Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit the southern United States, becoming one of the most destructive hurricanes in the country's history. It claimed the lives of more than one and a half thousand people, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana, was hit the hardest. As a result of the natural disaster, more than 80% of its territory was under water, and most residents left. Despite the fact that a significant part of the city was restored over 10 years, some areas still bear the mark of the tragedy. RT correspondent Simone del Rosario visited New Orleans.
Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina - one of the most destructive in history - devastated a large area in the south of the country. New Orleans took the brunt of the attack - more than 80% of the city was under water. Then a natural disaster forced almost all residents to leave the village.
And although 10 years later many areas have been almost completely restored, there are also those where much remains to be done. This is most true in the Lower 9th Arrondissement. Before Hurricane Katrina, the area was 99% African American and had the city's highest homeownership rate. All its residents were forced to leave. Water from the streets of this area was the last to be pumped out. Today, only 40% of families have returned to their homes.
A dam built on an industrial canal allowed most of the storm's water to flow into the Lower 9th Ward. Powerful floods swept some houses off their foundations and moved them several blocks away. And yet the area is gradually recovering.
Arthur Johnson works at the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. His organization plays a key role in rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward. However, some would prefer not to rebuild the area at all. Outside experts said the area would be better served as green space - a park or wetlands - while neglecting the thousands of families who have lived here for generations. What difference does it make - they will still be flooded. But those who remain in the Lower 9th arrondissement are ready to stand until the end.
"We won't let them take our homes, our heritage, our culture - it's like ripping our heart out of our chest and saying, 'It's okay, just move,'" Arthur says.
Restoring the Lower 9th Ward is not an easy task - work is progressing more slowly than in other parts of the city. Previously there were seven schools here, now there is only one. The nearest grocery store is several miles away.
“We don't just work and overcome challenges to make our community the same as it was before Katrina, we want to make it even better,” says Arthur Johnson.
There are fewer old-timers here, but many young people who came to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as volunteers fell in love with the city and decided to stay.
The most “European” city in America. Founded by the French, it was ruled by the Spanish for several decades. The city of New Orleans boasts local Creole cuisine and ethnic culture. The many Spanish and French style homes create a unique charm.
Story
New Orleans, due to its favorable location, quickly became a major center of trade. The Mississippi River has been an important transportation stream for the country for several centuries. The port of New Orleans is one of the largest in the United States. New Orleans was the first place black slaves brought from the African continent saw in the new country.
Most of the city's residents are descendants of Spanish and French settlers. But during its rapid growth, New Orleans was flooded with Italians, Irish, Germans, and Greeks. Thousands of Haitian immigrants have swelled the population in the last century.
French and Spanish
At the end of the 17th century, the first settlers appeared at the mouth of the Mississippi. Robert Cavelier de la Salle, who led the French group, declared this territory the property of his country and named it Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV. The first French colony settled here at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the founding date of New Orleans is recognized as May 7, 1718. The founder of the city is Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, a Canadian. The name New Orleans is given in honor of Philip II, Prince of Orleans - the French regent.
The bulk of the first settlers were convicts exiled to Louisiana to develop new lands and not distinguished by high moral qualities. In addition, the slave trade flourished here for many years, but the blacks living in the city were mostly free.
The French were unhappy with the profits from these lands. In 1762 they transferred them to their ally in the war with England. The Spanish controlled Louisiana until 1800. Then the French became the owners again, and in 1803 they sold it to the United States for $15 million.
American New Orleans
In the middle of the 19th century, the city had a population of 100 thousand people and was one of the largest in the country. In the Civil War, Louisiana took the side of the Confederates, but a year later it already belonged to Lincoln supporters.
The beginning of the twentieth century was marked by the discovery of oil reserves, which, together with the development of transport roads, gave a new impetus to the rapid development of New Orleans.
By the end of the twentieth century, the city achieved great success in shipbuilding and the aerospace industry, and became a major tourist center.
Modern New Orleans
The spirit of France still hovers over the picturesque areas of the city. New Orleans today is called the “Paris of the New World.” In the old part of the city many ancient buildings have been preserved. It was called the "French Quarter". New Orleans is shrouded in legends and traditions, especially the Saint-Louis Cemetery, which is an architectural monument. According to one of them, the queen of the Voodoo tribe, Marie Laveau, is buried here, so walking around it alone is strongly not recommended.
New Orleans today has a central street called Bourbon Street, located in the French Quarter. It houses the best restaurants and cafes, numerous shops and souvenir shops.
Of the modern buildings, the most famous is the 38.5 km long bridge across Lake Pontchartrain. The new city also has something to see: a zoo, Audubon Park, the Picturesque Quarters of Saint-Charles and Warehouse, business districts with unique glass office buildings. You can also visit the art museum and the museum where they always hold interesting exhibitions.
Attractions
Each quarter of the city is a kind of island with a unique culture and a concentration of important historical monuments.
For example, Jackson Square. Next to it is the Saint-Louis Cathedral - an impressive religious building in an original architectural style, with interesting interior decoration. Nearby is the French Market, where you can buy anything. New Orleans attractions such as the Mint Museum and the World War II Museum will present interesting collections of artifacts.
Art connoisseurs will be able to enjoy the works of young sculptors, artists, and photographers at the Modern Arts Center.
The sights of New Orleans, located in the town of Shalmitte, are also very interesting. This is where General Andrew Jackson fought for the city in 1815. In addition, many gardens and parks, natural reserves attract tourists.
New Orlan tests
Nature regularly tests the strength of spirit of city residents. In the 18th century, fires, in the 19th century, cholera, leprosy, smallpox, and in the 20th century, hurricanes claimed many lives and caused serious damage. But what happened in 2005 brought immeasurable grief to New Orleans. Flooding as a result of a dam failure due to Hurricane Katrina inundated the city, power supply and telephone communications were disrupted. Thousands of residents were evacuated to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
The city suffered greatly from the consequences of the flood and the devastating hurricane. The Americans helped restore buildings and infrastructure both by transferring funds and by working directly at the sites. Thanks to the help of the country's population, the history of New Orleans continues, and the city can once again appear in all its glory to tourists.
- The New Orleans streetcar is the oldest in the country.
- The city's bars are open 24 hours a day.
- New Orleans on the map is located in the bend of the Mississippi, so it received the nickname “Crescent City”.
- Popular American actress Reese Witherspoon was born here.
- New Orleans is the hometown of Louis Armstrong. In the mid-twentieth century, the musician was elected king of Mardi Gras. And today the city’s international airport is named after him.
Music in New Orleans
In the city of jazz, melodies always flow from everywhere. In the past, music in New Orleans brought the white and black populations very close together. Various styles and trends are common here, including blues, zydeco with a touch of French melodies.
Every spring, New Orleans hosts a jazz festival that lasts several days and provides the opportunity for numerous musicians to perform on stage. Since its inception (1970), this music event has attracted thousands of music lovers.
