Bywater, Lower 9th, Plantations…
Another great roadtrip day, near perfect weather, 72 degrees, no humidity and blue skies this morning, so uncharacteristic of New Orleans in May.
First order of business on the day, aside from packing my things back into the car, is a small detour on my way out through the Bywater and Lower 9th Ward neighborhoods to see for myself how things are looking. I am happy to say thing are looking “under construction.” Locals have repeatedly mentioned to me during the past few days that things in the past 6-7 months are really coming together. These two districts which received so much of the devestation are now a mix of total wrecks, construction projects, with a few perfectly restored historical houses rising like phoenixs in the rubble. Everything is jumbled together with some construction workers, debris, dump trucks, and severly potholed streets, and I saw more than one moving van. MOVING IN! It is still appalling that this is coming on three years since Katrina, and this area still looks like this, but at least something is happening, akin to real progress…finally.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are whole streets down here that still have those memorable red x’s on them saying they were unsafe for habitation. Many houses have no windows, and a few have pitiful little signs saying “please don’t bulldoze”, waiting still patiently for their owners to return. In Bywater, 1 or 2 of every 5 houses stands exactly as it did a week after Katrina, and probably 3-4 in the Lower ninth ward. But those hard hats and u-Hauls are creeping ever closer.
BTW, I did check out the levees in this area… you must be KIDDING me Army Corps of Engineers! These things are a quarter of the size of the levees just upriver… a backed up toilet might overflow them. This really does need to be fixed, or it will repeat itself. 4 feet tall is just too low!
Now, onward! Au revoir New Orleans! Trying to take the scenic route through rural Louisiana, I hop off I-10 as soon as possible, taking the route known as River Road… where I’ve heard tell of scores of antebellum plantation houses lining the Mississippi. “How picturesque” my imagination tells me. Gone with the Wind overlooking the swollen Mississippi, as barges move slowly through. Well. I’m here to tell you that it just doesn’t work like that! There are plantation houses… but you have to get past River Road, and up the 20 foot tall levee to get even a glimpse of the river!! (duh, I knew this, but hadn’t put two and two together with my imagination). On top of that rural Louisiana isn’t known for its over the top wealth – River Road is home to plantation, shack, mobile home and electro-plant alike. It was much better in my head. Oak Alley Plantation, however, was much better in person, despite its lack of river views.
Apparently, some time in the early to mid 1700s some French chap planted a lane of live oak trees, no house mind you, but a gorgeous lane of trees that he would never live to see the magnificence of. I’m always baffled by the hardwood lane planter foresight/goodwill. The planters ‘minds eye’ has to be good enough – because 10 year old oak trees are pretty scrawny looking, particularly spread 20 yards from each other.
One hundred years later a New Orleans boy fell in love with both a girl and the “oak alley”, which was by then looking pretty stately, and decided to build his new wife a beautiful plantation. This house and many of its 1700 acres of grounds and fields are still in very good repair today.
As is getting to be pretty darn common around here, the architecture is a mix of Greek Revival and southern veranda style, and to keep the occupants cool it sports 16 inch thick brick walls (under plaster), 12 foot ceilings, a 13 foot wide veranda and 2nd floor galleries, both which run on all four sides of the abode. There are also floor to ceiling windows with cross ventilation symmetry everywhere you look, opening fully like doors to catch the breezes.
Aside from being just a lovely large old house, the history of the family and times comes alive through my period dressed guide, bustling around in a hoopskirt, no less. Even as wealthy and privileged as this family was, 3 of 6 children died of TB and other illnesses. makes you stop and think about just how good, the good ol’ days really were.
Things I did:
Oak Alley Plantation, Restaurant & Inn, 3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, Louisiana USA 70090
Tags: Bywater, Deep South USA, Louisana, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, Oak Alley Plantation, River Road, USA, Tag Index
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