Big Easy History
So…how is it that New Orleans, and the French Quarter in particularly, got this way, so different then the rest of the country? Well, first, though settled in 1718, it didn’t become part of the good ol’ USA til after the Louisiana Purchase, and many say that it still, in part hasn’t quite joined up.
Though it doesn’t particularly look it, the big swampy area was settled by the french army and fortuneseekers in the early 1700s, with the promise of wonderful fertile territory and land abounding. This seemed to work every time on those settler people! Unfortunately it was one holy hell of a bug and alligator infested marsh at the time, and everyone kept getting and dying of malaria, but somehow, as keeping the delta region was of wonderful military advantage, it perserved.
The French King, Louis the XV, at some point gave the colony to his cousin, the King of Spain, ushering in a militant spanish era of about 40 some odd years, during which their were 2 huge fires, and subsequent rebuildings (killing more than 50% of the population, I believe), so this would explain the preponderance of spanish colonial style architecture, the walled courtyards, shared common housewalls, and filligreed iron trellesses found here, with a french building or two thrown in here and there that survived both fires.
Whats funny is the real heyday of the city came when the USA took the reigns, as the river commerce indeed created enormous wealth (as is apparent by the enormous and grand houses of the garden and uptown districts, the size of these neighborhoods quite large as well – we are talking thousands of insanely wealthy people). French and Carribean, Irish and Italian immigrants poured in by the boatloads creating the beginnings of the creole and cajun cultures and foods so inherent to the parishes today, as well as adding that voodoo spice to the primarily Roman Catholic cityfolk.
So, there you go. As I wander about the quarter today, walking my legs off yet again, I marvel at the older spanish ‘inner city’ architecture with all of its layers and balconies. Though everyone knows this area for Bourbon Street, it really is only one street of tawdy, trashy, hurricane pouring, strip teasing mania… and only the first 6 or 8 blocks at that. The back part of Bourbon, and frankly the entire back part of the neighborhood is nearly entirely residential. I frankly have never been thrilled by the bead and inhibition throwing environ, and I nearly always can go the entire time without ever visiting a single block, and disturbing my image of the beautiful, faded and ancient french quarter, the one of Lestat, and of myself! However, if drinking a footlong rum cocktail, trying to get girls to flash you for beads, and paying for it if you don’t get lucky is your thing, Bourbon Street will not dissappoint.
Back to food, of course, as another one of my favorites is also great for people visiting solo. Acme Oyster House. It is a tourist destination, but you will also be surrounded by locals, and if you sit at the oyster bar, for every oyster you order it seems you get a free one (known as a lagniappe here). They also have all your cajun standards, po boys, and other seafood. One tip though, arrive either before noon, or after 2 for lunch, and same goes for dinner, early or late. There is always a line out the door during standard mealtimes.
Things I did:
Acme Oyster House, 724 Iberville St, French Quarter. Oysters by the dozen.
Tags: Acme Oyster Company, blog, Deep South, Deep South USA, French Quarter, Louisiana, New Orleans, Road trip, USA, Tag Index
jessicab