Give me snapshots of New Orleans

[nakia]

I-10 West out of town

Your car makes a regular "ka-thump" as it passes over the section breaks in the interstate. The highway itself sits almost at treetop level. Below it is bayou. You drive like this for hours, over swamp. Exit ramps lead to islands and two lane roads that go God knows where. Two gas stations and a Waffle House sitting amidst cypress tress and black water.

Occasionally you pass a refinery, which has a foliage of its own. Shiny steel pipes writhe between massive white tanks. Black towers are topped with jets of flame. There's a haze in the air.

 

[tarchon]

Ghost Tours, Vampire Tours, Voodoo Tours, Swamp Tours, Tour Tours

 

[RangerWickett]

Oh, and on the interstate, especially where you're over the Atchafalaya Swamp for a half hour, they've got these great panic treads on the shoulders of the road. If you begin to drift off the road, the treads make a high-pitched sound. Great for waking up drowsing drivers who otherwise might plunge into the bayou.

 

[Funeris]

Stumbling through the groping, prodding masses of overly-sweaty overly-drunk people on Fat Tuesday Night. Forming a chain with friends; hand-to-hand to make sure you make it through the crowd together, although still molested. The slightly chilling drizzle just increasing the humidity and amplifying the pounding rhythms pouring out of all the bars.

Quick drive out of the French Quarter to pick up alcohol (after pulling money out of the ATMs on Bourboun Street with a $5 charge). Then returning to walk back into the mass of people.

A many-pocketed wool overcoat filled with bottles and bottles of beer and wine constantly gaining weight as the drizzle just won't stop.

Clink. Clank. Clink. Clank.

Strange glances from other patrons but most of the masses have fled the drizzle. Past the usual tourist traps, still walking. The moon has peeked from behind the clouds and a moderately warming breeze has replaced the rain. Trenchcoat quickly becoming lighter and lighter.

Into the Elysian Fields at about 2 am, stumbling now. Coat still a quarter full of alcohol. Houses run down and boarded up. Quite the shame really, they once were quite beautiful. Now its a gang-owned territory where laws are less applicable. Survive or be raped, mugged, or worse. Keep moving.

More stumbling as you veer toward the Mississippi River and turn to escape the Elysian Fields. Heading back toward the aquarium. The great Mississippi churning ever so slowly off to the left. The murky depths won't relinquish their secrets; so move on.

Wine is definitely gone. A beer or two left and you look up. The dilapidated buildings tell you at some point you spun around and returned to the Fields. But now your bearings are gone. God you need more beer, you think as you down another. How to find the path home?

The moon itself is bathing the town in an alcoholic haze; the night is astoundingly beautiful despite the filth and worn look. Slowly you stumble now through the Fields, trying to find your way home. No one messes with you, although a few beggars do attempt to bum cigarettes. Apparently, a DnD-playing white man in an oversized trenchcoat can pass safely through this crime-riddled territory.

Endless walking.

The Sun begins its morning ascent, all the alcohol long gone. With the morning star as a guide, you make it back to the tourist traps. You feast upon a Cajun omellete in a diner, the shrimp definitely adding to the taste. Then half-heartedly you return to your car knowing that you're going to sleep the rest of the day away. And THEN you'll have to return to work in the morning.

You make it back to your apartment, calming your headache with the liquid fire of whiskey. And close the blinds because the Sun that saved you is now your most hated enemy.

You drift into a long, dead sleep and awaken in the early evening. Again, back to the whiskey to quiet the constant drumming in your head. After a few shots your awakening mind ponders why you even moved here in the first place.

You took a 70% pay cut and you can't afford your bills. There's no food in the kitchen; only whiskey in the cupboards. So you open another bottle. It is warm here though. Snow is practically impossible.

Another drink and you are contemplating returning home, your real home. Then you sigh, finishing your drink and don your big black trenchcoat. You grab your keys and head back into the city.

The real reason you stay is the Beauty.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did live in Nawlins. Just last year actually. Although it seems a lifetime ago. The above is an appropriate transcript of what happened on the night of Fat Tuesday to me. I never understood exactly why I moved there. Just needed a change. And it was beautiful, especially the Garden District and the Lafayette Cemeteries in the GD. Also visited plantations and marvelled at their beauty. One of them was "Houmas House" and you may be able to find something on the net about it.

Eventually I had to return to real life to pay my bills. So I moved away. I still yearn to return though.

 

[diaglo]

a derelict approaches. he could be 20. he could be 60. it is hard to guess his age. he looks hard. stringy almost.

"shine?" the question. consciously leaving off the price.

"no thank you" the reply.

"i'll give you a free shine if i don't guess where you got those shoes." he goes on without even stopping to listen to the answer. "tell your friend."

he waits a moment.

"you got them right here. you got them right here on this street. there you are standing in them." he approaches to give you the shine. afterwards he says. "$20."

one of the oldest cons in the world. done everyday. day in day out in Nawlins.

 

[Funeris]

You may want to include....um...Jackson Square I think its called. Its near the FQ and its where all the Fortune Tellers sit out at night to tell futures. There are painters and crystal glass players.

