New Orleans in 3 Days

What a great city!

It was a quiet week between two big Jazz festivals and the weather was perfect. We spent some time wandering around the French Quarter and then made a point to see more of the city and learn some history. We took some guided tours and learned a lot of new things. Also saw a LOT of wonderful live music - from street performers to performance hall.

Did you know?

• Architecture in the French Quarter is mostly Spanish.
• The muffuletta sandwich was invented in New Orleans by an Italian.
• Johnny White’s bar on Bourbon Street never closed during Katrina.
• The bridge across lake Pontchartrain is the longest continuous bridge in the world (24 miles)
• “When the Saints come marching in” is a funeral procession song.
• There used to be a streetcar line on N. Rampart street and its last stop was Desire. The final destination is always displayed on the front panel. New Orleans is rebuilding the N. Rampart streetcar rail line so you’ll soon be able to ride “the streetcar named desire” again.
• When the Levys broke during Katrina many homes were under 8-11 feet under water. Since much of the upper and lower 9th ward is many feet below sea level, these homes stayed under water for weeks until the water could be pumped out.
• Mardi Gras actually started in Mobile.
• Marie Laveau’s grave gets more visits than Elvis Presley’s.
• Louisiana is one of only two states that does not have counties. They prefer the term parish. Do you know what the other state is?
• The TV show “Swamp People” is filmed in just 3 weeks in October (official alligator season). Ever wonder why those alligator hunters wear the same clothes in every episode?

Because over 80% of New Orleans is Catholic, the city is below sea level, and the church only recently started allowing cremation, most people are buried in tombs above ground. The oldest cemetery is “St. Louis” on North Rampart in the French Quarter. Tombs are marble but the inside is open to the soil. Bodies goes in simple pine caskets and Mother Nature soon does the work of turning bodies to bones. That’s why you’ll often see a tomb with a dozen names inscribed where it looks like it might only hold 3-4 people. If you have a family tomb and are unlucky enough to die within months of another family member, the undertaker has to store your body until Mother Nature makes room. They say you must wait a year but rumor has it that it really only takes July and August.

See you in San Antonio!