.

A visitor attraction long before Katrina, these over-the-top ornate Victorian wooden houses in steamboat-baroque style are on the high ground of the least affected portion of the Lower 9th, the Holy Cross neighborhood (with only a few feet of floodwater for a few days, as opposed to over the rooftops, then standing water for weeks in many sections of the Lower 9th).

Take a look at the exterior of these houses, then walk up to the top of the levee for a striking view of central New Orleans around a bend of the Mississippi.

--Wiki Travel Guide

This neighborhood of predominantly African-American working-class homeowners became tragically famous when it was devastated by floodwaters with the catastrophic failure of the federal levees during Hurricane Katrina.

Levee failures rendered 100% of residential properties uninhabitable in 2005.

Over nine years later, few businesses have reopened, only one of seven public schools has been rebuilt, and only 34% of the population has returned.

The sections of the neighborhood most affected by the Industrial Canal levee breach are still either seriously damaged or simply empty lots where rows of houses once stood.

LAFAYETTE CEMETERY NO. 2

CAREWORN, BUT A MUST VISIT FOR CITIES OF THE DEAD BUFFS

Located just North of the original Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 is also on Washington Avenue (bound by Sixth, Saratoga, and Loyola Streets).

It was believed to have started informally in 1850 as a burial ground.

In 1858, the City of Lafayette (before being annexed by New Orleans) constructed 120 tombs within.

In 1865, a survey and plan were drawn up of the cemetery and the avenues and pathways designated.

A portion of the cemetery along Sixth Street was designated “for the occupancy of the colored population.” Some society tombs were built in this section.

Other society tombs found in the cemetery include the Butcher’s Association (1868) and the French Society of Jefferson (1872).

The neighborhood that Lafayette No. 2 is home to has gone through many changes over the years, once an affluent section of town has found itself in hard times.

The area now has a reputation for being unsafe and as a result the cemetery receives few visits from families.

Unfortunately, the tombs have suffered from disregard, despite there being many noteworthy works of architecture.

-- Text courtesy of Save Our Cemeteries

DR. JOHN SOLD OUT SHOW AT TIPITINA'S

No banter with the audience, just dozens of great songs from his song book plus some Nawlins classics.

TREME

GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD -- TERRIBLE TV SHOW

We loved David Simon's The Wire.

We love New Orleans.

On other shows/movies, we adore most of the cast of HBO's Treme.

So what happened to make this, aside from the musical performances, an unwatchable show?

Maybe because it's very difficult to take the New Orleans out of New Orleans.

The food, humidity, vibe, colorful people, architecture, etc. are best visited in person.

Head to Treme.

Visit Dooky Chase's on the edge of Treme.

Go to the lunch buffet.

Say a prayer for Edgar Dooky Chase Jr.-- how died at age 88 Thanksgiving week.

RIP.

http://www.dookychaserestaurant.com/

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY #2

NOT THE ONE WITH MARIE LAVEAU IN IT

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 is well laid out with a straight center aisle and parallel side aisles. It is the largest Creole cemetery in the city, and is known for its particularly ornate Antebellum ironwork. It is also home to Jacques N.B. de Pouilly (the architect of the St. Louis Cathedral and many fine tombs within the cemetery), Alexandre Milne, and the pirate Dominique You.

The church consecrated it for burials in August 1823, after the City Council determined that the “miasmas” from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 were damaging to the health of the citizens. From contemporary maps, the cemetery is shown as one continuous piece of property running from Canal to St. Louis Streets. The division into squares was done when Iberville, Bienville, Conti and St. Louis Streets were cut through.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 was the site of SOC’s first restoration project, the wall vaults surrounding the cemetery. In 1974, the Archdiocese of New Orleans proposed to tear down the wall vaults and replace them with a chain link fence. Preservationists in the city were appalled, and SOC was founded in response. Over the next 10 years, working with the Archdiocese, the City, the local mason’s union, and other preservation organizations, SOC was able to restore the wall vaults.

Save Our Cemeteries is the only non-profit in New Orleans that offers cemetery tours. A portion of your tour ticket price will benefit Save Our Cemeteries’ education and restoration efforts.

LAKE LAWN METAIRIE CEMETERY

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Narrative courtesy of Save Our Cemeteries:

On an area once known as Metairie Ridge, this cemetery is one of New Orleans’ largest and most historic resting grounds. The history of the cemetery dates back to its days as a racetrack, and the oval shape of the track can still be seen on the property today. However, it was converted to a cemetery following the Civil War. The decision to turn the land into a cemetery was accompanied by desires to make it resemble the rural cemeteries of the east, with spacious, landscaped grounds, lakes, and broad roads connecting smaller paths.

A charter was granted to the Metairie Cemetery Association in May of 1872. It was planned and designed by the architect Benjamin F. Harrod, who also designed the receiving vault that exists to this day near the cemeteries’ entrance. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, bestowing a great honor on one of the cities’ most prized cemeteries.

Metairie Cemetery holds the graves of over 9,000 people, amongst those many distinctive persons and families. It includes at least nine governors of the state of Louisiana; seven mayors of New Orleans; 49 kings of Carnival; and three Confederate generals, including P.G.T. Beauregard and Richard “Dick” Taylor, son of U.S. President Zachary Taylor. Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America, was entombed here temporarily after his death in New Orleans in 1889. Louis Prima, the world-famous singer and entertainer, is also buried here, as is Marguerite Clark (an early movie actress) and Harry Williams (her sportsman husband).

Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery

MORNING CALL

OPEN 24 HOURS

The days are getting shorter.

