We listened to Benny at Bamboula's on 24 January. The next act was on to late fo us old-timers!
The Spotted Cat Music Club in Faubourg Marigny looked interesting, but we're sure about its safety standards.
Innovative homage to legendary jazz musician Charles "Buddy" Bolden, who died in 1931, in Louis Armstrong Park in Treme.Treme is the home to Louis Armstrong Park, a nicely landscaped area featuring ponds and fountains, statues of famous musicians, and performing arts venues. Housing in the streets of Treme resembles that of the French Quarter, but we didn't see any of the grand buildings. We didn't hang around in Treme, it has a poor reputation, but looked safe enough during our daytime visit.
Our task in the CBD was to find somewhere which would sell us some Euro in preparation for our visit to Martinique. Despite numerous very grand banks, this was not as easy as it seems. Most apologised, but said they couldn't help unless we had an account with them. This is not a welcoming stance to take with foreign visitors! We didn't see a single forex kiosk on our entire stay - we were directed to one, but when we got there we were told they no longer do that, only top up debit cards. Eventually, we found our way to the Whitney Bank, which happily accommodated us, but it took three visits and over an hour to consummate the transaction. Why is it so difficult to do this in the US?
The New Orleans Superdome which played a norious role after Hurricane Katrina, deserted this time with the city under a "state of emergency" due to unprecedented cold weather.One bonus of exploring the CBD is that we found a Jambe Juice outlet. Here you can get freshly squeezed juices in delightful mixtures, which was a welcome relief from the bottled juice varieties. Our hotel had an excellent buffet breakfast, but fresh juice is a special treat!
The Garden District is several miles out of town, and we caught a trolley there - we would call it a tram, and, like Memphis, they seem to prefer really old models, freshly renovated and polished. The fare is $1.25, no complicated ticketing here, as in Sydney, no change given, although for $2.50 you could buy a day pass. On the trolley back into town, we noticed that joggers seem to prefer the grassy stretch between the trolley rails - maybe they are smoother and softer than the very irregular New Orleans sidewalks.
New Orleans' network of trolleys seem to intersect in Canal Street, which marks the border between the French Quarter and the CBD.The Garden District is an upmarket place, replete with very grand mansions (we saw one previously owned by a victorious American generals) and Magazine St has a big strip shopping section. We also walked through the Lafayette Cemetery with its mostly above ground tombs.
Grand post-civil war mansion in the Garden District, belonging to a sugar plantation owner.
Uniquely detailed front fence detail from a house in the Garden District.
Above ground tomb in Lafayette Cemetery.
Spectacular wide eaving in an upmarket row of Shotgun Houses in the Garden District.
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