You can learn about the history of the development of jazz and listen to it in the National Park.
The famous parade attracts visitors from all over the world to New Orleans. Mardi Gras is a grandiose spectacle that lasts two weeks and is the oldest tradition and calling card of the city.
Carnival
It is rather a parade of decorated floats on horse-drawn carts. Each element of this picturesque procession is dedicated to entertainment: cards, drinks, women, etc. The parade looks very colorful, and participants in the procession throw small trinkets into the jubilant crowd of spectators - such as beads, coins, plastic rosaries, soft toys, aluminum medallions with holiday symbols. These little things often become collectibles.
The participant's costume must include three colors: gold - a symbol of strength, red - a symbol of justice, green - These shades have accompanied the festival for more than a hundred years.
Spectators, in order to receive a gift, attract the attention of parade participants in all possible ways - they lift up their skirts and T-shirts, showing off their bodies. These days, New Orleans is called a city gone crazy - "crazy town."
The final stage of the procession is the election of the royal couple of the carnival. Rejoicing, fueled by alcohol and general accessibility, reigns throughout the evening and night. On other days, drinking alcohol and engaging in sexual activities are strictly punishable. But the parade is friendly, with no obscenities or fighting. Smoking, drinking and participating in the carnival at night is allowed from 21 years of age. Therefore, young people are often asked to present it, especially in bars.
Cuisine, restaurants and cafes
New Orleans is a godsend for tourists with gastronomic preferences. More than a thousand cafes, restaurants and bars operate in the city. The most visited establishment is the GW Fins restaurant with seafood cuisine. The menu changes daily and is based on the chef's morning purchases at the market. Specialties include crab fillet cutlets and oysters baked in the oven.
The budget restaurant Southern Candymakers brings together families with children, for whom a separate menu has been created. The establishment is distinguished by the friendliness of its staff and the most delicious pralines in the city.
To organize a celebration, there can be no better place than a luxurious restaurant located in a beautiful palace. The main part of the menu is represented by national cuisine and gourmet delicacies.
The Boucherie restaurant offers visitors a large assortment. Its menu includes meat dishes, traditional French fries, fresh sandwiches, and many desserts.
The Italian restaurant Vincent's Italian Cuisine shocks its guests with the huge size of the portions, so it is appropriate to order one dish for two. The signature treat is spaghetti with various sauces and crab soup.
Angelo Brocato Ice Cream is a colorful cafe for lovers of ice cream and pastries. And a delicious Italian dessert for every taste can satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth. The cozy cafe attracts guests with fresh buns and croissants, refreshing fruit ice, and ice cream with various toppings.
- Excursionists are recommended to travel on foot, as tourist sites are located within walking distance of one another. The quality of the roads is not always ideal, so it is better to avoid heels.
- The local tram will help travelers with limited time see the sights and the most significant streets of the city. The trip will cost 1.3 dollars.
- In addition to the tram, inexpensive transport is available almost 24 hours a day. On weekends he goes a little less often. Tickets can be purchased from the driver or at kiosks.
- At the rental center you can rent a car, the cost of which depends on the brand. To register, you will need a passport, international driving license, and a credit card with the required deposit amount.
- Tourists should not forget to be careful. In the evening you can only walk along the central streets of the city. It is better to wander into remote areas accompanied by a guide. Large cash and valuables should not be taken with you on a walk unless absolutely necessary.
- All payments are made by credit card; all shopping centers, supermarkets, boutiques, hotels, large restaurants and gas stations accept it. Cash will be needed for those who intend to visit markets, small shops on the outskirts and budget restaurants.
- Motorists are likely to get stuck in traffic jams during the daytime. It is better to use the tram or ferry, which runs every 15 minutes.
- The most profitable way to pay for services and purchases is the national currency, which can be exchanged at any banks or private exchange offices. When making a transaction, you need to clarify the exchange rate and the amount of commission charged. It can vary greatly at different exchange offices.
16:33
The Secret Life of New Orleans. Part III
La douleur passe, la beauté reste (c) Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Legends of New Orleans
In this part about the legends of New Orleans, we will not stick to one topic, but will tell all the stories that have accumulated. Let's start, of course, with cemeteries.
Despite the fact that it was born earlier than many European city cemeteries, it was still not the first burial place for citizens. Its predecessor was the churchyard of St. Petra.
If we look at the map, we will see that in the old days they tried to bury them near the dam. At that time it was the highest place in the city. But with each flood, the coffins were washed into the city, which did not make the residents particularly happy.
Burials have been carried out there since 1721 (1723 or 1725 - according to other sources) to 1800. It was an ordinary cemetery (that is, they were buried directly in the ground). When the cemetery exhausted its resources, Saint-Louis No. 1 took over. Particularly significant burials were moved to a new location, but most of the remains are still hidden in the bowels of the French Quarter. Here and there, traces of the disappeared cemetery of St. are periodically found. Petra. The last time a local resident came across it was in 2010. Vincent Marcello decided to build a swimming pool in his backyard and wisely called an archaeologist. In the process of digging the pit, 15 coffins were brought to light. Another similar incident occurred in the 80s. Also during construction. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify all the remains found due to the burnt church records.
It should be noted that the cemetery of St. Petra is New Orleans' first cemetery outside the city limits. It was used very actively. The turning point was 1787-1788, when a host of diseases hit the city: plague, smallpox and malaria, and it all ended with a fire and a hurricane. After the epidemics, the cemetery was so overcrowded that bones simply stuck out of the ground. Subsequent events left no choice: it was urgent to open a new burial place. The era of Saint-Louis No. 1 has arrived. At first, only the poor were buried there in unmarked graves. Then it was decided to develop the territory. Therefore, it is believed that under the tombs of Saint-Louis lies a layer of bones a meter thick.
Our next stop will be the Odd Fellows Cemetery, founded in 1847 by the secret Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The opening of the necropolis was extravagant, for it was attended by two circus carts. There are no specific legends about the cemetery. There is only talk that the place is acting up.
Who said progress is good? For some, of course, it’s good. And for some, progress might even put them in a noose. It is not for nothing that the British, the pioneers of industrial progress, became notorious conservatives. Progress came to them with machines and mass production, and artisans, master magicians, who learned their crafts almost from the cradle, went around the world. They were once respected members of guilds, fellows in English, and progress has turned many of them into odd fellows - into extra members of guilds. The English language is great and has many faces. The way it is structured is that odd fellows are both extra artisans and... eccentrics. Yes Yes. They are eccentric simpletons, not of this world. Perhaps the point here is that only eccentrics could master complex crafts during the triumph of progress. So, these useless poor eccentrics created their own order of mutual aid at the beginning of the eighteenth century. And so that all sorts of fiscals, clerics and simply dashing people would not interfere with the order, they established rules for themselves, like those of powerful Masons - with sacraments, with initiation rituals, with mystical symbols and pompous paraphernalia. They did not waste time on inventing their own designations for their organizations with their leaders, but without hesitation they stole them from the same Masons. Or maybe they didn’t get into trouble. Perhaps it was the ubiquitous Masons who stood at the origins of the new order. Be that as it may, the newly-minted secret organizations also began to be called lodges with their own masters and grandmasters. Usoltsev "Taimyr Hermitage"
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded by Thomas Wilde and four other Odd Fellows from England in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 26, 1819.
