What the hell! Where am I?!

The last thing I remember was driving home from work late at night, next thing I know I wake up in some motel room. I run outside and walk down a few blocks looking for my car in what I thought looked like Oakland, but wasn’t. Then I walk into this area that looks like Disneyland but with alcohol everywhere. I can’t understand anyone, not sure if it’s me or them, the street names are in French or something and my phone GPS isn’t working. Does anyone know what city Basin Street is?

We arrived into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after 2:30am, after our delayed layover in LAX we just wanted to sleep before the long day ahead. As soon as we walked off the plane it hit us, something us Californians rarely get to experience, the dense humidify that just clings to your entire body. That musty humid smell walking down the airport corridors is unmistakable; we were now in the south.  We quickly jumped into a taxi that thankfully had the AC blasting and were on our way. We arrived during the worst possible time imaginable. It was the French Quarter Festival and every single hotel in and around New Orleans was completely booked for weeks in advance. The cheap chain motels nearby were taking advantage and room rates skyrocketed to $200-300 a night! Luckily, I managed to find a room a few minutes away from the French Quarter for a reasonable price. Unbeknownst to me, there was a reason why it was available and cheap; it was located on one of the worst areas in New Orleans smack in-between two dangerous neighborhoods. The street that divided the two neighborhoods/districts was Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, which happened to be the same street our motel was located. I partially figured that the area had a bad reputation, or why else would it be so cheap. I’ve live near and have been to a lot of so-called ‘dangerous neighborhoods’ in my time, places in El Paso, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Laredo to name a few, but nothing could prepare me for this.

As soon as we exited the freeway we knew we were entering a completely different part of the city far removed from the touristy landscape. Driving down Martin Luther King Jr Blvd we saw what appeared to be houses, but could more clearly be defined as shacks with porches. I could clearly see the figures of people sitting out in their porches drinking and smoking while homeless people continued walking along the sidewalks of the dark unlit street. It was a rough neighborhood, and the further in we went the more I thought to myself, “what did I get myself into this time?” We approached the gated Crescent Palms Motel which appeared like something that didn’t belong amongst the array of neighboring rundown buildings and houses. As soon as we got out of our taxi a man rushed over and without skipping a beat asked for any money. We didn’t have any spare cash on hand, but instead handed over an uneaten gourmet sandwich we had leftover from LAX. We walked upstairs into our room and quickly locked the door. It was hot…I had forgotten was this kind of heat felt like. I quickly turned on the AC and spread out on the bed. Looking around the room I realized that for being a motel it was actually a very extremely nice room. Everything was newly remodeled and surprisingly clean. I thought back to the time we had stayed in a cheap hostel in Bolivia, and here we were now in New Orleans in what would be considered a lower-end motel and where we certainly didn’t take any of these modern amenities for granted.

New Orleans definitely lived up to its reputation as the Big Easy. Upon first arriving in the French Quarter early in the morning people were already walking around with alcohol in both hands trying to alleviate any hangovers from the previous evening. We were there for the French Quarter Jazz Festival, and after all, what a better place to enjoy jazz than where jazz was first invented. There were bathrooms everywhere, and stages set up all throughout the French Quarter. One minute we were watching the Crayfish Eating World Competition and the next we were listening to amazing local 1940’s era swing/jazz band next to the French Market. It was beautiful. Each street told a different story and the end result was what we saw today, a complete mix of different time periods and cultures coming together. The indigenous influences, the African, the French, the Creole, and the Spanish all had a part in shaping this beautiful city. Music spontaneously broke out almost everywhere, there was no avoiding it. Under the old moss covered oak trees hovering over Lafayette square people began dancing as if they didn’t have a care in the world and it was spectacular.

