The Aftermath, Monday and Tuesday

My final two days in New Orleans were spent doing a little sightseeing and some last minute souvenir shopping. I awoke fairly late on Monday morning and made my way out of the hotel to grab a bite to eat before I set off to explore two of New Orleans' famous cemeteries. I had decided to visit the two oldest cemeteries within the city, it helped that they were also the closest because my feet were protesting every step I took by this time. My first stop was the infamous Bourbon Street where i sanpped off one picture just so i could say I had been there, I had no desire to linger there and moved on to the St. Louis #1 cemetery.

The infamous Bourbon Street		Entry to the St Louis #1 cemetery

I spent about an hour walking about the cemetery looking at the old grave markers and listening to snippets of the narration given by the tour guides as they showed their groups about. It is amazing to see the difference in upkeep from tomb to tomb. The tombs are maintained by the families or societies that own the plots. Some keep the tombs immaculate, others have let them fall into disrepair. It is not uncommon to see a beautifully preserved tomb right next to one that is succombing to the ravages of the humid subtropical weather. Somehow I managed to miss taking a photo of the Italian Society tomb, this tomb has a very elaborate but has a somewhat checkered past. The most infamous incident being its use in the movie &qout;Easy Rider&qout; which resulted in the New Orleans Diocese of the Catholic church prohibiting any commercial film making in their cemeteries.

A typical view within the cemetery yard

Another view of the St. Louis #1 Cemetery		Looking towards one of the ornate society tombs

I have been told that the St. Louis #1 and St. Louis #2 cemeteries are not the safest places to be. They are right next to one of the public housing projects in one of the poorer parts of the city. I can understand where this reputation comes from but I really did not feel like I was in danger while I was there during the mid to late afternoon. Before I left the St Louis #1 cemetery, I paid a visit to the tomb that is alleged to be the burial place of Marie Laveau, the famous practitioner of Voodoo. Nobody really knows for certain whether she really was buried here but many believe she was. Her tomb is marked with a bronze plaque and is covered in hundreds of red X's scratched and drawn all over it.

The alleged tomb of the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau

From St. Louis #1 I made my way to the second oldest cemetery in the city which is about four blocks away. St. Louis #2 is about three times the size of St. Louis #1 occupying three adjacent blocks. When I arrived, only the middle section was open, the gates on the other two were locked. St. Louis #2 has many of the classic "wall oven" tombs that were used by the poor. These vaults are shaped somewhat like the brick bread ovens in use here prior to the 20th century and are named for this resemblence. These tombs make up the outer walls of many of the older cemeteries.

Some of the "wall oven" tombs		A tomb in poor repair at St. Louis #2

There is an organization in New Orleans called Save Our Cemeteries that is devoted to doing cemetery cleanup and preservation. For more photos and historical information please check out the Crescent City Cemeteries web site. I will end my discussion of the cemeteries with a few more photos of some of the more elaborate and ornate tombs at St. Louis #2. When I return to New Orleans in the future, I will definitely make the time to explore the cities of the dead in much greater depth.

Some of the more lavish tombs near the center of St. Louis #2		A granite obelisk

An imposing marble tomb.		A unique Egyptian Motif

Greek revival style		A fancy tomb with statuary

Another tomb with statuary

I spent the remainder of the day on a trip through the Garden District on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar. There are many beautiful homes and buildings lining the streetcar route, I just wish I had more time to explore and take photos. There's not much more to say here so here are the photos:

One of the Streetcars

My final evening in New Orleans was a quiet one, I spent some time working on these diary pages and had a nice dinner of turtle soup and crawfish etouffe at a little place in the Quarter. The next day, I packed everything up and caught the shuttle to the airport. I fell in love with New Orleans while I was there. While it would be impractical for me to move there for many reasons, I plan on returning. The city intrigues me and the people I met there make me want to return as often as I can. Many thanks go out to Jason, Alice, Erich, Rikk, Trish, Gray, Lovecraft, Twilight, Ry, Heather Spear, Carrie, Cliff, Carolyn, Tara, Natasha, Lance, Mark, Cossack, Trystan, Crimson, Mikaela, Todd and all the others I met and interacted with, you all helped to make this trip an extra special memory.

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