Day Four — We drove straight through Mississippi, except to pee.
Driving into New Orleans was strange. Maybe it’s the media skewing our view of this unique piece of the US, but we were getting a little freaked. For nearly an hour, we drove on these highways set up on stilts above ominous swamps and shady shacks. Basically, if you get a flat tire, you may as well just give up. There’s nowhere to go and no one to help you. Although, it could also be the fact that neither my mother or I can swim. So there’s that….We stayed in the Garden District with one of my DC friends who was gracious enough to give up her adorable little apartment for a few days. It was in a small neighborhood that was in the middle of cute and don’t-go-too-far-that-way-it’s-not-safe.
I loved how old the city felt. So much history had happened here. We loved how walkable the city was too, at least in our area. We stopped at this coffee shop every morning. Our first task was to explore the French Quarter, in the morning, since the late party scene isn’t really ‘our scene.’ -may I just say however, being asked if I wanted a beer to go was an experience I’ll never forget!!
Bourbon Street is pretty much a tourist trap. It’s just bars and gift shops. We found another Hard Rock Cafe for my dad and even ducked into Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo. It wasn’t until after I took picture of the masks that I noticed a ‘No Photos Please’ sign underneath. oops…
We only had to dodge a few early drinkers, but for the most part people were pretty nice. Apparently, we committed the most heinous crime of all though. We did not try beignets. We didn’t actually know what they were, what they looked like, or how to pronounce it to ask someone….It was hot and humid people.
There was a beautiful courtyard in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. There were musicians and artists all around it, plus a statue of General Andrew Jackson. Fun fact: The St. Louis Cathedral was visited by Pope Pius VI in 1793. (there are other cool historical facts about it here.)
We actually learned a lot in Louisiana. After our morning in the French Quarter, we took the trolley back to the Garden District for a cemetery tour. Is that morbid? Nah. Anne Rice lives here, it’s totally normal.
We were a little late, so we tried to scoot in with the tour at the back, but they were smarter than us and made us pay. I am not normally a tour person, but we had been warned numerous times by our local friends that the cemeteries in particular were commonly used to attack or rob tourists. Had I been with a friend, we would’ve risked it, but there’s no way I’d put my mother in any sort of danger in a city I didn’t know, so 20 bucks for a walk and a lot of listening…
I had no idea how crypts worked. I thought it was just a really unnecessary, expensive, space wasting way to monumentalize (this should be a word) yourself. Well, wasn’t I a judgmental jerk. It’s actually an incredibly efficient burial system!
A. New Orleans is practically at sea level, so they can’t actually bury anyone six feet under. So these little tombs are required.
B. They are reusable!! It only takes about a year for someone to…um…well, you get the idea..so there’s a new spot for the next unfortunate occupant. The tour guide was full of one liners around this part of the speech, saying, “Take a good look folks, you can even get in if you want to, only rule is: Once you go in, you can’t come out.”
C. Because of this recycling, generations of families can all essentially be buried in the same spot.
Talk about a time saver on Memorial Day…too much? Our tour guide taught us what all the architectural elements meant and what kinds of families used what, but the only one I remember the story for is because of Tom Cruise.
Yep, this is Lestat’s crypt from Interview with a Vampire. Here is where our beloved Louis aka Brad Pitt became a vampire by the vicious bite of Tom Cruise, fog machines not included. The tour guide named a few other movies and music artists that had used the cemetery for filming; some not so savory…
Little did we know, this tour took us out of the cemetery (to our dismay) and into the surrounding neighborhoods to learn about the old houses. My mom was thrilled. I was dehydrated. Cue seven-year-old-me throwing a pouty look every time she wanted to stop and take a photo.
We did get to see one of Anne Rice‘s old houses with the classic Rose Gate (the knotted wires look more like skulls than roses). We saw the house where they filmed parts of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As well as the homes of Sandra Bullock, John Goodman and the Manning family (Peyton & Eli’s parents).
Our final evening, we shared some catfish with our hosts, took a sunset walk and went to the Frenchmen for some live music.
We had a lot of fun here! We even bought some bayou music to take on our trip by Yes Ma’am. It was interesting to learn about the city and see it through a local’s eyes. Will we ever go back? Probably not. But we’re glad to have seen it.
Me: 21 hours of driving
Mom: 0
Go to the next post for Austin, Texas!!
Fighting Fernweh 