Preservation Hall and All That Jazz and other New Orleans, LA Things to Do Tips

I had wanted to hear the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for years and years, so when I finally got to do so in 2001, it was almost like a pilgrimage for me.

Preservation Hall is just a dusty little warehouse room around the corner from Bourbon Street, smelling faintly of mildew, with grime-encrusted windows and scuffed wood floors. It's dark inside, the walls are covered with pegboard, and there's a big electric fan whirring in the corner. There are three rows of wooden benches and more along the walls, but other than that, it's standing room only.

We had a half an hour wait, but it was so worth it. There were six musicians, all black men, ranging in age from 30's to 70's and wearing white shirts and ties in the heat: trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bass, piano, and drums. Heavenly music -- the dingy surroundings fall away when you hear it.

The thing that impressed me most was the honesty of their music. There were no amplifiers, no microphones, no fancy costumes or stage sets or strobe lights, just the musicians, their instruments, and unadorned New Orleans jazz. A sign on the wall noted that standard requests were $2, non-standards $5, Saints $10. :)

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Phone: 504/ 522-2841
Address: 726 St. Peter Street

The D-Day Museum, the national World War II museum, is well-researched and beautifully laid out, focusing not only on the Normandy invasion but also on other aspects of World War II. It's located in this city because of New Orleans boat builder Andrew Higgins, whose landing craft (LCVP, a.k.a. Higgins Boat) ensured the success of the D-Day invasion in 1944.

I've been to museums where war was presented as a glorious undertaking, with trumpets blowing and banners waving and God on our side -- no mention of the fear and blood and ugliness -- and I had expected a similar slant from a military museum in the American South. I was wrong. The National D-Day Museum courageously gives a warts-and-all view of WWII. It tells about doubts and worries and strategy gone awry, and includes first-person accounts from everyone in the military hierarchy, from frightened young Marines, sitting in Higgins boats off Omaha Beach, to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, agonizing over whether to give the "go" order or wait. The museum also includes displays of propaganda from both the Allied and Axis sides, with a discussion about demonizing the enemy.

Throughout the museum there are little film nooks where a handful of people can sit and watch video clips and slide shows. On one tape, one soldier spoke about shocking scenes at a concentration camp: mountains of bodies, a whole room full of jawbones. "I've never talked much about it," he admitted.

Another said that, just before they hit the beach at Normandy, his buddy turned to him and said in panic, "I can't swim."

"Don't worry," he assured him, "they'll take us right up to land." ... except that someone hit the release for the ramp too early, while the boat was still in deep water. His friend was carried off by a massive wave and never even made it onto the beach.

There were so many poignant stories from different viewpoints, which is what makes history fascinating to me.

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Phone: 504-527-6012
Address: 945 Magazine Street
Directions: In the Warehouse District, two blocks from Lee Circle
Website: www.ddaymuseum.org

If getting drunk on Bourbon Street isn’t your idea of a fun evening, take a New Orleans Ghost Tour. It’s an interesting and educational way to see the French Quarter. I wasn’t enthusiastic when my family wanted to take a ghost tour, because I have an overactive imagination and can manage to freak myself out quite nicely without any help. But our tour guide, Jessica, was perfect. Her goal was not to scare us but to inform us. She was more like a historical lecturer and had a laidback sense of humor that I enjoyed -- the kind of person I wouldn’t mind talking to at a party.

A story from the tour:

The present-day Andrew Jackson Hotel was a boys' boarding school in the 1800s, but when a yellow fever epidemic swept the city, all of the students died. The hotel today is said to be haunted by their ghosts. The ghostly happenings are very mischievous, the sort of thing you’d expect from little boys, but it would still scare the bejesus out of me! Guests have reported hearing children laughing and running up and down the halls at night, faucets turn on by themselves, female guests have been awakened by someone tickling their feet. A few of the latter have said they saw a little boy giggling at the foot of their bed. It made me wonder how the ghost tour affects the occupancy rate of the hotel.

This is a walking tour, so wear comfortable shoes. Tours last about an hour and a half. Phone for the times -- these have changed, post-Katrina. $19 per person, discounts for students and seniors. Reservations are necessary, as the size of tour groups is limited. Tips are gratefully accepted by your guide at the end of the tour.

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Phone: 504-524-0708 or 504-628-1722
Address: 625 St. Philip (between Royal and Chartres)
Directions: Ticket office and meeting place: Flanagan's Pub, address above.

A visit to Mid City Lanes (locally known as Rock 'n' Bowl) is a fun and different way to spend an evening in New Orleans. It's a regular bowling alley that also offers live music and a dance floor. There are usually far more people dancing than bowling. The type of music varies from rock and roll to zydeco to country -- check the website for the schedule.

