New Orleans Pix 2

New Orleans

25 June 2006

Susie had a series of meetings this afternoon so I went for a walk to the French Quarter. The temperature was in the 90s with humidity to match. After a few hours of walking, I felt as though I lost several gallons of water. On the plus side, I lost less water than the day before... I must be getting used to this weather.

The French Quarter mirrored what we saw during our walk yesterday... there are few people around. Only one restaurant I passed has what may be called a line and it didn't compare what we saw in previous visits. As you will see from the pictures that follow, the Quarter looks in good shape for the most part. You could say it is all dressed up but nobody is coming to the party. As I walked, I felt a sadness for this city and for what it was. Because we stayed so far out, we didn't see the quarter at night when it usually had more people going for the night life. However, based on the lack of crowds during the day, we could imagine that the night life is equally reduced. On my previous visit to New Orleans, I stood on the corner of St. Peter and Bourbon Streets and listened to the music coming out of two clubs on opposite corners. This afternoon, the music from one of the clubs seemed subdued (perhaps my imagination) and the other club was shuttered.

Jackson Square as seen from the levee. St. Louis Cathedral is in the center and it is flanked on the right by the Presbeteŕe (former rectory) and on the left by the Cabildo (Spanish Colonial City Council building). The Presbeteŕe and Cabildo now serve as the Louisiana State Museum.

Andrew Jackson