The history that surrounds this old part of New Orleans is deeply intertwined within the fringes of the community. Down past the beautiful European-influenced architecture and Victorian-era mansions there laid a deep-seated past that many are unable to escape. This is, most importantly of all, the home of New Orleans voodoo…at least, what little remains of it. Walking through a lot of the voodoo shops you begin to notice that a vast majority of people running the stores are young Anglo-American punk-rocker kids who seemingly know little to nothing about authentic voodoo. Old traditions brought over from Africa to Haiti and later to New Orleans completely changed the spiritual beliefs of many with prominent Victorian-era society backgrounds as well as those from all walks of life. The practice of voodoo was shunned by this predominantly Catholic community and was practiced outside the city limits where Rampart Street now lies. Today, what little voodoo tradition remains is but a painted shell of its once former glory. I was to later find out that a lot of the authentic voodoo practitioners fled out of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit never to return. Hurricane Katrina completely changed the face of New Orleans, disfiguring her into some type of antique and later re-altered facet. The beauty that must once have been has made way for progress. New shops line Canal Street, targeting primarily visiting wealthy individuals from suburbs across the country. It’s become part of an ever growing illusion, to maintain the tourism while undeniably ignoring those who are need of some real change. It’s become a Disneyland for paying adults and those too poor for entertainment are pushed by the wayside.

Places to check out:

St. Louis Cemetery:

St. Louis Cemetery: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 contains the most visited grave in all of the United States secondly only to Elvis Presley’s grave in Graceland. Among the decrepit sea of stone monuments lays Marie LaVeau’s tomb. Marie LaVeau was a well respected Creole voodoo practitioner in the early 1800’s who’s following peaked well into the thousands. Nowadays it’s common around the cemetery to see three X’s marked on various graves. The belief is that by leaving a small token or by marking three X’s on Marie LaVeau’s tomb the persons wish would come true. Of course, this is considered vandalism and further ruins the historical importance of the site. Likewise, there are many marked up tombs that are not that of Marie LaVeau. Supposedly, various fake Marie LaVeau tombs were set up as a gimmick to either preserve the real tomb from being vandalized or to show off the highly decorated voodoo tombs for the sake of drawing more tours.

It doesn’t take long to see how so many people use to get lost among the tombs leading to altercations, robberies and muggings. A lot has changed within recent months provoking an immediate response from the Catholic Church (who still ‘run’ the cemetery) to change its protocol completely. Up until recently the cemetery was in shambles and vandalism was becoming more and more predominant. People stealing bones and soil was a common occurrence. The cemetery itself sits about 7-8 feet below sea level causing the tombs to shift and crack due to water levels underneath the unstable ground. After some well-meaning idiot painted Marie LaVeau’s tomb hot pink in December of 2014, and the Catholic Church, in March of 2015, closed off the entire cemetery. However, a group of non-profit organizations got together with the Catholic Church to provide historical tours under their strict regulations. So now in order to visit the cemetery you must book through one of these non-profit tour companies of which now only a few are allowed inside.

The non-profit group ‘Save Our Cemeteries’ was in the forefront of trying to preserve the cemetery and convincing the church to allow tours once again. They provide excellent tours, of which I do highly recommend, however, bring an umbrella as their tours last about 2 hours under the hot sun. They provide deep history regarding important people buried within the cemetery, however, if you’re not into the whole overly-historical dry presentations look elsewhere. Lastly, because the cemetery closes before 3pm Monday thru Saturday and 12pm Sunday, avoid the stress and book ahead of time as these tours do sell out!

Swamp Tours

There are plenty of fun tours to chose from, but if you get a chance definitely try a swamp tour. We were pretty skeptical about going on a tour at first; however, once we started riding down on a boat through some of the most beautiful swamps Louisiana had to offer, we were awestruck. Though there are many tour companies I strongly recommend Cajun Encounters Swamp Tours, they were extremely professional and their tour guides made every moment exciting and comfortable. At first I didn’t really expect to see real wildlife, anyone who has gone wildlife sightseeing knows your chances of actually seeing something is rather rare, however, with this tour the guides lure out the wildlife with some pretty effective methods. For photographers, I highly recommend a zoom telephoto lens and to be ready for a moment’s notice get some amazing action shots of wildlife in action (so keep the settings on shutter priority!).  Just cruising through the old Spanish moss-cover cypress trees it becomes quite evident as to the historical mystique that drew so many to this part of the country. The unimaginable beauty of the bayou and swamps is something I seriously underestimated. If I had more time I definitely wish I could try the night tours when the wildlife is more active and when the fireflies roam about, this is of course, where many of the mysterious legends were born and it’s easy to see why.