The group claims to be the largest international fraternal order, with twenty-two thousand lodges and fraternity members numbering in the millions. The Order has lodges in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Mexico, South America, Finland, the Panama Canal Zone, France, Canada, the United States, Cuba and the Hawaiian Islands.
The tasks and responsibilities of the Order of Eccentrics include:
- Visit the sick
- Comfort those suffering
- Bury the dead
- Provide education to orphans.
Three basic principles of brotherhood: Friendship, Love and Truth. It strives to “make good people even better citizens, fathers, sons, husbands and brothers.” Here is the Jackass motto: “We strive to elevate and improve the character of man.” There are sixty orphanages and nursing homes owned by the Order of Odd Fellows throughout the United States and Canada.
The Order of Odd Fellows was the first fraternity to recognize a female addition to the order, the Order of the Daughters of Rebecca or simply Rebecca. As stated on their official website: “Our Sisters of the Order of Rebecca are a vital and integral part of the Brotherhood of Odd Fellows. They work shoulder to shoulder with the Brothers, putting into practice the principles and fulfilling the duties of our Fraternity.”
There are also Junior Odd Lodges for boys and Theta Rho, clubs for girls ages twelve to twenty-one. Famous Oddballs included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chief Justice Earl Warren, William Jennings Bryan, Governor Goodwin J. Knight, President Warren G. Harding, and Vice President Schuyler Colfax.
One of the most haunted places in New Orleans is the Superdome.
Mercedes-Benz Superdome(also known as the Louisiana Superdome, the Superdome, the Dome, and the New Orleans Superdome) is an indoor stadium located in New Orleans. The stadium can host American football, soccer, baseball and basketball matches.
It was here that the remaining townspeople lived in the city after Hurricane Katrina.
This area was once home to a Protestant church. Giraud Street Cemetery. It was opened in 1822 and existed until 1957. Then it was decided that the necropolis had fallen into disrepair and could be liquidated. The remains were removed from January to March. The bones of white citizens were reburied in Hope Mausoleum, and the bones of black citizens were reburied in Providence Memorial Park. But in 1971, during renovation work on the territory of the stadium complex, it was discovered that some of the remains were not claimed by relatives. The workers at first thought they had found a crime scene, but checking the maps reminded them of a missing cemetery.
Legends about ghostly figures in the stadium have long circulated (and, it should be noted, continue to circulate). Team players died prematurely almost during the game. But according to local historians, the stadium is not located in a cemetery. But his garage and the neighboring shopping center are very much so. But the opinions of scientists have little influence on urban folklore.
It is interesting that, according to one version, it was in the Giraud cemetery that Marie Laveau (or mother or daughter) was buried. And it must be said that this version has a right to life, since the percentage of African Americans in this cemetery was quite high. Moreover, there were crypts on it that belonged to entire societies like the “Association of Former Slaves” and so on.
Continuing the theme of magic, it is worth remembering Marie Oneida Toups.
When we talk about New Orleans Voodoo, we remember Marie Laveau. But she was not the only prominent practitioner of witchcraft in this truly unique place. Another of the most powerful witches of New Orleans is Mary Oneida Toups. She was the founder of a powerful coven (or coven) officially recognized by the state of Louisiana as an official "church" for the first time in history, and still existing in New Orleans to this day.
Oneida was immersed in the study of the occult and esoteric movements. When a circle of followers formed around her, she called her coven “Scribes.” What distinguished her and her followers was their openness. Marie believed that everything should be tried out from personal experience and not be afraid. If it was necessary to summon the demon of Goetia, then she was certainly ready to do it, perceiving any experience as the next stage of her own training.
In 1971, Oneida opened its store, which became the first store of its kind to not only sell various ingredients and tools for witchcraft practitioners, but also became a base for holding all kinds of meetings and seminars.
On February 2, 1972, she officially opened the Society of Witchcraft, whose membership cost $100 per year. A great many applications were received and the circle of followers increased greatly.
By this time, Oneida's personal practice had evolved to include the ritual and ceremonial practices of Western and Jewish traditions (kaballah). Marie was an expert in the works of the Golden Dawn, Crowley, and John Dee's Enochian magic.
Like all Queens of New Orleans, Marie loved to perform her rituals in public places. She was especially attracted to Central Park and the Poppa Fountain located there. At first she came to this fountain alone and meditated there for a long time. Surrounded by a low wall, the fountain was a perfect circle, and the empty night park around made it possible for the Sabbath to carry out its rituals unhindered for many years. After the hurricane, the fountain was in poor condition, but with a certain desolate charm. Now it has been ennobled and weddings are often held near it.
In 1975, Oneida published her first and only book entitled “Magick, High and Low,” which collected all her work in various areas of esotericism and occultism.
Oneida died in 1981. For stomach cancer. Where her remains are buried remains a mystery. Some believe that she was buried in her homeland - in Mississippi, others in New Orleans. © Jitana Palo monte
There was talk that the ashes remained with the followers of the white queen. If you believe Marie's quotes, then she herself wanted to rest on Saint-Louis No. 1. So urban legends say that you can meet the ghost of a witch there.
St. Louis Cathedral
This is the third cathedral on this site. The first temple was destroyed by a hurricane in 1722, the second was destroyed by fire in 1788. The current building was built in 1794, and acquired its final appearance by 1851.
In the March fire of 1788, many people died. And it was they who became the first ghostly inhabitants of the future cathedral.
The ghost of Father Antoine.
Father Antoine (in the world Antonio de Cedella) was a controversial figure. After his death on January 18, 1829, all of New Orleans went into mourning and believed that Antoine was a modern-day saint. But there were also those who remembered the monk’s fanaticism. So during his first years on Louisiana soil, he desperately fought for the creation of a local department of the Inquisition.
Father Antoine lived on Rue Dauphine in a wooden hut that he built himself. Date palm trees were planted near the house, under which Antoine liked to sit on a stool, listening to confessions from visitors. Every day he visited the sick, regardless of the weather and religion of the sufferer. Legends began to appear that during one of the yellow fever epidemics, Father Antoine did not sleep for several weeks, conducting funeral services and burying the dead.
It was this holy father who baptized Marie Laveau and many of her children. He was also LaLaurie’s confessor.
When Antoine died, not a trace remained of his hut - even a small chip began to be considered a sacred relic. History (like urban legends) is silent about what happened to the date trees.
