Louisiana: Linda Becomes a Tourist in Her Hometown of New Orleans
Linda goes home again—back to her birthplace of New Orleans—in this week’s travel journal. Even though she knows the city well, we tackled New Orleans like tourists and went to all the must-see places, including the famous Jackson Square (photo above). Overall, the city delivered a remarkable vacation experience because of its unique style and the diversity of things to do.
The Forever boutique at 700 Royal Street makes a great backdrop for French Quarter photographs.
Balconies decorated with flowers reward French Quarter visitors who look up.
FRENCH QUARTER
The oldest and most famous part of New Orleans became our starting point. We walked the grid that makes up the French Quarter, starting at Rampart Street and heading to the Mississippi River and covering the blocks in between Esplanade Avenue and Canal Street. One of our favorite streets to walk from end to end was Royal. Of course, we crossed rowdy Bourbon Street several times. The French Quarter is filled with excellent restaurants, crazy bars and interesting people, but the best scenery is often spotted by looking up. The balconies above the busy, narrow streets give New Orleans an architectural feature not found in most cities.
Evidence of an old sign is visible on the wall behind this balcony in the French Quarter.
French Quarter residents use vivid colors to make their homes stand out.
Not the Breakfast of Champions, but a trio of beignets buried in powdered sugar will get your day off to a sweet start.
Linda relaxes after visiting the famous Café du Monde for beignets.
CAFÉ DU MONDE
Don’t skip Café du Monde because the line looks too long. It moves quickly and you need to experience this simple, but delicious taste of New Orleans. Get three beignets (French doughnuts) covered with powdered sugar and your choice of a beverage and then enjoy the hot, tasty treat that keeps the café open 24 hours a day all year. Café du Monde is the original French Market coffee stand, making customers smile since the early 1860s.
The Superdome holds nearly 75,000 fans.
The Saints line up for stretching before the game begins.
MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME
“Oh, when the Saints go marching in,” they line up against their opponents in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, a New Orleans landmark because of the state’s beloved NFL team. Fans of the New Orleans Saints suffered through many losing seasons before the arrivals of Sean Peyton and Drew Brees, who helped turn things around and win the Super Bowl in February 2010. Since then, the Saints have remained competitive, especially in front of their loud, enthusiastic home crowd. The Superdome has hosted Super Bowls, the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans Bowl and many other events.
Peddle boats at City Park provide a good way to see the lake and exercise at the same time.
City Park visitors like us can rent bikes for cruising around the 1,300-acre park.
CITY PARK
With 1,300 acres, City Park provides an excellent place to enjoy nature while still in New Orleans. It is 50% larger than Central Park in New York City and has the world’s largest collection of mature oak trees despite Hurricane Katrina destroying 2,000 trees. The Orleans Avenue Canal borders it on one side while the Bayou St. John is on the other.
The park features a golf course, tennis courts, baseball field, soccer fields, practice track, model airplane field, equestrian farm, fishing pier, botanical and historical train garden, children’s amusement center, and a lake with paddleboats, canoes and kayaks. Of course, you’ll also find places to eat.
City Park blends nature with sculptures.
Linda crosses a colorful bridge at City Park.
The New Orleans Museum in City Park delivers an impressive range of artwork.
A painting by Thomas Birch (created in 1849) hangs above a dresser and chairs from the 1800s.
NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART
The New Orleans Museum of Art located in the south end of City Park presents 5,000 years of art with 40,000 items to see. NOMA’s exhibits range from European Renaissance art to American Modernism and from decorative arts to photography. Next to the museum is the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden where you can walk along artwork placed among beautiful ponds and trees.
NOMA includes this Claude-Joseph Vernet painting—The Morning, Port Scene—created in 1780.
Robert Diebenkorn painted Woman on the Porch in 1958, and it’s displayed at NOMA.
Sailboats cut through the waves on Lake Pontchartrain.
Doug enjoys the breeze coming off Lake Pontchartrain.
