| Page Views: 2,507 Last Visit to New Orleans: March, 2005 | NEW ORLEANS, Crescent City on the Mississippi by starship - last update: Oct 1, 2008 |
About New Orleans~~
New Orleans has been a tourist mecca for many years. Perched on the banks of the muddy Mississippi, it is a throbbing metropolis but feels like a smaller town. It appeals to the senses of sight, sound, taste and touch. It's a complex combination of earthiness, excitement, art and music eminating from the mix of cultures and their inherent traditions. New Orleans is a city known world wide and is probably most famous for its Mardi Gras. You will see colors green, purple & gold which are the historic colors of Mardi Gras everywhere you go in New Orleans.
New Orleans is also widely praised for the fantastic restaurants, food and famous chefs ~ ~ Emeril Legasse, Paul Prudhomme to name two. Don't forget that New Orleans is the heart throb of that strictly American music form, the Blues and also for the jazz and Zydeco music lilting everywhere in the sultry air.
New Orleans is noted for its unique architecture of lavish wrought iron made into lavish balconies, its shot-gun style houses, and the beautiful Garden District. Its very history, the museums, the zoo and aquarium, and its nearness to the great plantations of the Ole' South are just that many more reasons to make New Orleans a premiere travel destination in the US.
We have been in New Orleans in mid-July when we was almost too hot and humid to even be outdoors. We last visited for a couple days in Spring and although the weather was still very warm & sultry, we were able to do much more. This being said, even then we only scratched the surface of the multitude of things to do & see in New Orleans.
NOTE: It is my understanding that the French Quarter survived the devastating hurricanes of 2005. However, much of the residential portions of the city remains in extremely dibilitated condition. Statements made by the city's mayor have not been instrumental in making certain portions of the US population want to visit the city, thereby reducing tourist revenue--a commodity sorely needed. I look forward to returning to New Orleans in the future to once again enjoy all that she has to offer!!
Cajun or Creole?
Visitors to New Orleans should understand some distinctions in cultures, food and music when they visit this great city. The major cultures are primarily Creole, Cajun, African and Haitian. So how do you know what is what?
"Creole" now generally refers to someone of French and/or Spanish heritage and sometimes include African heritage. "Cajun" is well defined as people having French-Canadian ancestors and specifically those descendants of French-Canadians who left the colony of Arcadia when it was acquired by the British and they were forced to move out. They settled into the lands in the area now known as New Orleans in the 1750's. |
| New Orleans under the Spanish |
|  | An Extremely Brief History French explorer Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle (commonly known only as "LaSalle") first came to this area during his 1682 voyage down the Mississippi River from Canada. He soon claimed the entire river basis from the Appalachian mountains to the Rocky mountains for France. He named the area Louisiana in honor of the King of France, Louis XIV and his Austrian bride, Queen Anne.
New Orleans itself was named Nouvelle Orleans in honor of Philippe II, Duc d'Orleans & Regent of France under Louis XIV. Less than 100 years later New Orleans became a Spanish colony under the Treaty of Paris and New Orleans became the capitol of Spanish Louisiana when France was defeated in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
Louisiana again came into the possession of France in 1802 when Napoleon I once again tried to establish French rule in Louisiana on the eminent collapse of the House of Bourbon. Due to the financial woes of France, Napoleon I was forced to sell the Louisiana Territory, a vast region spanning a third of the United States to the Americans for about $3 million dollars. This transaction became known as the "Louisiana Purchase." |
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| Pros: | "Culture, cuisine, jazz, architecture, history, the Mississippi!" | | Cons: | "Can be a littly raw & baudy at times for some tastes" | | In A Nutshell: | "New Orleans has it all !!" |
starship's New Orleans Travel Tips
 Comments for starship about New Orleans | | | | |
DennyP Tue Oct 27, 2009 03:28 UTC
Hi Sylvia...excellent informative tips with great pics...it sure is a great place to visit with so much to see and do...I loved the time I spent there ..fantastic food and music..cheers...DennyP | hopang Thu Aug 27, 2009 19:33 UTC
Interesting New Orleans page with lovely photographs. Bourbon Street and Jackson Square certainly look interesting to explore. Cafe Du Monde and Mississippi cruise indeed attract us very much. ~ho & pang | wise23girl Fri May 29, 2009 08:00 UTC
Always wanted to go to New Orleans but guess it is not the same since the hurricane Marg (wise23girl) | easterntrekker Wed Apr 8, 2009 03:31 UTC
Your pages bring back wonderful memories of a fabulous city. I still use the cookbook I got from there to make Jambalaya!! |
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