The man was so active that even after his death he could not retire, and his ghostly figure can still be seen on the morning streets of the French Quarter. Local residents even believe that they can always call him for help.
One woman was in a hurry to run errands. It was a rainy day and she was wearing high heels. Naturally she tripped and began to fall. She was picked up by a man in a black robe. When the woman turned to thank the man, she found no one. In her opinion, it was Father Antoine.
He can often be seen at masses in the cathedral. He will sit in a secluded corner.
A portrait of the holy father hangs in the vestibule of the cathedral.
-Legendary Holy Father Dagobert-
Father Dagobert was the complete opposite of Antoine in character. A cheerful man who loves to eat and drink well. But his contribution to the life of the city and parishioners is enormous. Moreover, the holy father was a very brave man.
In 1764, New Orleans was transferred to Spain, which caused great indignation and disagreement among the French nobles. The French monarchy did not support its colonists. Then respected people from noble families decided to organize an uprising. The fightback was so effective that the first Spanish governor (who hated New Orleanians) fled to Havana in 1766. In response, Spain sent a fleet of 24 ships to quell the unrest. The numerical superiority was obvious. On October 24, 1769, five leaders of the uprising were executed. Appeals from citizens and the intercession of church leaders did not help. The commander of the Spanish fleet, Alexander O'Reilly (Irish by nationality), refused to bury the bodies of the families of those executed. Dagobert twice asked to give him the remains, but was refused. At his last visit, O'Reilly said that he would shoot the priest if he made such a request again .
Then something happened that can be considered a legend. Or a story, the details of which we will never know.
Father Dagobert comes to visit the houses of the murdered rebels and calls their grieving relatives to the Cathedral of Saint-Louis. When they arrive at the place, they discover the dead bodies of their relatives. Dagobert celebrated the funeral mass and escorted the bodies to the cemetery of St. Petra (sometimes referred to as Saint-Louis 1), where they were secretly buried in unmarked graves.
When O'Reilly found out about what had happened, he himself went to interrogate the guards. They said that the night was quiet. But suddenly a thick fog began to appear. After some time, they saw Father Dagobert, who began to sing Kyrie. The guards did not find anything suspicious about this They noticed. The priest simply came to read at least some kind of prayer over the remains. When he left, to the horror of the guards, it was discovered that the bodies of the criminals had disappeared.
According to legend, Father Dagobert still sings Kyrie at night in front of the altar of the Cathedral of St. Louis. Sometimes at night you can see a light in the windows of an empty church, as if someone is walking around the corridors.
It is said that the ghost of a priest rarely appears alone. Usually, several more ghostly figures can be distinguished with him... Those same murdered men whose physical shells Dagobert once helped.
By the way, it was Antoine who took Dagobert’s place in the service of the parish.
Both priests are most likely buried under the altar of the cathedral. There is no place for them in the diagram below, but you can see where the graves are located in the room:
-Ghost in the Bell Tower-
Benjamin Henry Latrobe- American architect and engineer; born in Fulneck (Great Britain) on May 1, 1764. He studied in Silesia and Saxony, and in 1786 he returned to England and began architectural practice. In 1795, after the death of his wife, Latrobe left for the USA. Among his friends were the most famous people of that time, including President T. Jefferson, who in 1803 appointed him inspector of public buildings in Washington and instructed him to complete the reconstruction of the US Congress building, the Capitol, which was burned by the British in 1814. Latrobe also designed St. John's Church, Dickatur House in Lafayette Square, and a number of other buildings in Washington.
Among his creations, it is worth highlighting the cathedral in Baltimore, which became the first Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States.
In 1819, Latrobe received an order to build the church tower-bell tower of Saint-Louis. At the same time, the New Orleans City Council commissions watchmaker Jean Delashaux to select a clock for the tower. He goes to Paris, where he buys a beautiful bronze bell (cast in a factory that supplies bells to Notre Dame itself).
At home, Father Antoine illuminates the bell, giving it the feminine name Victoria.
Latrobe did not live to see the completion of construction, dying of yellow fever on September 3, 1820. It was at his funeral that “Victoria” was played for the first time.
Almost immediately after the death of the architect, reports began to appear about strange sounds and unexplained phenomena in the bell tower. The builders refused to work alone. Behind them, buckets of paint and ladders moved from one place to another. There were stories that on windless days the bell rang quietly, as if mourning the death of a person who could not fully enjoy the chime of the Victoria.
Even Delashaud, who often visited the bell tower, admitted the strange atmosphere of the place. He had no doubt that it was the ghost of the dead architect who was behind the mystical phenomena in the tower.
Although the watchmaker himself died peacefully many years later, there are stories of a ghostly figure of a man (dressed in early 19th century fashion) who appears when the chimes strike. He stands in the nave of the cathedral, holding a pocket watch in his hand, and, as if, checking its progress. As soon as the chimes fall silent, the ghost removes the clock and disappears into thin air.
There is a group of visiting ghosts in the cathedral. For example, Marie Laveau (who repents in the morning and frolics in Saint-Louis at night) or Madame LaLaurie, who is trying to gain forgiveness for her cruelty and sadistic habits. According to eyewitnesses, she can often be seen on a bench in the third row. Sometimes she wanders around the confessionals with an unhappy look in the hope of meeting a priest who would forgive her sins.
-Ghost of the unfortunate organist-
The most unfortunate and sad ghost of the cathedral can be called Aimee Brusley. Her favorite place is the balcony of the church organ.
The ghostly female figure is dressed in a flowing dark dress from the mid-1800s. She either looks angrily from the balcony, or is upset and can barely hold back her tears. Sometimes she is not visible at all, but you can hear a quiet cry that echoes mournfully under the arches of the cathedral.
Aimee's father ran a very popular bakery in the city, which made flour products for both the nobility and townspeople with little income.
Things were going so well that all roads to high society were open to the family. Aimee was one of the city's main beauties and an enviable bride: pious, educated, trained to play musical instruments. The family's confessor was the same Father Antoine, and the girl was his favorite. What disappointment befell him when he learned that of all her contenders for her hand and heart, Aimee chose a man of a different religion - a Jew. Edward Gottschalk was born in London in the family of Rabbi Lazar Gottschalk. On American soil, Gottschalk, along with his brothers, did not get lost and became a rich merchant. The groom was 13 years older than Antoine's father. There are no documents that Edward converted to Catholicism, but all his children and descendants were baptized and strictly raised in the Catholic faith. There was no question of a wedding in the cathedral, so the ceremony was performed in the sacristy, which was the first blow to the beauty’s pride.
The happiness was short-lived. Adding to the deaths of children from yellow fever was the news that the husband had a permanent mistress, with whom he rented a house a few blocks from the family nest. Aimee was looking for an outlet to forget herself. Either in memory of Father Antoine (who had died by this time), or simply out of pity for the fate of the unfortunate woman, she was allowed to come and play the organ. She could disappear there all the time until services were held and her first son, Louis Moreau, came for her. She was not allowed to be a mother: at the age of 8, her father sent the boy to study in Europe. In the future he will become a famous American pianist and composer. And many believe that he took after his mother with his talent.
