On The Road Again...days 4 and 5

My first day in NOLA (as it is occasionally known) began with a morning walk to the Canal Street trolley line to buy a day pass.  Needless to say, I didn’t wear a bifurcated bottom!  My hotel was only a few blocks away, and this was my first skirted day in quite a while.  It was a real a confidence builder, as I was “just another woman walking in the city.” 

I passed a “sign of the times” on the way, a disused and inoperative – but nicely decorated -  pay phone.  Even the handset is gone!  Everyone carries a cell phone nowadays,  right?  So pay phones are like buggy whips and flat irons…just hope you never get stuck in an emergency with a dead phone battery.

 

When I found the day pass automat  machine, of course it was broken.  So I asked a man standing near there (who looked like he might know something) where to get a pass now?   He addressed me as “Ma’am” and pointed up the block to the Walgreens Pharmacy.   I guess if you need "anything", Walgreens can help.

While waiting for a van tour of the area, I took a stroll along the Mississippi on the beautiful Riverwalk.   It was a clear, sunny morning, with hints of mist on the water.  It made for some very surreal sights, that one can typically see only early in the day.   There were a lot of women out for morning walks or runs, and the walkers always smiled and said “good morning” as they approached.   Very friendly women…

Finally I got back to the hotel, to await pickup for the van tour.    Hotel staff continued to address me as “Ma’am.”  As did the driver when the van finally arrived.

It was a very interesting and complete tour of the area, including the places flooded by Hurricane Katrina.  Because it was in a van, it could go places a tour bus wouldn't fit...   Following is a picture at a business which survived the epic inundation – with a line painted on the wall to show how high the water reached at that location.

While many homes in the 9^th Ward have been restored or rebuilt, there are unfortunately too many which have not.  Still bearing FEMA markings from the rescue effort, they are dangerous eyesores in the community.  

After my wonderful tour, I walked (and trolley’d) around town for a while, grabbing a quick reflective picture in a store window.   It’s an inspirational message, to say the least.   “We are what we see.”  And I saw a lady!   I was treated as one at the restaurant I chose for dinner.  (The turtle soup and Louisiana fried shrimp were fabulous, indeed.)   

I actually needed my umbrella again that day, as another afternoon tropical shower passed through the area while I walked back to the hotel.    It’s amazing to me that so many folks (women in particular, since we carry purses) don’t bring umbrellas.  I dislike walking in the rain without one…so when traveling, I always take one.

The next morning I trolley’d to the old US Mint on the upper end of the Riverside Line.   Not being a numismatist, I didn’t realize there had been a mint in NOLA.  Of course that closed well before my time (1909).  It was apparently the only mint to have served both under the Union and the Confederacy.

For those of us who like to eat, a famous place called Café du Monde makes fabulous beignets (pronounced Ben-Yays), a tasty French pastry.  I can’t speak from experience – the line was so long it was taking an hour to be served, and I refused to wait.  But EVERYONE was there…they had lots of time.  I didn't.   (And I attracted no attention…the crowds were building and everyone was marching to the tune of their own drummer.)  And in any interaction, I was presumed to be a woman.

While in the vicinity, I stopped by the Cathedral-Basillica of St. Louis, King of France, on Pere Antoine Alley, and noticed that the door was open for visiting.   Between the Cathedral and the square in front, it’s both spectacular and gorgeous.  

In the afternoon, I used the free shuttle from Canal Street to  Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World…”where every day is Mardi Gras!”   They offer tours of the “factory” where Mardi Gras floats and figurines (for the annual parade) are stored during the year, and built/rebuilt for the following year.  

And on the shuttle bus back to Canal St., being the fourth to board, I already had a seat.  As women came  aboard, they were looking for available seats.   One by one, the few men there were all standing up and giving their seats to the ladies.  Fortunately, I was one of the ladies – and once alI the men had been chivalrous, even the boarding ladies got to stand.  I got to keep my seat - one of the rewards of being a woman!

To end my day of sightseeing and allow time to pack for the next day’s train (women always overpack, right?)  I decided to have a late lunch/early dinner and partake of the daily jazz brunch at the famous establishment “Court of Two Sisters” on Royal Street.  I got there well before it closed, and enjoyed a number of Southern specialties – catfish, crawdaddies and the like.  My gender wasn’t an issue.  I was treated as a female customer – though my appetite wasn’t particularly petite.

The three-story building that now houses this famous restaurant was once home to five governors, two state Supreme Court justice, a future justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and a future President of the United States. But beyond this, The Court of Two Sisters is celebrated for two things: 1) its old-world courtyard (the biggest in the city) with original gas lights and flowing fountains, and 2) its phenomenal, daily jazz brunch, with a strolling trio playing real New Orleans jazz seven days a week.   A delicious ending to a great visit in the Big Easy!

But the best part was spending both days in skirts, and being treated as the lady I am.  By everyone.  For these two days, I did not hear the dreaded “S” word, nor did I even hear “non-gender-specific” greetings.  I was a lady, and did not notice or experience any issues…even though I thought my deep voice might be one.  It wasn’t.  Nor was the minimal makeup I wore…probably because most women appeared to be wearing none at all due to the heat.

In the next chapter I’ll cover days 6 – 8.  Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Mandy