There's a chill in the air.

Nothing warms the soul like a bowl of cafe au lait.

Try one at City Park's Morning Call.

Beignets drowned in powdered sugar also are a must.

People watching.

Free Parking.

What's not to like?



morningcallcoffeestand.com 

CITY PARK NEW ORLEANS

A Twinkle in the Trees

Celebration in the Oaks starts the day after Thanksgiving on November 25, 2016, offering a perfect way to cap off your day of shopping.

Centuries-old oak trees get a holiday makeover thanks to thousands of sparkling lights, creating a magical spectacle for guests who walk under the glistening boughs.

Children will delight in themed trees (the Who Dat tree is a local favorite for Saints fans) and the kid-friendly light displays in Storyland.

For adults, head to the Botanical Garden for glittering lights that adorn the more than 2,000 varieties of plant life on the property.

Along the way, you’ll see charming walkways decorated by local schools.

Are your feet tired yet?

There’s also a two-mile train ride to take you through the exhibit.

Overall, the light display spans more than 25 acres, and our typically mild winters make the park an excellent spot for meandering and admiring (with a cup of hot cocoa, perhaps?) at your own pace.

http://neworleanscitypark.com/celebration-in-the-oaks

OLD POINT BAR

IN HISTORIC ALGIERS POINT

Connected to the French Quarter via the ferry that crosses the Mississippi River and lands at the foot of Canal Street.

Great local music.

Ice cold cheap drinks.

http://www.oldpointbarnola.com/

ART CONCEPT

COME SEE MY WIFE'S PHOTO FROM BOLD BEAUTY

The new “waterfront fair in the round” focusing on modern and contemporary works will be held in a spectacular waterfront fair venue in the heart of downtown Miami’s  Arts, Museum and Entertainment District during America’s largest international fair week.

Just steps from world renowned restaurant dinning, five star hotels and luxury shopping the fair offers abundant parking and shuttle service.

Art Basel Miami Week (November 30, to December 4, 2016) is North America’s foremost art week for international and contemporary art. 

Since 2002 it has infused Miami with energy and excitement as over 76,000 creatives art lovers, and collectors from six contents descend on this tropical city confirming its position as a world cultural capital. 

Satellite art fairs spread from Miami’s sandy beaches, Midtown and now the new addition of Concept Fair in Downtown Miami’s vibrant Arts Museum & Entertainment District. 

Art Basel Week  has become the quintessential place for dealers to exhibit in what has become North America’s largest art fair event of the year.

http://nextlevelfairs.com/concept/concept-fair-2017/ 

DEATH OF A DICTATOR

CASTRO'S PASSING OBSERVED IN LITTLE HAVANA

PEOPLE TOOK TO THE STREETS OF CALLE OCHO

VERSAILLES RESTAURANT WAS THE EPICENTER 

ITS COFFEE WINDOW HAS LONG BEEN

 

LA CASA DEL EXILIO 

CRAZY CAT LADY

AND DAMN PROUD OF IT

by Heidi Johnson-Wright 
(from the EarthBound TomBoy files)

A multi-level tower greets those who come through my door.  Toys made of foil or fluff are strewn across my floor.

You might call me a crazy cat lady.

I suppose I am one. And a bit of a novice, too. While I’ve loved animals my whole life, I was certain I was a dog person. Until two fuzzy feline sweethearts came into my life three years ago. Two kitties -- a mother and daughter – who lived on the streets and needed a human mommy.

It didn’t happen overnight. There were many days when I admired them from afar. 

Then my husband and I tendered some kitty treats, and a bond began to form. 

We weren’t certain if either of us had allergies. So we started out with the rule that we wouldn’t allow them in the house beyond the front room. Then the rule quickly changed to “in the house but not in the bedrooms.” That rule didn’t last long, either.

Now three years in, the only forbidden zones are the cupboards containing household cleaners and the stove top. (OK, the inside of the refrigerator is off limits, too.)

So why the change? How did I become someone who never imagined being a cat mommy to a woman who does hours of online research to find the best cat harness?

Perhaps it links back to my disability. I developed severe rheumatoid arthritis back in grade school. The disease quickly became a juggernaut of severe joint pain and destruction. It has since resulted in two dozen major orthopedic surgeries, followed by months of torturous rehabilitation.

Do you know what it’s like to spend months on your back – your body aching from constantly maintaining the same position -- forbidden to enjoy the simple luxury of rolling onto your side?  

I do. I know what it feels like to lay in a pool of my own sweat collected under my lower back, unable to get air against my skin to evaporate the moisture.

It may sound like a small thing, something you could simply distract yourself from noticing. I assure you it is not. Because when your whole world consists of you in a hospital bed, you literally ache for the simple pleasures we often take for granted.

And I remember all of it: every miserable detail, even the sleepless nights from 40 years ago. Nights and days when I thought: “If only I could roll over for five minutes. If only I could lie on soft sheets. If only I could have a few moments of relief from these aches that never end.”

Perhaps that’s why – if you visit my home – you’ll see comfy cushions and baby blankets throughout my house and soft dish drying pads lying around my patio. I understand such things may label me a crazy cat lady. I proudly cop to that label. 

But don’t forget there’s more to the story. That cushions and blankets and pads symbolize a reduction in suffering. The reduction in suffering that tantalized but evaded a frightened young girl in a hospital bed. The reduction in suffering that I am determined to provide to my fur angels.

Am I a crazy cat lady? You’re goddamn right I am. 

http://earthboundtomboy.blogspot.com/