Unique (having lived around the Appalachain Mts. for a good part of my time) is when you are on I-10 and heading West toward Houston, the flat expanse of it all. So used to mountains and the like and then you get there and the swamp stretches as far as the eye can see. Of course, a lot of states in the south have that never-ending expanse.

Also throw in Lake Pontchartrain if you can. Its about 27 miles across (the Toll Bridge portion) and although its not very deep, its depths could have lots of hidden secrets as well. Keep in mind that it was man made though so although the depth varies its never that deep...or is it??

Old Hotels....Pontchartrain Hotel in the Garden District...absolutely beautiful...also on Tchoupitoulas Street near the French Quarter and Harrah's is the Ambassador, which I humbly endorse. Its an old, old hotel and is furnished appropriately. Of course, they also have their own bar/dining room. And the price is only about $60 a night and you're right there in the 'action' of downtown.

The city park is another great setting. There are ancient, gigantic trees piercing the sky. A train track runs around it for kids to take tours. There are several bridges crossing a stream where you can watch a variety of birds and other animals. Plus there are stone monuments, old and gigantic about 4 stories high. Kinda like a pavillion with a staircase. Stone columns support the roof. By the stairs are worn statues of lions, large enough for two or three people to sit on (I have photos as evidence).

And of course, there are palm trees as well, testifying to the warmth. Walking distance from there is the Museum of Art. Last April or May they had an Egyptian display. Outside of the Museum is a sculpture garden. If you've been there, the sculptures could give you quite a few creature ideas. There is a stature of a horse...made of what looks to be wood. But its not a horse, just the shape is of a horse. Its hard to describe. Its made of arcing, splintered beams that are warped and twisted, giving it a somewhat feral appearance.

Absolutely magnificent.....RangerWickett, I could talk for days and days about Nawlins...but I think I'll stop here for now.

 

[Rackhir]

I've spent considerable time in New Orleans (or Nawlins, as some locals say). I used to date a girl who lived just outside the city. I'll share some images, memories, and impressions that may be useful for your game.

Dawn at Cafe Du Monde: As you walk through the Quarter, the smell gets to your first -- a morning after sort of smell -- stale beer, vomit, and worse. A woman staggers along the outside of Jackson Square, obviously still drunk and trying to find her way home after a long night. Those smells are displaced by the smell of strong coffee and baking pastires as you duck under the canvas tarps pulled down the outside of the cafe as protection against the morning chill. You grab a chickory coffee and three beignets and then sit at a table in the corner. The coffee is unbelievably strong and bitter, which is a welcome compliment to the fried pastries covered in heaps of powdered sugar. You can hear the river birds just over the levee. The sun strikes the front of St. Louis Cathedral and begins to illuminate the square as the coffee takes hold of you and opens your eyes to the day.

www.cafedumonde.com

I've got more I will try to post later. I will say New Orleans both scares the crap out of me and enlivens and inspires me whenever I visit.

You know there is a branch of the Cafe Du Monde, in Ikebukuro in Tokyo.

Cafe Du Monde Ikebukuro

On a somewhat more serious note, I believe that New Orleans has featured in some of Anne Rice's novels. Those might be good for some feel/background material.

 

[James Heard]

WikiTravel

One of the key things to getting New Orleans "right" is to know the parts.

Halloween and New Years are a lot like Mardi Gras without the tourists and more kids and private parties respectively IME.

Weather in October sort of varies, depending on how late the hurricane season runs. It could be a chilly, wet and 50 degrees sort of October or it could be 80 degrees and a continuation of August & September.

Things to note:
I-10. Seriously, it's like this great big Un-New Orleans bridge-looking sucker stretching across the city.
Superdome. I always thought it looked smaller on the outside than it does on the inside.
UNO & Loyola. They really do sort of have their own neighborhoods and tone.
I think they're supposed to be tearing down the old Convent in the Quarter, but I always though it was cool.
And never forget those bars that are behind the other bars- Doors that don't seem to lead to anywhere in alleyways are often the most bizarre places to drink imaginable. Buildings inside the blocks I guess? I've never been during the day so I could check thoroughly.

 

[nakia]

The city park is another great setting. There are ancient, gigantic trees piercing the sky. A train track runs around it for kids to take tours. There are several bridges crossing a stream where you can watch a variety of birds and other animals. Plus there are stone monuments, old and gigantic about 4 stories high. Kinda like a pavillion with a staircase. Stone columns support the roof. By the stairs are worn statues of lions, large enough for two or three people to sit on (I have photos as evidence).

My next post was going to be about city park. Vast and a little overgrown in places. I was told do not go there at night under any circumstances. The girl I was seeing and I went there one afternoon. God, it was hot (June). My girlfriend and I found some shady, way out of the way spot and laid down on the grass, behind some bushes underneath one of those giant trees. We proceded to do what most 17 year olds want to do (make out). We paused, and looked in the bushes only to find some guy crouched behind them, watching us. Frightened, we composed ourselves and almost ran back to her car. Creepy, creepy. Lots of creepy in New Orleans.

 

[eris404]

I have never been, but I can't help but think of the movie Angel Heart whenever anyone mentions New Orleans. It might at least put you in the right frame of mind.