We see dead people and gators
First stop of the day – St. Louis Cemetery #1
No trip to New Orleans is worthwhile without at least one cemetery tour, so we decide to double the worth by making a second cemetery trip. This time it’s St. Louis Cemetery #1, the burial place of voodoo queen Marie Laveau and other notables. (There are three St. Louis Cemeteries in New Orleans). Years ago, somebody started a rumor that if you wanted Laveau to grant your wish, you should draw an X on her tomb, spin around three times, knock on it, and yell out your wish. None of this is true, but people have taken to defacing the tomb in the belief that it will. Which is a bummer. Homer Plessy, the plaintiff from the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court civil rights case, also lies here as does the artillery battalion that died in the Battle of New Orleans.
With the number of cemetery tours taking place during our visit, it’s hard not to overhear that the strangely out of place white pyramid with the inscription Omni Ab Uno (everything from one) is the future resting place of actor Nicolas Cage.
Swamp tour, here we come
Because why wouldn’t we? We head out of town wearing all of the clothing we’ve brought with us, knowing we’ll be outside on a boat. Our tour guide is a charming storyteller, who entertains us with swamp stories, some of them scary. Our fellow travelers seem impressed by a family of local raccoons. No chance to see alligators
today — too cold. Our boat captain solves the problem by fishing a baby alligator out of a cooler and passing it around. Tom becomes Official Gator Whisperer of the trip.
Southern Food and Beverage Museum beckons
We can tell this museum is just a baby and that it will someday be a very interesting place. It’s not quite finished, and the curators ask us to pay only half a regular admission fee. It’s a great place to see the history of Antoine’s, find out that Frances Parkinson Keyes’ name is pronounced “kyes,” and to buy regional cookbooks. Someday, it will be a wonderful repository of cooking history from all of the southern states.
Starving, we stop for a quick nosh at Amici, where the pizza is pretty spectacular, and then race off to Dr. Bob’s Art before it closes in five minutes. But that’s for another post.
Art, Adolfo’s and Frenchman Street
We close the night with a walk from our house to Frenchman Street, which is teeming with people, music, and energy. A gathering of artists glitters under the lights, but it’s too hard to see the art after dark to really be interested. An artist calls out “look at my great postcards!” and Liz says “those are great postcards.” He calls back “that wasn’t really a look, that was just a glance!” and we laugh and keep on going. Tom, official consigliere of the trip, has recommended Adolfo’s for our evening meal, and we are happy with his choice. The room is cozy, the ambience is eccentric, the music from downstairs is loud, and the food is pretty darn great. More than one language is spoken in this room. We order light, and the waitress is happy to see our backs so she can get a more profitable table. Time to head back for the night, but not before a stop at The Spotted Cat where Miss Sophie Lee is singing and and endlessly shifting sea of people moves in and out the door. Listen to Miss Sophie Lee music
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We see dead people and gators
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