So after her death, Aimee Brusley-Gottschalk chose as her habitat the corner that brought peace and consolation to her suffering soul.
-The Haunted Mansion-
In one of the cemetery districts of New Orleans (this is how you can call a place where several necropolises are adjacent to each other) there is a Haunted House. This lovely columned mansion was built in 1872 for Mary Slattery and her children. The house changed its owners in 1905, but the new owners were not particularly impressed with the home, and in 1923 it was placed at the disposal of notary Howard McCaleb, who placed it in good hands. And so in 1930, a booklet about the opening of a new funeral home began to be distributed around the city.
Under the roof of the mansion there is a morgue, a farewell hall, a funeral supplies store and a small crematorium.
Throughout its history, the funeral home has organized 20,000 funerals.
In 1985, PJ McMahon and Sons were absorbed by a larger corporation, which resold it ten years later, but maintaining the dilapidated 130-year-old mansion and updating its communications to modern standards was expensive and not profitable. It was sold again to a spa company. She began to thoroughly renovate the house, even tearing off the floorboards and putty from the walls. All that remained from the past was the frame of the walls and the façade. But the company's director suddenly died under "mysterious circumstances," and then Katrina happened. The mansion was bought by Jeff Borne to turn it into a Halloween attraction. Over the long history of the house's existence, there were many stories of strange happenings, ghosts, etc., and Jeff was approached by paranormal investigators from Los Angeles who wanted to see if there were ghosts there. The research gave a positive result, other “ghost hunters” flocked to the house, installed cameras there, incl. night vision, all sorts of sensors for measuring temperature fluctuations and electromagnetic fields, and so on, and now this is a kind of testing ground for ghost hunters who are trying to prove that ghosts exist.
This is how legends arose about the ghosts of children who can be stumbled upon in the corridors, and the basement was once inhabited by a gloomy embalmer who came up with a composition for turning a corpse into a vampire.
Louisiana Swamp Rougarou
Rougarou, rugarou (French Loup-garou (werewolf), options: Rougarou, Roux-Ga-Roux, Rugaroo, Rugaru) - a type of folklore werewolves, representing a person with a wolf's head or "hybrids" of a person with dogs, pigs, cows or even chickens (usually white ones).
The Rougarou is part of the folklore of the French-speaking settlers in Louisiana. Among the variants of this legend, the most common are:
Rugarou become those who have sold their souls to the devil.
Rugaru chases naughty children. Or Catholics who broke the fast (according to one version, a person who does not fast for seven years in a row becomes a rugaru).
Rugarou is cursed for 101 days. After this period, the curse moves to the person whose blood the rugaru drank. At the same time, during the day the creature looks like a person and, although it behaves strangely, tries to hide its condition.
To kill a rugaru, it is enough to stab him with a knife, shoot him or burn him. But there is a way to save a person from this curse - in some versions of the legend, a rugaru turns back into a person if its blood is spilled. True, in a darker version of this legend, the rugaru who shed blood dies a year later.
According to legend, this creature wanders among the swamps and forests that stretch between Acadiana and New Orleans. He is most often described as having the head of a wolf or dog. Rugaru are not reincarnated as werewolves - the body is not transformed, but as if turned inside out, quickly, without any physical inconvenience or pain. Before fully transforming, rugarou look like ordinary people. But having transformed, they acquire incredible strength, their bones change, and they become monsters. In human form, Rugaru retains an animal essence, that is, he easily succumbs to outbursts of anger and keeps his distance from people, although much depends on his character. When Rugaru is in animal form, a person remains inside him, he retains a human mind and can control animal desires, as a result he does not “lose his head” like a werewolf. Rugaru will not be transformed if you do not give him a taste of human blood. Rugaru is also a hereditary gene that is passed on from father to child. Rugaru can be killed by burning it. Some researchers associate the rugara with another mythical cannibal, the wendigo, but writer Peter Mettisen argues that these legends do not have many similarities. While the Wendigo was simply feared, the Rugaru was worshiped in some places, associating it with Mother Earth.
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In some stories, the rugaru does not completely transform into a wolf - only its head changes. She is the one who becomes wolfish. Or a dog's. Or even pork or cow. And sometimes it’s chicken, but, which is typical, the head should come purely from a white chicken! In this case, the body does not transform, but, as it were, “turns inside out, quickly, without any physical inconvenience or pain.” Secondly, rugarou do not depend on the phases of the moon, since they become werewolves mostly due to the machinations of witches: either the witches themselves take on this form, or send a curse on a common person. In this case, there is a chance that as soon as the rugar sheds the blood of another person, the curse will pass to him, and the former cursed person will be “freed.” According to another legend, a rugaru is under a spell for 101 days. After this period, the curse itself passes to another person, bitten by the rugaru. But there is really little hope for such a simplified version...
Others say that rugaru can completely transform into animals. One of the most common ways to return a rugaru to his human form is to shed his blood. Such legends are typical for the Francophone population in general and are found not only in Louisiana, but also in Quebec, Canada. The following is a Louisiana origin story:
One day a woman was washing pork tripe near the bayou and a strange dog approached her. And she says, "Get out! Get out!" because she was afraid of the dog. But the dog did not listen to her. She moved a little further away, but then smelled the smell of tripe and approached again. And she told her again: “Well, get out!” The dog walked away again a little, but then returned.
And the woman exclaimed, “Damn dog!” and threw a knife at him and the knife cut the dog’s nose and a few drops of blood spilled out. And the dog turned into a man.
When he became a man, he said: "Thank you very much, madam, you freed me from the curse (gri-gri)."
"From a curse?" - she asked?
"Yes," he said. “I drank the blood of a black chicken at midnight at the crossroads so that I could turn into the one I want. But how tired I am of this! And now that my blood has been spilled, I am freed from the need to remain in an altered form. Thank you very much !"
The Strange Dog (746: p.159-160)
This story demonstrates very clearly how everything is mixed up in Cajun folklore. It has features similar to European stories about werewolves, but at the same time the influence of voodoo is obvious. Drinking the blood of a black chicken at a crossroads at midnight is very characteristic of voodoo, and the word for the curse “gri-gri” is directly taken from Creole beliefs and also refers to voodoo.
Another significant point is that while in a changed guise, the rugaru retains its human intelligence to the fullest. He does not "lose his head" like many other werewolves, which makes him a very dangerous monster. At the same time, it turns out that even in the human mode, the animal component (the so-called “ferey”) does not fall asleep completely, from time to time manifesting itself in outbursts of anger and poorly controlled irritation.
