Beignets, to Sculptures, to Vaults

Wednesday, 20 March
Aviation arbor Famcamp — NAS JRB New Orleans — Belle Chasse, Louisiana
Temps: Lo 58F / Hi 71F (14C / 22C)

The forecast called for rain in the morning, which was verified by overcast skies and sprinkles when we woke up.  So, we decided to spend at least the first part of the day at the Audobon Aquarium of the Americas.

Good plan, but the implementation was flawed.  Not because this is not a great place to visit.  I know it is, because I spent a day exploring the aquarium post-cruise in 2003.  Where we — I, really — failed today was with the camera equipment … I had the wrong one with me.  This is the kind of place where the constant — sometimes lazy; sometimes fast — movement of sea critters requires a fast lens to freeze motion.  That became apparent as soon as we were inside.  We could have continued with our plans to see a couple of IMAX movies at the adjacent theater, but we decided to return all of our admission tickets and “jiggle” our plans instead.  We’ll try to fit the aquarium into our plans on a different day — if not this time, then on a return trip to NOLA.

These are the only two pictures I managed to take before we left the Aquarium; the Banded Coral Shrimp because it wasn’t moving; the Japanese Sea Nettle … well, I just got lucky with that one.

So, off we went for a meandering stroll around the French Quarter instead.  The rain wasn’t much of a threat; our windbreaks kept us dry when it sprinkled a bit and kept us warm when the breeze picked up.

Our first stop was at the National Park Service (NPS) visitor center in the French Quarter.  This visitor center is part of the multi-site Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.  Browsing and reading panels of information is not our forte, but we did find out that the rangers offer a Riverfront History Stroll (daily; 25 tickets given out at 9:00a on a first-come, first-served basis).  Putting the program on our list of things to do after Mui’s sister joins us, we continued our stroll; but not before checking out the St Joseph Altar in the visitor center lobby.

St Joseph Altar

These altars originated in Sicily to thank St Joseph for helping the people survive a serious famine.  According to the sign on the table: “The people prayed to him and soon the drought ended.  They promised to make annual altars and offer food to feast on and distribute food to feed those less fortunate.  … No meat is allowed on the altar, but fish, fruits and vegetables are part of the celebration.  There are elongated baked breads in various shapes, representing different symbolic Catholic shapes.”

The fava bean was the only nourishment that saved the people of the agricultural
region of Sicily where many New Orlenians originated.
No fava beans today; will try again next time we stop by the Visitor center.

By the time we left the NPS visitor center, the rain had gained strength, making our next stop a no-brainer: coffee (hot chocolate for me) and beignets at NOLA’s iconic Café Du Monde.

Café Du Monde bills itself as the original French Market Coffee Stand since 1862.
[photo taken the next evening]

The café is open 24-7, with the exception of Christmas and when “an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans.”  It is best known for its coffee, chicory (a coffee substitute), and beignets — those most-unhealthy, but oh so yummy, square French-style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar.  So yes, our snack break wasn’t the healthiest in the world … but we didn’t want to be tarred-and-feathered, and drummed out of the city, because we neglected to partake of something that has become synonymous with NOLA.  At least that’s my story and I am sticking to it ;-)

From this … to that … there’s no “fastidious” way of eating beignets; you just have to make a mess.

Don’t be taken in by Mui’s “hands-off” stance; we split the order 50/50!

Our next stop was at the NPS New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.  Temporarily located in the old US Mint at the far end of the French Market, the NOJNHP preserves the origins, early history, development, and progression of jazz.  On the third floor of the Mint, the NPS hosts live performances (free) by rangers as well as local musicians.  We lucked into Richard Scott, a former Virginia resident, playing some excellent tunes on the piano.  I have to admit that neither of us is well-versed in either jazz or the blues, but we enjoyed the music nonetheless.  When Mui’s sister joins us, we will likely seek out some jazz bars to hear more of the sounds of NOLA.  We might even catch one of Richard’s performances at Fritzell’s Jazz Pub, where he plays on occasion.

Richard Scott — as he explains the origins of the Royal Garden Blues,
a piece that dates back to 1919.

44 seconds of Richard Scott’s finale — When the Saints Go Marching In.

We left the concert to find a 180-degree shift in the weather — from overcast and drizzly to blue skies and sunshine.  So, we hopped on the Canal Streetcar to get to our next destination.  At $3/person for a day pass, the RTA streetcars are an affordable means of getting around parts of NOLA.

Left: Our ride is on the left, not on the right.
Right: front row seats give us a driver’s-eye view of what’s up ahead.

