The French Quarter, Friday, September 23, 2011
New Orleans Louisiana
The French Quarter is the New Orleans of the tourists, but even it has its charms, especially Jackson Square, with its lovely St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, the Pontalba buildings and the Cafe du Monde.
Bright and unusual color schemes on houses and other buildings add to the Caribbean-like atmosphere of New Orleans
Faubourg Marigny, Friday, September 23, 2011
Faubourg Marigny, Friday, September 23, 2011
Walking around the Faubourg Marigny on a Friday morning
I had seen a 24-hour restaurant called La Peniche when I was driving over to the Hi-Ho Lounge, so the next morning I ate breakfast there, and afterwards spent some time walking around the cool neighborhood known as Faubourg Marigny. The center of it is a street of bars, clubs and restaurants called Frenchmen Street.
I noticed that the Stooges have a conga player this year which I didn’t recall from last year. The percussionist reinforces the strong Cuban influence that is apparent in New Orleans brass band music.
After the TBC Brass Band ended their performance at 10 PM, there was still time to make it to the Hi-Ho Lounge for the Stooges Brass Band’s weekly Thursday night set. The Hi-Ho is a tiny venue, and every inch of it was packed with fans, some dancing as best they could despite the limited space. Out in front, vendors were selling barbecue and drinks. There was no band battle during the break this year, but a man handed me a flyer about a Young Men Olympian second-line Uptown on Sunday, and I made up my mind to go if I could.
If you’ve ever read A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O’Toole (which is considered by many to be the quintessential New Orleans novel), you’ll remember that the main character, Ignatius O’Reilly, took a job pushing a Lucky Dog cart in the French Quarter. I never see one without thinking of that book.