According to legend, rugarou prefer to wander through deserted places such as fields and swamps, of which there are so many in southern Louisiana. They pose a particular danger to naughty children (at least that’s what their parents tell them) and to Catholics (especially for those who do not fast; according to one version, a person who does not fast for seven years in a row becomes a rugaru).
Lumberjack from New Orleans
The Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer who operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding cities from May 1918 to October 1919. He probably also committed crimes before - in 1912. The killer attacked his victims with an axe. Sometimes he used the same tool to break down doors to get into the house. The crimes stopped as suddenly as they began. The police were never able to catch the Woodcutter. His identity has not yet been established, although there are several assumptions.
Letters to newspapers
Not all of the Woodcutter's victims died. But the savagery of his attacks kept a huge number of people in fear. The first victims were people of Italian descent. Newspapers wrote that perhaps these murders were organized by the mafia. However, this version disappeared after further crimes. Among the Woodcutter's victims were a pregnant woman and a young child, hacked to death right in the arms of his mother. The Woodcutter seemed to be inspired by the crimes of Jack the Ripper. He wrote poisonous letters to city newspapers, in which he hinted at future murders and claimed that he was not a man, but a demon from hell.
Lumberjack Jazz
The best known is his letter dated March 13, 1919, which was published in newspapers. The woodcutter wrote that the next murder would take place on March 19, 15 minutes after midnight. He promised not to touch only those people who would listen to jazz at that time. On March 19, all entertainment venues were crowded, and professionals and amateurs played jazz right on the street. There were no murders that night. However, not all the townspeople were afraid of the Woodcutter then. Some wrote letters in response to newspapers, inviting the killer to visit their homes and see who would kill whom. One of the residents politely asked the Woodcutter not to break down the front door and even promised to leave the windows open. © wikipedia.org
Devil
Superstitions were not uncommon in New Orleans. Everyone knew the legends about the “Needle Man,” who rendered women unconscious with injections and then tortured them. Or the “Black Man” who worked in a hospital where he poisoned patients and then sold their bodies to medical students. An even more mysterious and popular folklore story was the legend of the "Man in the Robe" - a ghostly gentleman who wore a long black robe and drove around the city in a black car. All the girls who took advantage of his offer to give them a ride disappeared forever.
Therefore, it was not surprising that many New Orleans residents began to talk about the Woodcutter as a devilish creature. Especially when his description appeared - tall and thin, dressed all in black, with his face hidden in the shadow of a wide-brimmed hat. Suitable appearance for a phantom.
Historian and author of Journey Into Darkness: Ghosts and Vampires in New Orleans, Kalila Smith, was intrigued by eyewitness reports of the Woodcutter disappearing from crime scenes "as if on wings," his letters, and the fact that no one could find him. see and remember. She wondered if he was really human?
Smith says that since the late 1800s, the cult of voodoo flourished in New Orleans. People killed each other, believing that someone had bewitched them. She suggests that the murders could have had a mystical, religious meaning and were committed by a superman, or, in any case, by someone who considered himself such.
To be continued...
New Orleans is a city in the southern United States, the largest city in the state of Louisiana. As of 2013, the population of New Orleans is 378 thousand people. In total, more than 1.3 million people live in the New Orleans region.
New Orleans is located on the banks of the Mississippi, 170 km from where the river flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The city is surrounded on three sides by water (Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain). However, most of New Orleans lies below or at sea level.
New Orleans is at great risk from possible hurricanes and floods. The city suffered a catastrophic blow in 2005 when 80% of the city was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Tens of thousands of people lost their homes and were forced to leave the city. Many of them decided not to return. A year after the disaster, only 223 thousand people were counted in New Orleans, which is half as many as before Hurricane Katrina. The city has not yet fully recovered from the consequences of the flood.
New Orleans is an important transport hub and distribution center, and its port infrastructure plays an important role. The Port of New Orleans, as well as the nearby Port of South Louisiana, is one of the largest and busiest port systems in the United States. The multifunctional Port of New Orleans not only serves container traffic, but also receives numerous cruise and tourist ships.
The economy of New Orleans is largely related to maritime affairs. There are many shipbuilding, logistics and transport companies in the region. New Orleans is also a center for the oil refining and petrochemical industries. In Louisiana, in particular, large quantities of oil are produced from platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, which are processed at numerous facilities in the region. Tourism is an important sector of New Orleans' economy.
The region's main airport, Louis Armstrong International Airport, is located in the suburb of Kenner.
The racial makeup of New Orleans as of 2013 is:
- African Americans - 58.9%
- white - 30.9%
- Hispanics of any race - 5.5%
- Asians - 3.0%
- mixed races - 1.4%
Crime is considered a major problem in New Orleans. It is worth noting that the issue is most acute in certain poor areas hidden from the eyes of tourists.
The Big Easy - "Big Easy" is the most common nickname for New Orleans. The origin of the nickname is unknown for sure, however, it emphasizes the free atmosphere of the city, the carefreeness and ease of perception of the surrounding world by residents.
New Orleans has a reputation as a city where you can easily find any kind of "adult" entertainment. The city is known for its club life, availability of alcohol, music, casinos, and large gay community. But besides this, New Orleans is home to historical districts, interesting architecture, museums, shopping, festivals, parades, and vibrant holidays. The most famous and popular holiday is the Mardi Gras carnival. Tours in the surrounding area (plantations, swamps) and various cruise options may also be of interest.
A recognizable symbol of the city - the Statue of Andrew Jackson against the backdrop of St. Louis Cathedral
The main street of New Orleans is Magazine Street. Other important streets of the city are Canal Street, St. Charles Avenue, Bourborn Street, Rampart Street.
Neighborhoods of New Orleans
French Quater (“French Quarter”, often simply “Quater”) is the oldest and most famous district of the city, filled with museums, restaurants, clubs and interesting shops.
Popular French Quarter attractions:
- Bourborn Street
- Jackson Square
- Cathedral of St. Louis Cathedral
- French Market
- Preservation Hall
- Former New Orleans Mint
- Saint Louis Cemetery
- Contemporary Arts Center Museum
- New Orleans Museum of Art
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Central Business District is a typical downtown, central business district of the city. There are high-rise hotels, prestigious restaurants, and several important museums here.
Uptown is a residential area partially built up with old buildings. Uptown is home to the Audubon Zoo.
Faubourg Marigny is a bohemian neighborhood east of the French Quarter, known for its vibrant nightlife.
Treme is a historic neighborhood adjacent to the French Quarter.
The climate in New Orleans is humid subtropical. Summers are hot, humid with high rainfall. The average daily temperature in July is 28 C. Winters in New Orleans are usually mild, the average daily temperature in January is 11 C. Snow falls extremely rarely. Hurricane season runs from June to November. The best time to visit New Orleans is from the end of November to the first half of June.