We got off the streetcar at the end of the line, which happened to be where we were headed: City Park.  Billed as the 6th largest in the US, this urban park is not far from the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

left: city park has the world’s largest collection of mature live oak trees; some 600+ years old.
Right: Geese roam the grounds; but they don’t stop still to cooperate for a photo-op.

Built along the remains of Bayou Metairie, a former tributary of the Mississippi River, the park has plenty of water features.  As well, there is a carousel garden, a botanical garden, and golf courses; and it is also home to the NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art).  Since our time was limited, we decided to stick with exploring only the Besthoff Sculpture Garden (free), which is associated with the NOMA.

Karma (2011) — a brushed stainless steel piece sculpted by Do-Ho-Suh (Korean).

The NOMA website describes the garden as having over 60 sculptures by an international cadre of artists.  Though I wasn’t counting, I probably saw all of them as I meandered the grounds.  (Mui took a break to rest in the sun … he was up at 2:30a to de-capitate and de-vein the shrimp we bought yesterday.)

We Stand Together (2006 — a steel, aluminum, chrome, and polychrome acrylic paint piece
sculpted by George Rodrigue (American); there is a third side that is red.

Many of the sculptures left me scratching my head and wondering what about them was considered art.  Others were thought provoking; and a few were downright whimsical and made me smile.  Our mid-day visit meant I had to juggle angles of view to get photos of some of the pieces that caught my eye; others I gave up photographing entirely.

Too Late for Help (2008) — a metal ladder, steel & fiberglass piece by Leandro Erlich (Argentinean).	Overflow (2005) — a stainless steel piece sculpted by Jaume Plensa (Spanish).

Travelin' Light (1999), a bronze piece sculpted by Alison Saar (American). from the marker nearby: … a thought provoking memorial to victims of terror and violence.  The man, while formally dressed, is presented in a tortuous position; yet he appears brave and resolute, preserving his personal dignity. Saar has made the figure into a bell, inspired by the Japanese temple bells, which are rung in purification rites.  When the chain is pulled on the back, a deep, mournful sound is heard. The title, Travelin' Light, is taken from a popular Billie Holiday song.

I didn’t take pictures of all of the sculptures, but if you would like to see some of the others that I did photograph, visit my online gallery by clicking this link for the City Park & Besthoff photo series.

NOLA has numerous cemeteries and everywhere you look, there are tours that take visitors to see these “Cities of the Dead,” as some describe them.  The locals will have you believe that above-ground vaults came about as a result of the high water-table.  And that such vaults are necessary to keep coffins from floating away when the water rises.  While there’s some truth to that, above-ground burials also have their roots in the traditions of the early French and Spanish settlers.

In many ways, this “City of the Dead” is reminiscent of the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires,
although we find the vaults here to be not nearly as elaborate as the ones there.

We didn’t take a tour, but since it is located in the vicinity of City Park, we decided to check out Saint Louis Cemetery #3 — yes, there is a #1 and a #2 cemetery by the same name as well.  It was originally known as Bayou Cemetery; it is believed that lepers used to be buried here.  In 1848, it was purchased as an extension to the cemeteries of the Saint Louis Cathedral, but it wasn’t until 1854 that it was established as such.

vaults with raised panels that hide the roof are known as Parapet Tombs.

Though Saint Louis Cemetery #3 is primarily Roman Catholic, it also has a Greek Orthodox section.  Today, the cemetery consists of over 10,000 multiple-use burial sites, as well as mausoleums, vaults, family tombs, and society tombs. 

This temple-style tomb is also a Byzantine-style society tomb; Hellenic Orthodox Community.

On the ground in front of several of the vaults we saw a small bronze plate marked “perpetual care.”  These are apparently graves for which families or societies paid 10% extra when purchasing the plot to ensure the site would be taken care of forever.  Mui overheard one of the guides taking a group through the cemetery explain that some of the tombs are being re-sold, and in those cases, the façade with the inscribed names is removed and replaced with a new one.  Recycling is everywhere these days!

I’m struck by the similarity of these three pediment vaults.

Vaults with the dome of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in the background.

Stark contrast between the statue of Mother Teresa and the temple vault.
The pedestal of the statue is inscribed with the following words:
”If you pray, you will have faith.
And if you have faith, you will love.
And if you love, you will serve.  And
If you serve, you will have peace.”

Vault markers range from angels, to crosses, to distinctively Roman statues.

I could have spent hours here, but my feet were telling me otherwise.  Besides, time was getting on, and we had another streetcar ride we wanted to do.  As it turns out, however, rush-hour was in full-swing and the streetcars were simply too crowded to put those plans into action.  With the breeze picking up, it had turned quite chilly as well.  So we called it a day and returned to the Phaeton for a quiet evening at home.  Need to rest up for tomorrow’s sightseeing plans!