Jay’s thirst for military history necessitated a visit to the National World War II Museum where, on Friday, he and Chris experienced their first ever 4D movie complete with vibrating seats, smoke and replica of a concentration camp guard tower. Produced and narrated by Tom Hanks, it guided the audience through the battles in Europe and the Pacific using easy to understand graphics and timelines enhanced with animation and original video and stills from the battles.
Arranged around the perimeter of the main floor of the city block sized museum building was a collection of original items Jay and Chris and never seen “in person”. The infamous Higgins Landing Craft vessels, used to transport troops and materials from ships to the shore of Normandy, Guadalcanal and other invasion sites, were designed and built in New Orleans. Through the course of the war the vessels were modified from the traditional boats with pointed bows requiring soldiers to jump from the sides into shallow water near the beaches, to the famous front ramp design so often seen in wartime photos and movies. Both styles were represented in the display and Jay was excited with the fact that he could actually touch them!
A replica of the famous Higgins LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel).
To Chris one of the neatest items in the collection was the ambulance. She’d only seen them in movies and videos and was amazed to learn that, after the war, the U.S. left them in France and they were used for another 40 years until 1985 by the French government. Jay was fascinated with the German machine gun and “88”, an 88 mm artillery gun that laid devastating blows to Allied aircraft, tanks and troops with its deadly accuracy and fire power. A security measure at home that neither of them knew was the mobilization of Coast Guardsmen on horseback as stations implemented coastal patrols to thwart landings by German, covert demolition teams. They even spent some time talking with a WWII veteran that transported supplies and piloted C-47s, known affectionately as the Gooney Bird, in the Pacific.
A WWII ambulance and portable operating table, light and, x-ray machine in foreground.
Jay in the WWII museum with the C-47 hanging above.
Fortunately the weather cleared and Saturday was spent outdoors following a stop at a Visitor Center for guidance. Touring one of the many above ground cemeteries is an absolute must, in the City of the Dead, and the St Louis Cemetery #1 was just across the street. There are numerous tour companies that they could have hired to guide them through the grounds, but Chris and Jay decided to just pop into it and see what it was like before deciding if they wanted an official “tour”. Just inside the gate, a departing couple was thanking a nicely dressed black man for the tour he’d given them after which he immediately turned his beaming, white smile toward the new arrivals capturing their attention with his personable, upbeat nature and the pearls of knowledge he spewed forth. David carried a somewhat worn broom and explained that he “volunteered” at the cemetery, meaning that he freelanced tours for whatever people paid him.
David explaining why some tombs were in such disrepair.
Chris and Jay couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable experience as he guided them along the narrow pathways explaining how the Catholic Diocese owned the property and wouldn’t allow any third party contractors to repair the tombs as the reason why so many of them were literally crumbling to the ground. He showed them actor Nicholas Cage’s newly constructed tomb in the shape of a pyramid and explained that there were some plots still available in the cemetery for the six-figure sum that only the very wealthy could afford. For those who remember the cemetery scene in the 1969, Easy Rider film, you guessed it, it was filmed in that cemetery.
Nicholas Cage’s tomb.
Some tombs were more grand that others
such as this one belonging to the Catholic Diocese.
St. Louis #1 happened to be the burial place for the renowned Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau and her daughter and husband. David told them that the series of three Xs found written numerous times on their tombs, represented three knocks. When people would ask the Voodoo Queen for something and it was granted, three knocks was a sign of thanks. Marie Laveau and her daughter were cosmetologists and offerings of lipstick, eye shadow and other cosmetic cases were scattered along the ledges and at the base of the tombs. David was a wonderful guide, pointing out interesting features one wouldn’t have noticed on their own and sharing the history of the place and its inhabitants in a humorous, entertaining fashion that his customers will long remember. They applauded him for his ingenuity and desire to earn an honest living and they gladly paid him for his service.
A visitor pays homage at Marie Laveau’s tomb.
Mr. B’s Bistro was recommended for lunch and following filling gumbo meals, Chris and Jay trekked through the French Quarter, staying on the sunny side of the constricted, windswept streets to stay warm, and enjoyed the wrought iron balconies, the rustic charm of the architecture and the joyous nature of those around them. They arrived at Jackson Square and were informed that a wedding was just about to finish at the famous St. Louis Cathedral just across the street. Not really knowing what that meant in terms of something to see or participate in, Chris and Jay made their way toward the church, joined the gathering throng of onlookers and waited, camera in hand.
The doors to the church opened and the bride and groom emerged holding aloft a lacy, white parasol and black umbrella respectively. They led their white napkin waving guests through the park and danced to the sounds of the Jazz Quintet playing When the Saints Go Marching In then disappeared into the adjoining Cabildo Museum for their reception. This seemed to be a New Orleans wedding tradition called Second Line which basically means having a parade.
The jazz quintet waiting for the entrance of the bride and groom before the Second Line.
The bride and groom surrounded by well-wishers during the Second Line.
Sunday brought more sun, more warmth and less wind; a perfect day to visit the Garden District of the City where the wealthy lived in upscale homes and 19th century mansions. Chris and Jay decided it was probably best to get around via the network of streetcars that stretched from the main business district to the outlying and popular tourist venues. They boarded one near the center of town and with each stop it collected more and more passengers until there was standing room only.
The streetcars were adorable with old-time wooden seats and interiors.
Chris was finally doing what she’d come there for and was prepared with a full camera bag and tripod. Although of the same era as Savannah, it was different. Savannah’s historic district consisted mostly of row houses connected to each other along the entire length of streets whereas New Orleans’ homes sat on large, grassy lots with beautifully landscaped gardens adorned with majestic Live Oaks and surrounded by intricately detailed wrought iron fences. One of the defining features of New Orleans’ architecture was the abundance of second story balconies trimmed, sometimes top and bottom, with filigree-like ironwork. In one day Chris just could not capture all that she wanted and a return trip within the next two years would definitely be on the agenda – preferably in the spring!
A balcony detail of one of the more majestic homes in the Garden District.
Both stories of this house displayed this intricate ironwork.
