After being out until all hours, I didn’t exactly pop awake at the crack of dawn.
Okay, I realize that my idea of being out late is rather tame, when you compare it with other people’s behavior. However, I am not other people!
I managed to make it out of the park and walk about two blocks over to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in time to take a tour. I think I got on the last tour of the day. Am I lucky or what?
There were about twenty people on my tour. At $20 a head, that was quite a haul for an hour’s work! I hope he was well-paid because he gave an interesting tour.
These old cemeteries are frequently called “Cities of the Dead”. I swear that I heard the guide say that Mark Twain was the first one to use that term about the cemeteries in New Orleans, but I haven’t found any attribution on line anywhere. Even if Mark Twain didn’t say it, these old cemeteries do certainly look like small cities.
There are nice neat “houses” surrounded by wrought iron fences.
You almost expect some one to come out, get in their car and drive away.
The really nice looking ones have these plaques on them that indicate that the family has purchased a plan to maintain the tombs.
If the plan wasn’t purchased and there are no family members surviving to keep up the graves, they eventually fall apart.
Our guide brought us to this tomb and said that it was the alleged grave of Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen. Now, I have to admit that I don’t know much about the topic. Actually, I don’t know enough to even say that I don’t know much. I have done a little research on the web since taking the tour, but I still couldn’t tell you anything with confidence.
So, let me share the little bit I picked up from the tour.
He told us that people still came to seek Marie Laveau’s help. Some want to stop smoking, others to quit drinking, other have personal requests. They knock on the tomb and ask her for help. They leave items at the tomb that represent the help they are seeking and walk away.
Now, the first tomb he showed us isn’t the real tomb. I’m not sure why there is a plaque on it that says it is the alleged tomb of Marie Laveau. It may be that it was her daughter’s tomb, who was named Marie Leveau II.
This is the real grave of Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen, at least according to the guide. He said that people would write XXX on the graves as part of a ritual involving getting their wishes granted.
This is all new to me and I had a hard time hearing him over the ambient noise.
The tombs are not all old. This one is awaiting the remains of Nicolas Cage’s family.
The guide told us that these were built by various groups – usually by ethnicity. He pointed out the damage on this tomb and said it was caused during the filming of Easy Rider.
I hate to admit it, but I have never seen Easy Rider. It came out in 1969, and I was far too young to have seen it at that time. After that, it was just an “old movie.” After reading up on the movie, I have to say that I don’t think that it would be my cup of tea.
In researching the movie and such, I came across this photo that ties in with the one I took.
And now time for a little snickering at funny names.
Would you want to be buried in the Poupart family tomb?
It does illustrate that this is an active cemetery with burials still taking place.
Another noteworthy site is The New Orleans Musicians Tomb. Since the 1800’s, it has been uses by the Sacred Union Society and the Barbarin Family. It s now also used as the New Orleans Musician’s Tomb. The first musician buried there was Lloyd Washington from the Ink Spots in 2004.
These plaques are on the back side of the tomb.
Our guide pointed out that the graves had been broken into by thieves looking for anything they could sell, such as gold teeth or jewelry.
Many of the tombs are in need of maintenance and I hope they receive it.
We all paid at the end of the tour. If anyone wants to take a tour with Nate Scott, He would be glad to show you around. (I know this because he gave each of us his business card on the way out.
So, I started walking over toward the neighborhood that was the site for the Tit Rex parade. I walked and snapped photos of things that caught my interest.
Just a little slip of a house tucked into the corner of a lot. Maybe there was a bigger house in front of it at one time.
I passed Armstrong Park with the Mahalia Jackson Theater visible in the background. According to tourist information, it is an interesting park but I didn’t have time for that. I had another parade to get to!
I walked past houses that probably started life as twins.
And I passed a tattoo parlor. I didn’t even consider stopping. I had a destination in mind – a restaurant that Lisa had recommended.
I got a seat in the backroom and ordered a Buffa burger – a half-pound of blackened ground beef, topped with cheddar cheese and sauces of some sort. I don’t know what sauce was on it, but after three treatments with Shout and wash cycles, I almost have the spots out.
There were musicians getting set up, but I left before they began. For one thing, my table was right in front of the speakers. And, I had a parade to get to!
I walked past many houses that really got into the spirit of things. It’s not clear in this photo, but the tree on the left side of the porch is decorated with beer cans.
This guy was apparently heading in the same direction as me, but walking about twice as fast.
This house gave me an idea of what I could do with all those beads I got last night. Understated, yet elegant.
These houses are in Marigny, and you can really see how tiny Bernard de Marigny cut those lots. You’d just about have to go outside to change your mind – and this is doing from a woman who lives in an Airstream!
I found a good spot to wait for the parade. And I waited.
And I waited. Hmm…maybe I should have gotten a wig.
I looked at the buildings nearby. Oh look! A weather vane!
Cute porch!
I reflected that I expected to see a Boy Scout convention, with all the fleur de lis all over town.
Then I realized that I was really tired of waiting. I enjoyed the parades the day before. I decided I had enough. And so I started walking toward the river.
Another round of beignets and cafe au lait was just what the doctor ordered!
It was a sweet ending to my New Orleans adventure.