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| J: There's the general himself. Jackson Square was originally called Plaza d'Armas. It was renamed to honor the victor of the Battle of New Orleans. |
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| J: What are these buildings on either side of
the square? P: How should I know? J: You live here, right? P: If you say so. These red brick buildings on either side of the square are the Pontalba Apartments. They were built by the Baroness Michaela Pontalba in the 1850's and are the oldest apartment buildings in the U.S. This one is the Lower Pontalba. |
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| J: If that one was the Lower Pontalba, I'm
going to guess this is the Upper Pontalba. P: Not bad for a real person. |
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| J: You can't beat Jackson Square for a more beautiful spot to just hang around. That is St. Louis Cathedral, an iconic landmark in the city. |
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| P: You know, Pope John Paul II visited here
back in 1987. J: Did you live here then? P: I don't actually live, remember? I'm a figment of your twisted imagination. J: Who are you calling twisted? P: I think you are calling you twisted. |
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| J: This is the Cabildo. It was built in the
1790's as the seat of the Spanish municipal
government in New Orleans. P: It sure is hot here. Can't you imagine it a little cooler. J: I don't have that good an imagination. |
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| P: That looks like the same building. J: Well it was built to resemble the Cabildo and bookend the St. Louis Cathedral. It is the Presytere, so named as it was built on the grounds of residence of Capuchin monks. |
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| P: I know this one. J: Okay, give it a shot, Frenchie. P: It's the Girod House. It was built be New Orleans mayor Nicholas Girod in 1812, although the little two-story wing on the right was built by his brother Claude Francois Girod in 1797. J: Not bad. Anything else? P: In 1821, Nicholas Girod offered the house to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821 as a place of refuge in a plot to rescue him from exile. J: Hang on a sec. You read that from the plaque on the side of the building. P: So? You are the one looking up stuff on the web about the things you photographed. J: Yeah, well, let's just move on. |
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| P: Can we eat here tonight? J: The restaurant has been around since 1840, but it's a little too fancy-schmancy and expensive. And anyway, you can't even eat. P: The imaginary menu is cheaper. |
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| J: This is one of the oldest buildings in the
Quarter. It was built in 1750. P: Look that up on the web too, eh? J: Shut up. |
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| J: The building houses the famed Preservation Hall. |
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| P: Not much happening on Bourbon Street at the
moment. J: Not this block anyway. |
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| J: The Arena Bowl is being held on Sunday between the Philadelphia Soul and San Jose Sabrecats. This little band of kids who played in the street were all wearing Soul t-shirts. |
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| P: After Katrina, Canal Street looked like a
canal. J: Looks better now. P: Yeah, but there are are businesses that didn't come back. |
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| J: There was a free concert near the riverfront
the night before the Arena Bowl. Huey Lewis and the News were the
headliners, but a thunderstorm rolled through just as they were setting up.
I didn't have an umbrella with me and I didn't really want to stand in the
pouring rain and wait to see if they were going to play. P: Did they? J: Yes, they did. But these guys, local 80's tribute band The Molly Ringwalds were good too. The weather turned nasty just as they were finishing. |
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| P: It's still raining.
J: Yes, but not quite as hard as before. P: I'm going to go back to see Huey Lewis. I'll see you tomorrow morning. J: Be sure to take an imaginary umbrella. |
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