Today I checked an item off my personal bucket list: visit an old New Orleans cemetery. Just a couple of blocks from our RV park we could see the top of an old cemetery. The Visitor Center said it was safe to visit during the day so we went in; turns out it’s Saint Louis Cemetery Number One.
It's enclosed by a 6-or-7 foot high wall. On the inside of the wall are a few individual tombs and a lot of “oven” tombs - they are stacked on top of each other and the doors sort of look like old-fashioned oven doors.
The tombs are all different shapes and sizes. Most are well-weathered, a lot are in a terrible state of decay, and a few look almost new. Some have been used by the same family for centuries; one marked GILLY, about the size of these below, holds 5 people, from Hypolite Gilly in 1877 to James Truitt in 2004. It’s weird to think that these old tombs are being opened again and again.
The rows between them are narrow and crooked. A few tombs are enclosed in wrought-iron fences - not sure what need there is for a fence in here.
A lot of the tombs are dated in the late or mid 1800s, and I saw one dated 1741. I saw the word "Famille" on a lot of these and at first I thought it was Italian because there is a huge Italian Mutual Benevolent Society tomb in the center of the cemetery. But of course, it's French.
The tombs are in a wide range of decay. Some are obviously still visited so it's odd that they are in such bad shape; I can't help but wonder if they are all still occupied.
The architectural designs make the tombs look like little houses, so it does give the impression of a city of the dead; it’s easy to understand how so many ghost stories get started here.
Oh, and there was another odd thing about this cemetery. . . there is a large, new-looking pyramid with the inscription "Omnia Ab Uno". I checked for it on the internet, and this thing is the future resting place of actor Nicholas Cage.
Overall, this was an excellent chance to indulge my odd fascination with cemeteries.
All of this before we even had breakfast! When we left the cemetery we walked to Cafe du Monde again; nothing like powered-sugar covered Beignets for breakfast! After breakfast we went walking around the city, and I discovered I like New Orleans more in the morning than in the evening. The air is cleaner, the streets are not as crowed and the street performers are better. There was a great guitar player outside Cafe Du Monde, and a good group of horn musicians in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. We went into the Cathedral and it’s very pretty. But architecturally it doesn't compare to the you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it Basilica back in St. Louis Missouri.
Here’s a useless piece of info: “Who Dat” is the most popular phrase here now; it's on T-shirts and signs everywhere because it's being used to indicate support of the New Orleans Saints. And we met a local guy who gave us a little interesting information: some of the balconies are supported by old black iron posts with a ring of spikes near the top. According to this guy, the spikes were to discourage ardent suitors from climbing all the way up to the balcony to be with their beloved. And he pointed out a cherub plaque that used to mark the location of the most popular brothel in town; that's probably not on the tours.
In Goorin Brothers Hat Shop the sales guy and his customer recommended Johnny’s Po-Boys and the Napoleon House Restaurant as good places to eat, so we went to Johnny’s for lunch. It was a great recommendation - we ordered one muffuletta with fries and split it. Lots of ham, salami, cheese and olive salad - loved it!
We spent the rest of the day walking around. One of the nice things about this city is that if you look down the little alleys between buildings, a lot of the time you find a little garden area, carefully tended, in contrast to the grimy, neglected buildings in front.
We checked out the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant; they have paraphernalia from the movie, like this display of “magic shoes” - the braces he wore as a child. And the menu is written on ping pong paddles.
The architecture of the French Quarter is unique. A few elements are used a lot, such as elaborate wrought iron railings, flower baskets hanging from balconies and narrow alleys between buildings. But pretty much anything goes. The roof lines don’t match up with the buildings next door, architecture design ranges from cottages to mansions, and paint colors and state of repair are entirely up to the individual owners.
We ended the day by going to the Napoleon House Restaurant to pick up a muffuletta and beans with rice to go, went back the the RV park's hot tub, and later had dinner, which was OK, but not nearly as good as Johnny’s.
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