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New Orleans - Jazz and all that!



Been there. Seen it. Done that! - Casinos, dancing, cuisine and all that jazz. Just talk about it! New Orleans – ‘Capital of Dixieland' and the home of Bourbon Street Jazz and Mardis Gras , is a city of color – all well-preserved in history and nature and begs to be explored on foot. Its unique southern charm never fails and stops to captivate.. This was a three-day stop – part of a 14-day city coach tour opted for – the historic Old South tour of the United States. This vacation was the result of ‘forced labour' – I discovered a blank passport that was about to expire, while cleaning my cupboard. Rest followed as the urge was satiated. And so I went.

There were 27 of us in the coach from parts of the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and the United States. Must reveal that, I was ‘special' and treated so being the only Indian on the coach and then to some of the hotel staff I was ‘the Indian lady without the dot on her head!' We soon had our little friends circle – there was my namesake, Irene Grubliauskis from Boston, Helen Rebolo from Toronto and Solange Lee, New York.

We got into New Orleans on day 6 of the tour program, from Natchez, stopping by to visit Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana and get a good view of the Mississippi and the city. We were transported to the hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites, located in the Central Business District about 3 blocks from the French Quarter that was to be our abode for the next three days, under the guidance of Clinton Dunn, our efficient and ever-grinning guide, who always had something for us - quizzes, stories, movies and music. I was fascinated with Huey Long and his exploits – his eccentricity and power sounded more like a Hollywood blockbuster. We were taken on short city tour followed by the optional, Mississippi river dinner cruise aboard the riverboat, ‘Natchez'.

Everything was so good - the live jazz, food and even the city skylight from the boat, whether it was the view from the paddle-end or the sides. We returned to the hotel by 9:00 pm. By then, I realized that I was besotted by the city and wanted to see more of it.. and then, it was not just me, there were others too. Irene and me decided to do the city-walk by night - an on-the-spot thing. Among the many free lectures we got, when asking for directions were: Keep to the side of the city closer to us that is well-lit with people. We walked the walk – Canal Street, …..and visited the colorful shops (with all that music and colour, it felt like Mardi Gras season!!) till we found ourselves in the middle of cat whistles and music and people busy in merriment everywhere. It was a quirk of fate, I was sure.. and we were totally unprepared for this – we had strolled into the center of Bourbon Street at 11:30 pm. The well renowned Bourbon Street is a must-experience! …It is a complete megaplex with a Mardi Gras atmosphere featuring live shows, a sports bar, nightclubs and showbars.

Our second day was an elaborate guided tour of the city with a retired teacher – History must have been his specialty, I am sure for he kept us animatedly enraptured. New Orleans, we were told is built in two levels – below and above sea levels and was also culturally divided. Apparently, the people of two cultures never mingled and lived within their own territories until after the merger. As we passed the city viewing and photographing the place my mind drifted into reverie. I almost felt native to the time and era, till shaken to reality, as we had to alight the bus to visit the cemetery. There are 41 cemeteries in New Orleans. This particular one is above the ground - the Lois Cemetery No. 3. Jazz funerals still take place here.

The Cemeteries is a separate visit on its own. There is a caution issued “Use main street; stay with a group'. It was spooky, yet churned interest – one of those ‘must-see' feelings.. These ‘walled cities' is fascinating. Nowhere else in America are found such burial sites. The dead are buried in ‘tombs' – above ground structures similar to miniature houses. Situated in rows, the tombs resemble a scale model city. Surrounding the cemetery are brick walls, 9' thick to house burial vaults for less expensive interments. A body of architecture evolved to produce myriad shapes of vaults, obelisks and monuments that dominate each cemetery's skyline.

We passed the city's well known Riverwalk mall, statue of the Lady of New Orleans – Joan of Arc, market area, elite Garden District, French Quarter which is about 13 blocks long and 6 blocks wide, the first Catholic cathedral with Spanish architecture, different kind of homes - American-style homes, the camelback and shot gun homes.

We moved ‘back-a-town' (back of town) into Basin Street (the origin of the blues with Lois Armstrong) and on to Rampart Street (all parades began here). On to Cargo Square in Armstrong Park – apparently, here the slaves would meet on Sunday afternoons for recreation and would sing and dance – that was the origin of the Blues. It is believed that the Cajun masters were liberal with the slaves and would allow them to be free on Sundays, unlike the British masters, this made it easier for the slaves to meet on Sundays.

Lunch was Cajun food at its best at the ‘Court of Two Sisters'. Cajun cuisine is well spoken of and no wonder it is recorded that the best food in the country! 360 Club was my next visit, before spending the rest of the day at the Riverwalk Mall. 360 Club is a revolving bar that gives you the view of the entire city all the way round.

Sashaying through the Riverwalk is cool. We got out loaded with gifts, po'boys, Cajun coffee, pralines, music boxes and other Cajun spice. The Riverwalk mall is built along the Mississippi and is a haven for easy shopping and entertainment. It is ideally located at the foot of Poydras, Canal and Julia Streets between the Aquarium and Convention Centre – approximately a 10-minute walk from our hotel. There is no other place that celebrates the sights and sounds and smells of New Orleans with more gusto that Riverwalk.

Next day we headed towards the Bayou (swamp), a muggy, steamy area overrun with shrubs and trees. Our Cajun guide showed us the alligators at close quarters, as we fed them on marshmallows!

On our return to La Quinta Inn & Suites, Helen and I took a detour and we ‘Ghost walk' tour, the optional she had taken the previous night. Not funny – all true, I heard it all with goose bumps. The hunted homes and eat-outs still exist.

The beauty just simply grows with each passing moment. Solange and I took the St. Charles Line steer car to the Audubon Zoo. We were warned not to call them trolleys, ever! This is the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world! The mahogany seats, brass fittings and exposed ceiling light bulbs are from a day when plastic seats and aluminum rails were not even a thought. Rumbling around the ''neutral ground'' of St. Charles and Carrollton avenues for more than 150 years, the streetcar symbolizes the charm and romance of the City of New Orleans.

The Zoo blends the excitement of seeing the safari park with nature. One of the highlights of the Zoo that caught our attention was the Embraceable Zoo where we actually got to touch some endangered species. The tree house on the Monkey Hill was a funhouse replica with children running everywhere – there was so much of life here.

We had lunch and dinner at Mother's (- a must visit!!) where I learnt of Gumbo and Jambalaya .. I also learnt that ‘scones' were called ‘biscuits' here (and I quit explaining this to my mother..) and spent the evening wandering looking for Mulate's.

There was this vow that we would complete New Orleans in style with Cajun and Zydeco music and dancing. Mulate's is where we saw the real Cajun dancing and music! At Mulate's Cajuns come to celebrate their heritage and the world comes to join them in their celebration. . Cajun music is so full of life!.. so is the dancing. We moved around the floor with the help of a seasoned dancer and then gave up as the tempo picked up.

At 11:00, we realized that our stay was coming to an end in the city and we still had the Harrah's Casino to visit. This is a mini Las Vegas, from what I could see. I fished my purse and pulled out two Quarters. Lost the first one but got lucky with the second one.. I got back two quarters. ‘Quit, when the going is good', I heard my head ring, and so I did. We strolled Canal Street poking into shops and looking around. The shops here have music… we also got our feel of Zydeco!

Funny, but my heart was heavy the next day as we drove out of the city. We passed by cemetery No.1 where the famous voodoo priestess, Marie Le Worth was buried.. And were on our way out to Panama City, our next destination. I stretched my head to have the last look behind as we left; I knew I would be back.


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