I got up early as usual and really enjoyed Saturday morning in a city that was still mostly asleep. I wanted to explore some neighborhoods this morning. I started with Treme, the oldest black neighborhood in the U.S. Once again, I am absolutely obsessed with these houses.
I visited the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, which was profoundly beautiful and so described so eloquently.
I walked around the city park and saw the Singing Oak tree, but unfortunately, there was no wind. It was obvious that this is where the locals hang out; lots of moms and strollers. It's near the art museum which has a sculpture garden I'd like to see in the future, but it wasn't open yet when I was there.
Last cemetery of the trip... This one is where many movies have been filmed, including the famous scene in Double Jeopardy.
I drove over to the Lower Ninth Ward after this. I heard it was one of the areas hardest hit by Katrina, and that it hadn't recovered. I guess I was expecting to see rundown buildings, but instead I just saw... nothing. Tons of empty lots. The houses have been torn down and people have not been rebuilding. It was really sad.
From there I headed over to Jean Lafitte NHP. Most people visit the swampy unit of this park, where you can go on a tour and see gators. But I opted for the Chalmette Battlefield instead because I knew nothing about the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
(The Mississippi River was really high!)
After watching the film and touring the park, I called my dad (a history buff). "Dad! Oh my gosh! Do you have any idea how close the U.S. was to becoming British again??? It is crazy that they managed to win this battle and keep the British out! They were outnumbered, untrained, didn't even have proper uniforms, and pirates like Jean Lafitte were fighting with them, and yet the Battle of New Orleans resulted in over 2,000 British casualties and only 20 American casualties! Dad! How is that even possible? And no one even knows about this! Had you ever even heard of this battle???"
"Well, yeah..." my dad said. He already knew all this. Is this common historical knowledge? I mean, I know a lot of history basics, and I even listen to history podcasts for fun, but I feel like schools don't teach the War of 1812 very thoroughly, and I had certainly never heard of this battle. I thought it all happened on the East coast. But maybe I just wasn't paying attention in class that day since my dad was already fully aware of the significance of this battle.
This is what I love about our national parks. I'm always learning.
I ended my time in New Orleans in the Bywater-Marigny neighborhood, which I've heard people refer to as Brookyn South. I'd compare it to Wicker Park in Chicago. It's the trendy neighborhood, not the touristy spot.
Cute little park
Another adorable house. I was on Zillow at the end of my time here, thinking about moving to New Orleans. But there are no canyons, and the humidity would kill me.
The last thing I did in NOLA was visit an authentic voodoo shop in Bywater called the Island of Salvation Botanica, which was a highlight of this trip. This was not touristy; this was legit. The owner did readings, and I was wishing I had made an appointment with her. The store was completely overwhelming and packed with items you'd need for spells. But if you don't know what you're doing, you'd have no idea what to purchase. I had to get SOMETHING, so I settled on some bath salts and soap. Months later, I am sad to report that the pink bath salts did not bring me love. And I'll have to check with my aunt (to whom I gave the other bath salts), but I don't think she turned into a wild wolf woman.
The day after I used this soap for the first time, only half of my couch was delivered from Amazon, and it turned into this whole big thing. So I've concluded that these items were ineffective. Perhaps they need to be accompanied by magic.
My final stop in New Orleans was St. Roch Market for brunch. It's like a big cafeteria with a wide variety of food stands. I ate very well in New Orleans, but it's not the best city for being a vegetarian. So I don't think I have the same appreciation for the food there that other people do.
I was reluctant to leave NOLA, but I actually had a really fun day ahead of me. I stopped at Big Thicket National Preserve and did a short hike (because it was Texas in July). It was pretty, but unremarkable. Maybe I just didn't visit the best part.
And then I stayed in Houston that night, with my friends Becky and Aaron from college! I'm so mad we didn't take a picture together. I have not seen them since college, but Becky and I were close back then because we were tour partners in choir. This means that, when we were on choir tours, Becky and I stayed at people's houses together. So we had some really great stories and some really weird stories about the people we went home with. I'm not sure when life will take me back to Houston, but I hope I do make it back there again to spend more time with them. They are just wonderful people.
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