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND THE CAUSEWAY
New Orleans lies along the southern and eastern shores of Lake Pontchartrain, which is the second largest inland saltwater body in the United States. The largest is the Great Salt Lake next to Doug’s hometown in Utah. Lake Pontchartrain is 40 miles long, 25 miles wide and 10 to 16 feet deep.
The lake is spanned by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which stretches nearly 24 miles and might be the world’s longest overwater bridge. A bridge in China is longer and goes over water, but there’s disagreement about whether that bridge is continuously over water. Check out the Atlas Obscura website for info about this debate.
St. Charles Avenue
From the French Quarter, take St. Charles Avenue, which begins at the intersection of Canal and Royal Streets, and go toward uptown New Orleans. After a few miles, you’ll encounter incredible homes that make it clear why a St. Charles address comes with prestige. We recommend ending your tour at Loyola University. The photos below are examples of the amazing homes you’ll see.
Trees and perfectly trimmed shrubs surround this beautiful house.
The Pink Lady built in 1889 is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The details included in the design of this home give it incredible charm.
Loyola University’s Holy Name of Jesus Church serves as a good stopping point for your tour of St. Charles Avenue.
Arla loves the flowers at Audubon Park.
Linda visits the fountain near the entrance of Audubon Park.
AUDUBON PARK
If you plan to see the beautiful homes on St. Charles Avenue, then Audubon Park in historic uptown New Orleans becomes an easy addition to your visit. One of the park’s entrances is across the street from the Loyola campus. You can stroll through the gardens, take the Audubon Park Trail around the golf course and see its amazing collection of oak trees.
A western lowland gorilla glares at visitors from behind a rock ledge.
Alligators cunningly glide through thick green algae in the Louisiana Swamp exhibit.
AUDUBON ZOO
The Audubon Zoo celebrates the wonders of nature with exhibits grouped into categories ranging from World of Primates to African Savannah and from Louisiana Swamp to South American Pampas. For kids, there’s a “cool zoo,” with a place to play in water and float down a slow-moving river. We shot so many photos of fascinating animals that we’re presenting a few in this section and including more at the end of today’s journal. Scroll past the Parting Shots to see them.
This long-legged wolf prowls its enclosure.
Even though a rhinoceros only eats grass, it can weigh up to 7,900 pounds.
This peacock screams “help, help!” all day, but nobody sees what’s bugging it.
An older mandrill shows a youngster how to search for food.
A streetcar leaves the Bienville Station for Canal Street.
A streetcar heads uptown toward Loyola University on St. Charles Avenue.
STREET CARS
Tennessee Williams’ “Streetcar Named Desire” made the streetcars of New Orleans famous. Even without the fame, they’re fun to ride, and a bargain at only $1.25 for a one-way pass. The best places to catch them are along the Mississippi River by the French Quarter (Bienville Station), Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue.
The ferry begins at a dock at the end of Canal Street and crosses the Mississippi River to a dock on Algiers Point.
The ferry to Algiers motors across the Mississippi River every 30 minutes.
FERRY TO ALGIERS
To get a good view of the New Orleans skyline, take the ferry to Algiers. It only costs $2 and you can also visit historic Algiers Point, which is the city’s second oldest neighborhood.
Domenica serves a savory calabrese pizza that left us wanting to return for more.
Domenica Pizza is easy to find on Magazine Street.
DINING
We rarely make restaurant recommendations because we tend to be picky eaters and usually don’t get too excited about our meals. Of course, New Orleans is home to many famous restaurants, and we’ve eaten at a few of them, including Antione’s which we enjoyed. For this travel journal, we wanted to try a place that that would “Wow!” us. We asked New Orleans natives for advice, and selected Domenica Pizza at 4933 Magazine Street as the recommendation to test. And Domenica delivered!
We had meatballs and arrabbiata for an appetizer and a calabrese pizza for the main course. We loved both for their taste, texture and temperature—all perfect. It’s a simple thing, but we were dehydrated from spending hours outdoors on a hot, muggy day and our server, Mark, brought us a carafe of cold water that helped quench our thirst. The restaurant’s atmosphere led to a calm, relaxing and delicious meal. We highly recommend Domenica for lunch or dinner.