Preservation Hall

If you’re a lover of the original jazz that use to ring throughout New Orleans be check out the Preservation Jazz Hall band located at 726 St. Peters St. in the French Quarter. There was a time when jazz musicians were being left out of work and the original tradition of jazz music started becoming a dying breed. However, a few people during the 1960’s decided to form the preservation hall for the sake of giving some of these legendary musicians (with ties to the golden age of jazz) work once again. And thus, the Preservation Hall was born. The rustic setting of the hall makes it seem like you just walked back in time to 1930’s to hear the soundtrack of the time being played as it was meant to be, emotional and raw.

I strongly urge people to buy tickets ahead of time or else you will be standing for a good 2 hours. Though they play three shows a night year round, the seats run out, and if that’s the case you will be standing in an overly-crowded room for the entire show. Not to mention, people begin lining up outside the doors over an hour beforehand, so be prepared for sore feet and get there early!

Café du Monde

Café du monde is one of those must visit tourist places that serves only two things; coffee and beignets. Since 1862, they’ve offered these traditional French-style beignets along with coffee made with Chicory during the civil war due to a coffee shortage. Honestly, I think there was a little too much hype around this café. The beignets were definitely delicious; however, I don’t think the wait time to stand around in line for a few powdered fried pieces of bread are worth it. Eat them once just to say that you tried them and make the judgment call for yourself. A big plus is that they do not skim on the powdered sugar. That being said, be prepared with some wet napkins because you will get powdered sugar everywhere.

The official Café du Monde website

Pirates Alley Cafe

After a long day of walking around be sure to check out the lovely Pirates Alley Café, located in Pirates Alley between Royal and Chartres Street. The ambience of the dim gaslit streets around the French Quarter is reminiscent of the olden times where just about anything could happen. And there along this dimly lit alley there’s a nice refuge for those who seek a different pleasure…

While many enjoy their typical cocktails and alcoholic frozen drinks, there are some of us who prefer something with a bit more of history… absinthe. This café holds a nice selection of absinthe bottles from around the world and I, being a connoisseur of absinthe, couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The pirate-themed café along with the beautiful glasswork of absinthe accessories such as absinthe plates, glasses and fountains made my experience with the green fairly that night a unique one that I will always cherish forever.

Check out the Pirates Alley Café page on Yelp

Travel Tips:

Be sure to drink lots of water! I don’t know if it’s a mix of the heat and humidity but you will be sweating like no tomorrow.  And if you plan on drinking alcohol (which I assume that’s probably one of the reasons anyone would want to visit New Orleans to begin with), be sure to replenish your body with water or else you will have a bad time.

Book hotels ahead of time, and if you plan on visiting during festival time be sure to book your room way in advance as prices go upwards of $400+/night within the downtown and French Quarter areas. Be careful about the location of the hotel/motel. When I booked the Crescent Palms Motel taxi drivers flat out refused to drive us there because of its location. Despite it only being a few minutes away from the French Quarter the area is infamously dangerous and taxi drivers past sunset will not drive you back to your motel.

Remain cautious even around the French Quarter! There are a lot of scammers in the area that will take advantage of tourists. Be a smart traveler and keep your wallet in your front pocket or wear a money belt if you need to. While I was there I heard many stories of tourists being held at gunpoint, so don’t be wearing flashy items that make you a target.  Oh, and avoid the shoe scam! As soon as you hear someone say, “hey there, I bet I can guess where you got them shoes!” just ignore them and move on or else you will get sucked into one of the most infamous scams of New Orleans.