Despite all the destruction that Hurricane Katrina brought to one of the most colorful cities in America, New Orleans lives on. And even though some skeptics argue that this amazing place will never be the same as before, we simply agree with this. But we still won’t give up the idea of going there someday - the world jazz capital is still of interest to tourists and travelers all over the world. And every day, more and more precisely for the former, because the city’s infrastructure is being restored quickly.
Name and foundation of the city
It is unlikely that we will ever know why we call this city New Orleans, and not New Orleans, as one might assume by drawing an analogy with New York or New Hampshire, in the names of which the prefix “new” is added to the word “new” "nobody changes. But we know many other interesting facts from the history of the cultural center of the American south. Like many cities on the continent, it was not only founded by European colonists, but also for a very long time was the object of the direct interests of its European donors, who supplied the local territories (southern Louisiana) with the necessary fresh blood - new settlers. The original name of the city is not the English New Orleans, but the French La Nouvelle-Orl?ans, later simply translated into the language of international communication. This situation is completely unsurprising, given that during the founding of this settlement the French had full claims to the title of the dominant nationality of the colonialists in those places that are now considered one hundred percent Anglo-Saxon. Those interested in this issue have probably already noticed that French influence in North America is not limited to Canada. To do this, it is enough to at least pay attention to many toponyms of the state of Louisiana - from the names of small towns like Baton Rouge to the name of the state itself.
The birthday of New Orleans and the history of its development
New Orleans has its own clearly defined birthday. This is August 25, 1718. Then, on the site of the modern city, a French colony was founded, which received its name in honor of Philip II, Duke of Orleans, who at that time was the regent of France. The era was alarming, the redistribution of colonized lands resembled the redistribution of spheres of influence between Solntsevo and Tambov, and as a result of these redistributions, in 1763, as a result of the Paris Agreement, the lands on which New Orleans was located were transferred to the Spanish Empire. Only in 1801 the city and its surrounding environs were returned to France. But Napoleon's power here did not last long. In 1803, the Emperor sold Louisiana to the United States of America, which had a very beneficial effect on the economic and demographic development of New Orleans.
On suburban plantations, slaves ensured the financial viability of the city by growing sugar and cotton. The urban population grew uncontrollably, at the expense of the British, French and French-speaking Creoles. Particularly noteworthy in this regard is the Haitian Revolution of 1804, when more than ninety percent of the island's refugees, a significant portion of whom were so-called “free people of color,” settled in New Orleans.
Ten years later, the most glorious event in the history of the city took place. On January 8, 1815, a huge battle took place between American troops and British military forces who wanted to restore the Kingdom's authority over these lands. It ended with the complete and unconditional victory of the representatives of the New World.
These and subsequent years largely defined the unique face of New Orleans. The city's port was of utmost strategic importance in the slave trade - almost all ships, filled as if with goods, with live cargo from Africa, stopped in New Orleans. In particular, here, as nowhere else in America, there were many free blacks, endowed with all the necessary rights, most of them educated and belonging to the middle class. That is why the city is considered to be a place of true fusion of black and white cultures with the predominance of the first - and a similar result has not yet been observed in any other state. In relations between the two races in New Orleans there was not such a strong alienation, which is still present in New York. As a result, the city enjoyed a particularly egalitarian atmosphere, black crime rates were incredibly low, and racism on both sides was kept to a minimum. Although it was not without problems: after all, despite the presence of many free, wealthy immigrants from Africa, the country’s largest slave market was located here. In any case, when you find yourself on the streets of New Orleans, you clearly feel one thing: in these places, blacks created the image of the city on an equal basis with whites, and were not an embittered, criminalized layer, known primarily only for the hip-hop subculture.
The slave trade is a shameful business, but by 1840 New Orleans occupied an honorable third place in the United States in terms of population, and in terms of income it had taken first place.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the city was a truly progressive settlement, famous among other things for one of the first municipal sewer systems on the continent, designed by the engineer and inventor Baldwin Wood, who was rightfully included in the number of local city heroes for his work. True, as some scientists now believe, it was Wood’s activity, along with some natural processes, that led to the systematic subsidence of the soil and, as a result, to the fact that a significant part of the urban area was several feet below sea level, which significantly aggravates the consequences of potential flooding.
However, given the destructive power of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the coast in August 2005, even a normal correlation with sea level would hardly have helped to avoid disaster.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005
More than eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded, helped by the failure of the municipal levee system, later called the greatest federal urban planning disaster in all of American history. Even the 1999 earthquake in San Francisco paled in comparison. However, travel lovers can breathe a sigh of relief: the historical part of the city, in which all the attractions are located, is located not in the lowlands, but much higher, so it has remained untouched, but the modern part of the city still leaves much to be desired.
Recovery after Hurricane Katrina
Official tourism has only recently restarted in New Orleans in early 2008. Louis Armstrong International Airport has reopened, as have hotels and other services for visitors to the city. Of course, about half of everything that could have interested the eye of a traveler four years ago is still in a state of inactivity and stagnation, but anyone will still discover a lot of interesting things in these surroundings. Moreover, the sights of the ruins (and you can’t drive through the new part of the city for twenty minutes without seeing at least one flattened house) have become something of a tourist attraction in the period since Katrina. For those most interested in this subject, the Gray Line Tours agency operates here, conducting excursions to the most impressive places of destruction with an accompanying explanation of the reasons for what happened.
But, of course, the charm of New Orleans has less to do with the aftermath of the hurricane than with the city's rich cultural heritage.
As is often the case in the United States, most of the population of New Orleans does not live in the city itself, but represents a suburban agglomeration. According to 2007 data, it is now about one million and two hundred thousand people, while only three hundred thousand live in the city itself. Every month there are more and more people here - refugees from bad weather are returning home, although many sociologists argue that New Orleans will no longer rise to its previous demographic level.
But the most important thing is that the very spirit of the old city has been preserved here. New Orleans chefs are still considered some of the best in the country, top-class jazz is still regularly heard on the streets, and the famous festivals held in the cultural capital of the South once again delight both visitors and locals.
The city is known primarily as a place where adult tourists are truly comfortable - a lot of fine alcoholic drinks, spicy Creole cuisine, jazz music, architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, an abundance of old-fashioned taxis on the streets, the awareness of the fact that the city is home to one of largest gay communities in America - all this will be much more interesting to an adult, not a teenager.
New Orleans is divided into several neighborhoods - divided, naturally, not according to anyone's plan, but historically. The most famous residential area of the city is the French Quarter, a favorite destination for all tourists. Old buildings, countless antique shops, restaurants and drinking establishments with a rich selection of drinks have brought strong fame to this area. It is simply impossible to visit New Orleans and ignore the French Quarter, unless you deliberately set yourself such a perverted goal. This is a vacation spot not only for tourists, but also for city residents. Only those who earn their living in those places where others prefer to spend their money work here.
