Why I Love New Orleans

by Heather Graham

  Eventually, the funeral business gave way, as many will. During the years that followed, other interests envisioned the house in many ways. But it wasn’t until it became the Haunted Mortuary—and wonderful and tremendous work went on!—that the gorgeous place was really saved.

  Today, check out the venue when you’re in the city. It’s available for private parties, to film studios—and even for children’s birthday parties.

  But, when Halloween rolls around...

  I promise you, it’s terrifying. Yes, I’m a chicken—but I saw it scare big, grown men. Even big, grown men in law enforcement.

  Oh—just by happenstance, the Haunted Mortuary sits next to an old Jewish cemetery. You can look out the windows and see as the moon shines down on the graves next door.

  I was able to host my party there and it was quite a feeling, standing at the door in Victorian mourning, waiting for our guests to arrive. I was left alone in what was once a “viewing” room; I admit, I kept listening for people in the nearby bar area as we set up for our friends to come.

  Once, in the early states, I had asked a friend who worked in parapsychology more about the ghosts; I loved her answer. They might not all have died at the mortuary, and they might not have been at the mortuary for a viewing. But New Orleans was one of the most haunted cities in the world.

  Bourbon Street was riddled with ghosts.

  It’s kind of like Field of Dreams in her mind.

  If you build it, they will come!

  There must be something. Paranormal research groups from across the country have come here on their expeditions. You can arrange to take tours and learn what spirits remain behind.

  The displays are wonderful. Cobwebs and skeletal beings...and sometimes, you may not be sure if they will or will not move...

  Oh, and there’s a huge marvelous black chair decked out in a most creepy fashion that can also make quite a change.

  When the holidays roll around, Santa visits the Haunted Mortuary.

  What’s black becomes red. Ho, ho, ho!

  Yes, like New Orleans, the Haunted Mortuary can roll with the seasons of life!

  Visit and see! Their website is hauntedmortuary.com!

  Day Seven - Mardi Gras World

  New Orleans, is, of course, world famous for its Mardi Gras celebration.

  And Mardi Gras is one of those occasions that’s absolutely amazing. It’s other things, too, of course. Wild, whacky, fun...and the city becomes incredibly expensive and crowded and busy. The best way to see Mardi Gras is from a float, but then, everyone can’t afford a float and come up with the king and the queen and the court and the costumes and price and all that goes with it.

  We’ve all heard that people “flash” for beads to be thrown to them from the floats. I’ve never quite gotten this concept since anyone can buy a massive bag of beads for almost nothing, but...hey, catching them is part of the fun. Young people will flash and throng the streets and it’s crazy.

  Mardi Gras originated in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A Catholic society gave up eating meat for the period of Lent and thus the day before giving up meat first became known as “boeuf gras,” or “fatted calf.” That meant, kiddies, get it all in before you have to give it all up. Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, so Mardi Gras became the celebration before Ash Wednesday.

  Rio celebrates massively, and “Carnivale” in Venice is equally huge. Trinidadians get really carried away, too. But New Orleans is our biggest and best event in the United States. Well, of course!

  It was on March 2, 1699, when the French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville made his way to a little spit of earth that was about 60 miles south of New Orleans. He named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" –because he and his men figured out that they had come to the area right when Mardi Gras and Lent were upon them. So tradition goes back—way back! (If you’re in the Quarter, you will find yourself on Bienville Street at some time; the great man will not be forgotten!)

  And the people were French, for God’s sake! They had their customs. And they had, and still have, an amazing flair for beautiful things.

  This wonderful custom has come down through the ages. At first, balls happened—which eventually became the grand balls of today. Then “Rex” headed a parade down the street with a real bull.

  If you do come for Mardi Gras, a great thing to do is plan well ahead of time and rent a balcony on Bourbon Street—you’ll be high above the crowd, watching and enjoying. (Have to admit here; it’s not always a good time to be on the street. Some people party a little too hearty and there’s sometimes a fair amount left on the streets by those who over-imbibed and became nauseated. Yep, throw up, guys!)