Arla visits one of the many unique cemeteries in New Orleans.
New Orleans cemeteries feature large memorials that hold the remains of loved ones.
ARLA’S SHOCKING MOMENT
New Orleans is famous for its unique cemeteries were bodies are buried above ground due to the problem that comes with encountering groundwater when digging a hole six feet deep. If you listen to tour guides in the French Quarter describe cemetery visits, you’d clearly gain the impression that somebody could get scared here. When I visited this cemetery, I found the family vaults to be artistic and stately, not creepy like I had imagined.
Riding on the Mighty Mississippi River
Steamboat Natchez is one of only two steam engine paddle wheel boats still operating in the United States. Daily two-hour jazz cruises depart from the Toulouse Street Wharf on the Mississippi River. Cruises leave at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. They travel downriver to below the Chalmette Battlefield and then return for a short harbor cruise.
LINDA’S TAKEAWAY
As a New Orleans native, I’m very familiar with the annual events that attract tourists from around the world—Mardi Gras, Essence Festival, Jazz Festival and the Crescent City Classic. To embrace other tourist attractions for the first time, we booked a cruise on the Steamboat Natchez.
During the ride down the Mississippi River, I learned more about my hometown’s history. One of the most interesting but saddest facts was the impact Hurricane Katrina had on the Steamboat Natchez company. Tourism dropped and employees were laid off for a long period of time. It is a good example of the devastation Katrina had on many local businesses. Fortunately, Steamboat Natchez recovered and has since returned as a major tourist attraction.
Steamboat Natchez gets ready to haul passengers downriver.
The steamboat anchors at the end of Toulouse Street within Woldenberg Park.
From the back end of the steamboat, you can see the power of the paddle wheel that propels the boat.
A cruise on the Natchez includes passing ships that use New Orleans as a port.
From the river, the view of one of New Orleans’ residential areas makes it clear that the levee keeps it from being flooded daily.
The Creole Queen also sails out of New Orleans, but it is driven by a diesel, not a steam engine.
The National World War II Museum inspires visitors with stories of heroism and liberation that bring history to life.
The lobby of the National War II Museum includes boats, planes and other military exhibits.
DOUG’S HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHT
Congress has designated the National World War II Museum at 945 Magazine Street in New Orleans as America’s official World War II museum. The museum’s mission statement summarizes why this popular tourist destination deserves your attention: “The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.” Go to the museum website for more information about the exhibits, hours and fees.
Arla peers through a sign used to celebrate New Orleans’ 300th anniversary in 2018.
The Chalmette Battlefield, operated by the National Park Service, serves as the ideal place to learn about the Battle of New Orleans.
GEE WHIZ FACTS
In 1718, the governor of French Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, founded the city of Nouvelle-Orléans on the first crescent of high ground above the Mississippi’s mouth. Learn more about New Orleans from the History Channel’s website.
The last battle the United States fought against Great Britain was called the Battle of New Orleans. It took place in nearby Chalmette, Louisiana, and made Andrew Jackson a national hero and future U.S. president. The battle took place on Jan. 8, 1815.
PARTING SHOTS: RANDOM THINGS FROM NEW ORLEANS
This sculpture in City Park reminds us of the monster from the movie “Predator.”
Travelers on the Mississippi River near New Orleans encounter these eyes watching them.
The Cornstalk Fence Hotel features a decorative iron fence that explains its name.
A French Quarter sign explains the history of Calle Real Street, now known as Royal Street.
Tugboats, barges and other vessels pass the Steamboat Natchez while cruising the Mississippi River.
The Domino Sugar plant becomes one of the landmarks encountered on a Mississippi River cruise.
The Holocaust Memorial grabs the attention of visitors to the riverfront in New Orleans.
The immigrant statue in Woldenberg Park holds Mardi Gras beads in her hand.
Linda enjoys seeing the Kulinda Railway (Africa) sign at the Audubon Zoo.
Doug bravely pets an alligator at the Audubon Zoo (only because it is a fake gator).
MORE ANIMAL PHOTOS FROM THE ZOO AND CITY PARK
