New Orleans: The French Quarter

As mentioned in my prior post, I am on a short break from recounting my Danube Cruise to share my first visit to New Orleans in November 2009.

It wasn't until I reached New Orleans that I realized how much jazz was a part of me--not today's smooth jazz, but those toe-tapping, jamming rhythms of yesteryear.  As I was growing up, my dad brought the sounds of Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and a lot of other great jazz artists into our home.  At the time, I viewed it as old fashioned and "my parents' music," not realizing how those rhythm and blues and dixieland tunes were seeping into my soul.  My dad regularly listened to radio broadcasts from the Preservation Hall in New Orleans.  Now, here I was at the birthplace of jazz--the French Quarter in New Orleans.

New Orleans was founded in 1718 and named after Philippe d'Orleans, the Regent of France, though it is the golden statue of the Maid of Orleans (Jeanne d'Arc), that everyone notices.  The French only had it for 45 years before ceding  it to the Spanish in 1763 who had it for 38 years before giving it back to the French in 1801.

Two years later, Napoleon sold it to President Thomas Jefferson with the Louisiana Purchase.  Despite the trading around, New Orleans maintained its French flair.  The cultured, city-dwelling French became known as the Creoles, while the rustic, country Cajuns who descended from the French Acadians (driven from Canada by the British) developed their own bayou music, dialect, and spicy food.  Mix in some interesting characters, like the smuggler/pirate/privateer Jean Lafitte (inspiration for the film, The Buccaneer), free and enslaved African-Americans, and ambitious Anglo-Saxon Americans, and you have the perfect blend for a colorful city.

Being November, the French Quarter was quieter and more settled than during the steamy summer season. Yet,  there were still painters selling their wares, silver-covered mimes on street corners, musicians jamming, and the clopping of horse hoofs on the streets.  I paid my respects at Jackson Square to the statue of Andrew Jackson, who was victorious in the Battle of New Orleans against the British ( the treaty had already been signed, but news traveled slowly in 1814).   I loved my hot powdered-sugar beignets (rectangular doughnuts), sampled praline candies, and enjoyed wandering the colorful streets.

I stayed at the historic Le Pavillon Hotel, which is actually a few blocks out of the French Quarter, but its  vintage style blended best with this posting.  While not as spacious and modern as the newest luxury hotels, it has a charm and graciousness that is preferred by many of the reviewers.  The surroundings are elegant, the food excellent, and the staff gracious, and you can usually get a good deal on the rooms.  It has been recognized as one of the grand hotels of the world.

Le Pavillon has a wonderful tradition of serving free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (pre-made or make it yourself) and hot chocolate (with whipped cream) every night at 10:00 pm in the lobby.  It's a great way to meet the guests--some dressed for going out on the town, while others appeared in pajamas and bathrobes.  The owner started this tradition decades ago to make guests feel at home.  It was one more delight in this city of surprises.  So, as one Christmas decoration wished everyone, "Peace Y'all."

Click link for slideshow:
The French Quarter

Music:  Kevin Clark and the Jazz Revelation, The Devil Done Got Me Blues, Putumayo World Music: New Orleans

New Orleans: Discovering the Big Easy

This is a slight detour for those expecting to continue on the Danube, and with my Christmas preparations and ear infection, I'm posting it even later than planned.  So, going back to November 2009, I had the opportunity to attend a work-related conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.  I had never been to New Orleans before and had some mixed feelings about the city known as The Big Easy.  I thought about images of the destruction of hurricane Katrina and wild Mardi Gras celebrations as well as reports of dirty, dangerous streets and sweltering heat, but I decided to see for myself.

What a pleasant surprise!  In late November, the climate was pleasant (with some cool rain);  people were welcoming and kind;  the food, of course, was fabulous (tasty gumbo, jambalaya, pralines, beignets) ; the crowds were reasonable; the streets were clean; and festive holiday decorations were appearing around town.  My toes were tapping from the minute I heard jazz in my hotel's elevator.  There was such a happy, energetic, yet relaxed, feel to the city.  Although I used taxis to travel at night and was careful where I walked on my own, I found myself quite at ease in The Big Easy.

It had been four years since Katrina,  and the tourist/ historic areas (French Quarter, Central Business, Warehouse, and Garden districts) where I spent most of my time showed little damage and much charm.  New Orleans' greatest devastation from Katrina was more inland where the levees protecting the inner city from Lake Pontchartrain failed.  My convention was held at the Convention Center, and the Super Dome  was not far from my hotel, reminding me of the great suffering of the people after Katrina.   My convention offered the opportunity to work on homes in the still devastated areas of the town, but I had to cancel as I had sprained my wrist and couldn't use the tools.

Between conference sessions (ok--I skipped a few),  I explored the river side and French Quarter and took the famed St. Charles trolley past the elegant homes of yesteryear in the Garden District.   I had a great dinner at Tommy's and enjoyed jazz at The Howlin' Wolf  with a bar that came from Al Capone's hotel in Chicago and an outside mural painted by the renowned artist Michalopoulos. There was a great "scat" singer that night who created amazing instrumental sounds with her voice.

On my last day, I took the trolley to the city's Po'Boy Festival.  I had never been completely clear if there was a difference between a sandwich and a po'boy.  I concluded that a po'boy is anything you can put between bread and eat.  There were some pretty interesting combinations offered, including fried bread pudding in a bun (a bread sandwich?).

This past year was a great one for New Orleans.  At the Po'Boy Festival, crowds were gathered around large tv sets to watch their football team, The Saints, score another win, and they continued to cheer on their team to a Superbowl victory.   Disney studios released The Princess and the Frog, a very American adaptation  of The Frog Prince set
 in New Orleans (I loved the music and the story).   And the city continued to repair itself in preparation for the 5 year anniversary of Katrina in fall 2010.  While New Orleans still has difficult problems to deal with, I sensed that they have regained their pride and spirit.  The folk I met in "Nawlins" really wanted me to like their city.  And I did.

Next post: New Orleans: the French Quarter.  I will return to the Danube in a couple of weeks.

Click link  for slideshow: The Big Easy
Music:  Kermit Ruffins, "Drop Me Off in New Orleans," Putumayo World Music: New Orleans