  But, hey! You may not mind to be part of the revelry!

  Now we all know that Mardi Gras itself happens only once a year. And New Orleans is a great place to visit year round. Yes, summer is hot. But since I’m from Miami, it’s not like it really bothers me. And, hey, I’ve been in New York and Virginia in the summer on days when the heat soared higher than it did down further south.

  But weather is not the point. Nor is an exact date. In fact, the point is that we’re looking at a venue where one can go at any time.

  You can “see” something of Mardi Gras all year round.

  That’s because of Mardi Gras World.

  Artists have always amazed me, probably because I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. What they can create is mind-boggling. Truly, there is little quite so spectacular on that plain than the floats that are created for the Mardi Gras parades—unless it’s the costumes worn.

  Since 1947, the Blaine Kern Studios have been producing the amazing floats you see in the Mardi Gras parades. Mardi Gras World affords everyone a glace at what goes on to create the fantastic floats in a venue that is beautiful, artistic — incredible!

  At Mardi Gras World, you can see old floats and new. You can see the artistry that goes into the creation of the floats. Themes abound and you can learn more about the history of the floats themselves, the parade, and Mardi Gras.

  They have a shuttle that runs around the city on appointed rounds to bring people to and from the city and if you’re anywhere fairly central, it’s an easy hop over.

  From the detailed to the massive, you can see the work of the artists who create the magic of a Mardi Gras parade. You can be beneath a “star-lit” sky and feel that you’re part of a fantasy world.

  You almost feel as if you’ve been to Mardi Gras! (But then again, remember, there are parades in many of the parishes and cities surrounding NOLA, and if you do happen to be there for Mardi Gras, don’t miss “Barkus!” For my animal loving friends, that’s a dog parade and it occurs a day or so before the big parades. Pure fun!)

  But again, no matter what the season, you can—and should!—visit Mardi Gras World.

  There’s something new there, too, that just opened in 2012. The Café. It sits right on the river and serves up local specialties at very reasonable prices. You can see the specialized fantasy created by man and then the fantastic created by mother nature—the “Big Muddy” or the “Mighty Mississippi” as you enjoy a cocktail or red beans and rice, jambalaya, or gumbo or many other entrees.

  Just watching the river, with Mardi Gras World in the background, is a true New Orleans experience.

  If you go...their shuttle stops at 20 different places in and around the Quarter and downtown and runs a continual loop. The official address is 1380 Port of New Orleans Place. You’re not far from the Quarter; they are located down at the end of Henderson Street in the Central Business District.

  Day Eight - The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

  For me, diving is one on the greatest experiences I’ve ever enjoyed. And, as a diver, I tend to love the oceans and all things sea life. New Orleans does offer one of the most wonderful aquariums I’ve ever seen.

  It’s easy to get to. It’s right on Canal Street at the Mississippi River. Seriously, head toward the
river while you’re on Canal and you can’t miss it.

  The aquarium was hard hit when Katrina went through the city; a generator went down that caused it to lose a great deal of its marine life. I was lucky to be in town for the grand reopening in 2006 and it was quite an experience to be there. The place was thronged, of course, and still, all were in great spirits and ready to ooh and aah about the fantastic work that had been done to bring it back.

  The exhibits concentrate on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean but you never really know what you’re going to see. One special exhibit that held me rather spellbound was one that I normally might have shrugged over—it was on jellyfish. As a diver, I’m not all that fond of jellyfish. They sting like a son-of-a-gun and hurt like hell. But watching them through the glass was like seeing something out of a fantasy novel-turned-movie. They were really beautiful.

  There are over five hundred specimens of marine life to be found here.

  There’s a tunnel you can walk through that makes it feel like you’re diving while you remain perfectly dry. It takes you through a Caribbean reef. You can view rays—animals I do love!—and angelfish and all kinds of great creatures that you would see if you were diving or snorkeling in the Caribbean. Sources tell me that the tank is 132,000 gallons.

