New Orleans

Tea — A whimsical front yard in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans

Making our way across the country, we spent two days in New Orleans – Halloween Eve and Halloween night.

The revelry was, as you can imagine, over the top both evenings. There were lots of children trick or treating. In the French quarter, there were parades galore and every elaborate costume you could imagine. The nights were warm and pleasant, and we enjoyed walking and watching the spectacle.

NewOrleansHalloween

One morning, we took a ferry ride across the Mississippi River to the quiet neighborhood of Algiers.

LittleAlgiersHouse

The streets there are lined with quaint shotgun-style homes, many being renovated.

StairwayGarden

Letters

CarnegieLibrary — There is a Carnegie library in Algiers….

SeedLibrary — …with a seed library in an old card catalog.

We loved the garden district, too. Great little shops, and the homes were old and stately, with lots of character, plenty of wrought iron, and well-tended gardens.

Vintage — A vintage shop in the garden district and a pumpkin-hued dress perfect for a Halloween ball.

Cemetary — Lafayette Cemetery with 19th century tombs

Hop on the trolley with me in the garden district:

Back in the French Quarter, I inquired about dipping pens in Papier Plume on Royal Street. I don’t have the faintest idea how to use them, but it’s part of my art exploration project. I was able to try out writing with various pens and nibs. A wonderful staff person analyzed how I hold the pen – I’m left-handed – and recommended a set of nibs. He gave me a quick lesson on making strokes of various widths, too. I bought a pen, three nibs and sepia ink, and I can’t wait to try them.

I bought this set, made in Venice, with three nibs and sepia ink.

CafeDuMonde — On Halloween night, we had beignets – warm, light as feathers, covered in powdered sugar – and café au lait at Café du Monde on Decatur Street.

Coming up: Next on our journey we encountered great beauty, as well as something quite the opposite.

10 thoughts on “New Orleans”

Thanks for the trolley ride. Molto divertente! Veggie seed packets in a library card catalog…the best of recycling!!! As Johnny Carson used to say, “Keep those cards and letters coming.”