Thursday, October 4, 2018

Road Trip 2018 - Day Seven, Wandering New Orleans Neighborhoods

Today we had no tours so we decided to make use of the trolley and ferry system to make our way through a number of different neighborhoods of the city. We were in full photographic hunting mode.

A brief comment on these means of transportation. Let me compare the system here in New Orleans with another city that has a tram and ferry system, Istanbul. If Istanbul represents the major leagues of an efficient, truly rapid transit system, New Orleans represents your local high school team. I'm sorry New Orleans, I love you as a city, I really do, but OMG, I know that the trolleys are meant to have character but 'rapid transit'? I don't think so. Maybe 'slightly faster than walking transit'. Yes you have a very good mobile app. But one could die and be reborn in the time it takes to go the length of one of the trolley lines. And the ferry? If you've experienced the buzzing fury of Istanbul's or Hong Kong's ferry system, the somnolent twice and hour passage across the Mississippi was like laying in a hammock in the summer time.

That being said, one can get very attached to the generally positive attitude of all who work these systems and people you run into in general. But let's get on with our tour.

We started by taking an Uber to the starting point of the famous St. Charles Street Trolley
We purchased an all day pass for three dollars each so we could get on and off as much as we wanted

We first got off at a neighborhood called Black Pearl...though I have no idea why it is called that
One thing I will say for New Orleans...
...the variety of colors, patterns, designs, etc is probably as rich as any place we have been to in the world...really...anywhere.
It was hard to stop taking pictures
I've tried to get much more discriminate (channeling my inner Captain Spouse)
I started with 153 pictures taken and am posting 48
There were all kinds of things going on with trees and stonework and homes





 

 
We had gotten a late start to the day and had moved on to the Garden District but were hungry
After all we had eaten the day before, we just went to this local diner place with no expectations
I wasn't planning on any kind of a foodie post
I had a half of a roast beef Po'boy (based on our waitresses recommendation) and cup of gumbo
I'm eating them and realizing, by the Great Maker's taste buds, this stuff is really good. The Po'boy's roast beef had great flavor. The mayonnaise on it was great. The gumbo was really good. So had to capture it for posterity despite having already eaten half of it LOL
Our waitress, Janet, who turned us on to the good stuff
Sadly I had already switched to the fish eye lens. Not exactly the best for a flattering portrait
Next it was on through the Garden District which is known for its big mansions dating to the 19th century with lots of Greek revival architecture
I was now using the fish eye lens so was all into the special effects






Then we got on the ferry to Algiers Point

The second oldest neighborhood in the city
As we made our way through this neighborhood, we realized that this was a very special place
I decided to switch out to our sort of regular, walk around lens, a 12-150 zoom
Because this neighborhood was a symphony of colors and patterns
And this was not a high end neighborhood
In fact it is obvious that this was done with some kind of communal forethought 
Unfortunately I could not find anyone who could tell me anything about how this all came to pass
Almost every house you went by was bright, freshly painted, filled with architectural detail
One could have taken a thousand pictures 
Here is just a small sample






The force of Captain Spouse filled me and I channeled her love of doors and reflections



But the butterfly was strictly my own
There was a cool old courthouse but my best picture was pretty predestrian
Except for another reflection shot
Then there were these tiles on the streets with people's names on them

Then it was back on the ferry


ARGH! The ancient enemy!
I still love having interactions with people whenever possible
This couple was from Georgia though the girl was originally from New Orleans

They got such a kick out of the fact that Captain Spouse and I have almost 44 years in service as they have been a couple for 4 years now
And I LOVED what she did with her hair
Making use of pipe cleaners!

Ah the joys of travel

We had a long schlepp back to our Airbnb as their was an accident on a street where the trolley crossed
We ended up bailing at taking an Uber but even with that because it was rush hour, it took a while
But all in all, a great day




1 comment:

alexis said...

her hair seems inspired by the colors of the neighborhood you visited.