  They say that water is soothing; many people believe that having an aquarium in a doctor’s office is calming for patients as they wait. Naturally, being in the water with a killer creature might not be calming, but watching them from the safety of an acrylic dome is pretty cool. I’m a Pisces, so maybe there’s something true in the horoscope, because I do love water. But if you even like the water, sea creatures, or coming close to other habitats, you can’t help but love the aquarium!

  Besides the reef, you can see a Mississippi River and Delta exhibit with catfish, gar, turtles—and a white alligator. If you’re not going to make it out to a bayou, this is the next best thing. Better, maybe. These creatures are not lurking in the depths; they’re there for you to see. No bug bites here. Now, I’m from Florida, so it’s not as if I haven’t seen a number of alligators—even white ones. But I especially enjoy this exhibit, maybe because it does feel a little bit like home.

  Something of great interest to those who want to know more about our ecosystems and the working of an oilrig is the exhibit with—an oil rig. It's a replica off-shore oil rig complete with all the marine life that would swim around an oil rig out in the Gulf. You see sharks, tarpon, stingrays, turtles and more and get something of an idea of what being out on a rig would be like.

  Want to get up close and personal with a piranha? Hm. Well, I don’t, not really—but I do enjoy seeing them in the aquarium’s Amazon Rainforest exhibit! You can get a real sense of where they live and what it’s like in an Amazon rainforest. There are macaws, too, squawking away, along with a seriously big anaconda and other animals.

  Seriously, there are so many exhibits! And all of them really nicely set out so that walking through, you find interest in things you didn’t know you were interested in!

  Want to know more and enjoy movies? Naturally, they have an IMAX theater offering all kinds of intriguing fare throughout the day on the world of water and the beings that reside in it, around it, or because of it! (The screen is five and a half stories high.)

  The aquarium is naturally far more than kid friendly. Tiny to teenage, they can find entertainment at the aquarium. There’s an Adventure Island for little ones—hey, it’s NOLA. They can explore a pirate ship. There’s also a touch-pool for the kid in all of us with friendly rays, so I say take a look at Adventure Island with or without a kid as an excuse. I’ve been here with my little nephews and I’ve loved seeing everything through their eyes. With or without little ones, it’s simply a great aquarium.

  Sea otters! Lord, sea otters! I love them—they’re as cute as they can be. No, I have not tried to steal one. But are they fun to watch!

  Penguins? Yes, they’ve got them!

  Hungry? Naturally, they have a food court with different offerings. Want a party? That can be arranged.

  Want to really, really explore and spend a whole bunch of time there? Ah, but you’re with someone who isn’t quite as fish-crazy as you are.

  No problem. A short distance away is Harrah’s Casino. I tremble to admit that the bright lights have lured me a few times, but, say your friend isn’t a gambler. He/she can head to the nearby Shops of Canal Place.

  Maybe your friends are bug maniacs. Even if not, nearby is the Audubon Insectarium. It’s an award-winning entomology museum and you can see things that creep and crawl, fly, bite, sting, slither—and help keep our ecology on track! You can find the Audubon Insectarium very close—at 423 Canal Street—in part of the old U.S. Custom House. (Circa 1881) All kinds of insects can be found here and—if you’ve the mind!—you can even learn about insect cuisine from a specialized chef!

  I happen to be a little more partial to sea creatures, but you’ll be surprised just what you can learn about insects here. I highly recommend both for those traveling with children—and for those who simply love sea creatures and river beings, etc., and/or—bugs!

  Day Nine - Food! Glorious Food!

  New Orleans is a city known for its cuisine. If I were to blog for three hundred days instead of thirty, I couldn’t possibly get to all the wonderful places you can go to eat in this culinary city. So, to write this today, I’ve thought about my favorite places and asked friends and family to give me their spots of absolute culinary delight. You may have favorite places that I won’t get to, so, please, let me know when I’ve missed an absolute must!