Although it looks like a tough place and beer is served, the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, like a family gathering. The night we were there, a bachelorette party was in session. Owner John Blancher took a turn dancing with the bride, who wore her veil with a T-shirt and jeans.

Mid City Lanes can also be rented for private celebrations and children's birthday parties.

Open Tuesday through Saturday - doors open at 5:00 p.m. If you don't have use of a car, take a cab -- this part of town can be sketchy at night.

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Phone: 504-482-3133
Address: 3000 S. Carrollton Ave. (at Earhart)
Directions: Next door to Ye Olde College Inn.
Website: www.rockandbowl.com

The Audubon Zoo is a fun place -- take the St. Charles streetcar or John James Audubon and make a whole afternoon of it. Some of the wildlife there: an Asian elephant who does tricks, a black bear who goes up and down tower stairs, and a cougar who evinced some interest in having me for lunch. The Louisiana Bayou section, home of the famed white alligators, was especially interesting.

There's a "please touch the animals" area that's very educational. I (gingerly) touched a hedgehog, held by a gloved zoo docent, who told us a bit about the animal. Its spines were sturdier than I expected, like toothpicks.

In the gift shop I found some inexpensive souvenirs: colorful Louisiana bookmarks for only $1 each.

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Phone: 800-7447394
Address: 6500 Magazine St.
Directions: just south of Audubon Park
Website: http://www.auduboninstitute.org/

Before 1804, the field of pharmacy was unregulated. The only requirement was a six-month apprenticeship, after which time the person could make and sell medicines unhampered by any laws or agencies.

This fascinating museum in the French Quarter is built around the collection of Louis Dufilho, Jr., the first pharmacist in the U.S. to pass a licensing test: a three-hour oral exam given by a panel of physicians. When you see some of the bizarre artifacts and instruments used by doctors and pharmacists in the early 19th century, you wonder how patients ever survived the cure.

The price is very reasonable: adults $5.00, student and seniors $4.00, children under six admitted free.

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Phone: 504-565-8027
Address: 514 Chartres
Directions: French Quarter -- Chartres between St. Louis and Toulouse Streets
Website: http://www.pharmacymuseum.org/

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. Because Lent is traditionally a time when people give up rich foods and luxuries, Mardi Gras is the last day to party down, and New Orleans does it in style. The parades begin a few weeks before the actual day.

Uptown is the best place to see the parades. On Canal Street, metal police barricades prevent you from getting close to the floats, and that's a problem if you're trying to get a Zulu coconut, which is a much-prized souvenir of Mardi Gras parades.

The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is an all-black krewe (krewes are select groups that sponsor floats in the parades) dating back to the early 20th century. Instead of throwing beads and trinkets to the crowd, Zulu float riders give out small painted coconuts. Originally they threw the coconuts, but at one Mardi Gras, an unfortunate bystander leaned the wrong way and was knocked out by a flying coconut. Now Zulu krewe members are required to hand the coconuts to onlookers.

For more information and photographs, please see my Mardi Gras 2006 travelogue.

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New Orleans is full of fascinating characters. My tips and travelogues mention a few of the interesting people I've met on my visits there: John and Dewey the innkeepers, Oscar the jewelry maker, Boogie the cab driver.

This man and his miniature horse, whom I stopped to talk to on the quiet end of Bourbon Street, seemed to make a good living posing for photos. Note the money tucked into the horse's halter.

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New Orleans is home to several universities, but the ones I am best acquainted with are Tulane and Loyola Universities, conveniently located side-by-side on St. Charles Avenue. The two universities share library resources and concert venues. Take the streetcar up St. Charles Avenue and stroll through the small but scenic campuses on your way to the Audubon Zoo.

You can't miss Loyola University New Orleans. In the front of campus, there are huge letters spelling out LOYOLA -- although one of the O's was slightly damaged by Hurricane Gustav in 2008 -- and a white statue which the students affectionately call Touchdown Jesus. Famous Loyola alumni include jazz musician Ellis Marsalis, former Secretary of the Navy Sean O'Keefe, and Xavier University President Norman Francis. Musician Harry Connick, Jr., went there for one semester. :)

Tulane University is especially well-known for its medical school. Famous Tulane alumni include the late Bruce Paltrow, director and father of Gwyneth; Amy Carter, author and daughter of President Jimmy Carter; and Michael DeBakey, pioneering heart surgeon.

There are often concerts and lectures at Loyola and Tulane that are open to the public. Check their websites.

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Phone: 1-800-456-9652
Address: 6363 St. Charles Avenue
Directions: Uptown, near Audubon Park
Website: www.loyno.edu and www.tulane.edu