The Central Business District is another matter. Despite the presence of several museums (including the Louisiana Children's Museum, which you will definitely need if you do take a child with you, the Center for Contemporary Art and the Museum of Southern Art), New Orleanians associate this place more with deals here. business agreements. Local restaurants are much better suited not for drink-clouded fun in the company of friends, but for a leisurely, respectable lunch with a business partner. And if in the fall of 2005, for obvious reasons, it was difficult to imagine that anyone in the city was thinking about business deals, now this is again a common activity for local entrepreneurs. Tourists will also be interested in checking out Julia Street, nicknamed the gallery street for its exemplary New Orleans appearance.
Opposite the French Quarter is the Faburge Marigny, a bohemian holiday area. In addition to stylish nightclubs, where you will be treated not only to delicious food and drinks, but also to the most authentic jazz in the world, this quarter has a very specific reputation as the main meeting place for gays and lesbians, of whom there are incredibly many in the West in artistic circles. In any other American city, sexual minorities do not feel so comfortable - after all, the United States is a very conservative country. But in New Orleans, where continental European Catholicism influenced the local mentality to a much greater extent than classical Anglo-Saxon Protestantism, such things are treated quite calmly. By the way, New Orleans is perhaps the city in the United States that has retained the spirit of the Old World to the greatest extent, most likely for the above-mentioned religious reason.
Jazz without snobbery
However, it is impossible to experience the very essence of New Orleans solely through eating Creole delicacies and admiring the architecture. The most fanatical tourists need to pay attention to two things that have shaped modern New Orleans from the spiritual side. The first of them has already been mentioned several times. This is jazz - music that is not simply a reproduction of musical text, assumed by the European musical tradition, but spontaneous improvisation, born of African dance culture, in which sound and body movement are inseparable from each other. It is not surprising that the European jazz school gradually moved away from the dance roots of the style, turning it into academic abstruseness. Here, on the stage of New Orleans cafes, in clubs and just on the streets, he is still the same as he was born and expected to develop - cheerful, savory, often openly danceable and very entertaining, completely devoid of the snobbery characteristic of Europe. They still honor their fellow countryman, the great Louis Armstrong, and cherish the traditions of Dixieland. The local jazz movement is based on the desire to emotionally excite a simple person, tired after many hours of work, and not to burden the mind of a bored intellectual with complex sound structures. So, if you are in this city, you should definitely listen to its jazzmen - firstly, thereby showing respect to New Orleans, and secondly, it is actually pleasant and interesting.
Voodoo cult
Another spiritual side of the city will certainly fascinate all lovers of exoticism, romance and mysticism. It was in New Orleans that the cult of Voodoo took root more firmly than anywhere else. More precisely, its Louisiana branch, which, unlike the Haitian one, is closely connected with the Catholic tradition and, as a result, with Christian superstitions. In addition to purely ethnic reasons, this can be explained by looking at local cemeteries. The fact is that the soil here is swampy, the dead were sent to the swampiest places that were prone to subsidence. In this regard, they were not buried in the ground itself, but were placed in crypts, which, by the way, are of significant interest to art lovers. Therefore, the Voodoo sorcerer, while performing the main ritual - that is, calling zombies into this world, worked in lighter conditions - he did not have to wield a shovel for long, tearing up the grave.
In the shops you can always buy amulets associated with the sinister cult, and lucky English speakers will certainly enjoy the eerie mystical stories circulating among the local population. A person of a more prosaic mindset is unlikely to share the emotions of mysticism fans. He will be very happy in a restaurant with a glass of Hard Grenada.
Local population
Of course, it is worth separately touching on the topic of communication and mutual understanding with the local population. Contrary to a fairly common stereotype, most New Orleans residents are not Cajuns. Cajuns, they are simply French-speaking residents of Louisiana, after whom the “American” dialect of French is named, live mainly in rural areas. Therefore, knowledge of the language of Balzac and Baudelaire, to some extent, can still bring you closer to the sources of the city’s culture, will allow you to freely read inscriptions on houses, famous New Orleans crypts and other architectural monuments, but among the skills and abilities that are urgently necessary for survival and comfortable staying here is not included. Although, without visiting a single Cajun cafe or store that is present in the southwestern part, you still will not be able to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the local exoticism.
When a traveler interested in a fun pastime sets foot in New Orleans (usually at Louis Armstrong Airport), he usually already knows a number of features of the local way of life, without awareness of which he may not feel the comfort of staying here.
Credit cards - breaking stereotypes about America
The attitude of local residents towards credit cards is extremely important. An ordinary tourist often finds himself hostage to one stereotype about America and Americans. The name of this stereotype is confidence in the unlimited power of credit cards in the United States. It is because of this that many visitors to New Orleans stuff their wallets tightly with them, which they later regret. Of course, supermarkets will always welcome such customers, but they don’t come here for the sake of supermarkets. And if the restaurant of a hotel in New York or, say, Boston makes payments to its visitors using the card system, then the most colorful and attractive establishments for tourists in this city still prefer to be paid the old fashioned way. Therefore, you should remember that paper here is valued much higher than plastic, and you need to pay special attention to it on your way here.
How to get around the city
Expenses during a stay in New Orleans (usually most of these expenses occur in the French Quarter) can be spent in different ways and even end up without a single cent on the first evening of your stay here - the attractiveness of the city contributes to this. But there is one expense item on which, unlike Las Vegas, Los Angeles or San Diego, it is always easy to save money on in New Orleans. These are taxi costs. In other large cities it is simply impossible to do without them, while the jazz capital is a city of pedestrians. Its streets, usually bathed in golden sunlight, seem designed for leisurely strolling, looking at old signs above store entrances and admiring the play of “bunnies” in shop windows. There are, of course, really noisy streets crowded with cars, but the glory of a car city has never been inherent in the “Louisiana pearl”. Here, as in London, when choosing public transport to travel distances that are not suitable for walking, it is customary to take buses. But there is also a “proprietary” way of moving from one end of the city to the other - this is a train, the only municipal intra-city train in urban America.
A truly original feature of local consciousness is the absence of the concepts of cardinal directions that are familiar to most people. The fact is that the reference point for moving around the area for residents of New Orleans is the sun, as is traditionally accepted almost everywhere, and the flow of the legendary Mississippi River, on which the city was built. So here you can often hear phrases like “I’m going down the river”, “you should go towards the river” or “our company is heading away from the river”. And this is fair in its own way, because it was at the mouths of rivers that cities were built from time immemorial, and it was fresh water, and not sunlight, that was and is of decisive importance for human settlement anywhere on the globe.
The Mississippi is very long, as anyone who has read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will remember, and on its banks there are many cities, most of which have a history dating back to the cowboy era. They can be visited for many reasons, which there is little point in listing here. They mix with numerous Creole and Cajun settlements, each of which preserves in one form or another an amazing fusion of African, European and American cultures. But nowhere is it expressed more clearly and clearly than here in New Orleans.
Have a nice trip and see you on the pages of the site!!!