  Sometimes, I must admit, I personally have a little trouble making sure I don’t order food that’s too spicy for me in New Orleans. (My parents were Scottish and Irish; pizza was this rare and tasty treat in our house and I think I was seventeen when that arrived on the home table!) But if you have such a tender palette too, I will give you fair warning—be careful and ask for mild offerings. If you’re into spicy, eating in NOLA will be close to heaven.

  Connie’s husband, Al, once told me that a gumbo was mild. My mouth was still on fire the next morning!

  Most of the world, however, can handle spice better than I.

  And because the city is really huge and there are so, so, so many restaurants to choose from, I’m going to stay in the French Quarter—all easy walking distance from anywhere in the French Quarter—except for my last.

  We’ve already touched on the subject of Café du Monde; that’s for café au lait and beignets and people watching. And I’ve mentioned the hamburgers and to die for potatoes at Port of Call.

  So here, I’ll start with K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. (416 Chartres Street)

  The master behind the restaurant is Paul Prudhomme who became famous—even among the already famous chefs of the world.

  I’ve been lucky enough to talk with him several times at the restaurant. He is a charming and gracious man. The restaurant can get really crazy, so it’s best to call ahead for a reservation; if you don’t, you can try dining early or late. Paul Prudhomme is really responsible for introducing the concept of “blackened” food to a large portion of the world.

  The menu changes constantly and yet some dishes you’ll find frequently enough. What is done there with shrimp and grits should be part of the dining delight of heaven. His chefs prepare equally wonderful tenderloin; crawfish, naturally. (Crawfish etouffee, oh yes!) For dessert, you have to try the bread pudding. Okay, just kidding; you don’t have to. I happen to love bread pudding. I also love the way that cute little food caricatures tell you about different recipes on the walls.

  Chef Paul Prudhomme was the youngest of thirteen children—imagine! He learned to cook with his mom, and I figure she must have spent a lot of time in the kitchen. I raised five children and feeding that much smaller number was a daily challenge. She taught him about fresh ingredients, and he holds to the freshest ingredients to this day. He’s acknowledged by culinary experts as being THE man
to bring the distinctive cuisine of his native home to the American people; you can his wonderful spices on line and in specialty shops around the country. (Professional and amateur gourmets in all fifty states and twenty-five other countries treasure his offerings!) He has taught us all about gumbo and tasso and Andouille sausage and so much more! The restaurant is pleasant, there’s a courtyard, the staff is friendly—and it’s really a great experience all way round. I love coming here. It was also a privilege meeting him; he was a lovely man.

  Next up, to me, is Mr. B’s. (201 Royal Street) Mr. B’s has a salad I really love, great gumbo, fresh bread, delights that are local, some spicy, some not. They’re open for lunch and can get very crowded so again, reservations are suggested but I’ve walked in off the street many a time. It’s busy, bustling, and delicious. It’s right across the street from the Hotel Monteleone, convenient and easy when we’re putting on Writers. They serve up a bloody Mary that will shock you to life and also whip up a blood orange Margarita that is fresh and delicious. Somehow, in NOLA, the coffee is always the best to me. There’s a jazz brunch on Sundays, which is always entertaining.

  Quick and tasty and right on Decatur Street (near Jackson Square, the river, mule-driven carriages and more) is Tujague’s (823 Decatur Street.) The restaurant claims to be the second oldest in the city and has been serving up Creole food since 1856. Guillaume Tujague came to America from France in 1852 and began by serving breakfast. The building itself was once a Spanish armory. Easy, pleasant, a nice taste of the city, and reasonable in price.

  Another fun restaurant is Maspero’s (440 Chartres Street.) The building was erected in 1788. It was a coffee house where the famous met at one time, including the Lafitte brothers and Andrew Jackson—before the Battle of New Orleans. Living history, once again. There’s a nice casual air here as the staff serves up Cajun cuisine.