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| The Oaks Plantation |
It's time for now to say good bye to N'Awlins. This will be my last post from our spring trip to the Big Easy. Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to bringing you another post from our return trip to see the Plantations.
I have to say that we squeezed in as much as we could from early morning to late evening. We saw a little bit of everything you wanted to see. And we did a little bit of everything you'd want to do. As a self-confessed foodie, we ate a little bit of everything we wanted to try also.
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Mahalia
Jackson |
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| Louis Armstrong |
But one of the places that I had never been before this trip was Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square. Both are located in the Treme district just across Rampart Street from the quarter. This area of the city has long been a neighborhood with strong ties to the music, slaves and free people of color in the city's history. The park was beautiful and spacious. It was well landscaped making it a joy to photograph and laid out to showcase not just the sculpture in it, the historic buildings but also city venues for different shows. While we were in the city, the Lion King was playing, and of course the Hornets were also playing. New Orleans Municipal Auditorium is just behind Congo Square and the Mahalia Jackson Theater is in the park.
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| Congo Square |
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| Historical Marker |
But it was Congo Square that to me was most fascinating. I could almost hear the drums playing on the morning when we went. We had found both the park and square the night before by accident. In the cool morning air, we were alone in the park. And it allowed us to take in not just the scenery but the history and the ambiance of the square. I'm not usually a willing early morning riser but on vacations it's a must as far as I am concerned. You generally will have the run of what ever you want to see.
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| One of the oak trees |
The entrance to the park was spectacular viewed in the dark. Daytime made it nice but it lost some of its impact. Just inside the entrance to the left is Congo Square. This was the traditional gathering place on Sundays for slaves and free people of color during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The gatherings would include a market, dancing, music and voodoo. All of this was on view and viewed in the afternoons by the white citizenry and many visitors to New Orleans. Reports from visitors have documented as many as 500-600 unsupervised slaves gathered around dancing, trading and playing music. It's been noted that Marie LeVeau lived no more than a block from Congo Square and oftentimes went to the location to practice her voodoo rituals.
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| Congo Square Oak |
All of that history however comes alive when you walk through the area because of the trees. The square was filled with these massive live oak trees that were so big around that you would need 4 to 6 people with arms outstretched just to encircle them. Dripping with Spanish Moss, it's obvious that the trees have been witness to the birth of jazz which came from the gathering of the slaves and the music played by them. The peace and tranquility these trees expressed as well as the ability to survive mother nature is a testament to their strength and the time they've already been in existence.
But as we continued to wander we left Congo Square and headed into Louis Armstrong Park itself. Designed as a tribute to Louis Armstrong, favorite native son, it also showcases Mahalia Jackson, jazz music and the jazz brass bands that fill the streets of New Orleans. Armstrong Park was lushly landscaped, filled with lagoons, scenic arched and covered bridges and grassy knolls. The lagoons were filled with ducks and geese swimming lazily in the early morning. Filled with statues of Jackson, Armstrong, a brass jazz band and Sidney Bichet. There were quiet spots to sit and relax, meandering paths and historic landmarks (which bore signage that they were under renovations and repairs after Katrina.)
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| Louis Armstrong Park |
One downside to the park and square however is that it is bordered on the one side by the quarter but is definitely situated in the Treme district. Why is that a downside? There was a definite lack of businesses around it for eating, drinking and/or sitting. There were also no public restrooms anywhere within several blocks of there. Now on the whole neither of those would create a crisis situation, but combining the two could if you've just had your morning coffee make you somewhat uncomfortable. And if you had young children or grandchildren with you under the circumstances of no public restrooms might make the park one of those "let's just skip that one" items for the city. A shame, but understandable.
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| Entrance to the park, at night |
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| Same entrance, in the day |
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| statue commemorating the dancing in the square |
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| Some of the landscaping in the Park |
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One of the water features in the park, all of
which are lit up at night |
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| one of the bridges over the lagoons |
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| note the lights at the bottom of the bridge for light at night |
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the oldest Masonic temple
in the state located in the
park. |
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| Another of the bridges over the various lagoons |
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| The flowers in the park were so beautiful and abundant |
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This is the beginning of the National
Historic Jazz Park. Most of this
part of the park was under construction
because of Hurricane Katrina. |
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| Another of the pretties in the park. |
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| Another water feature in one of the lagoons. |
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Looking down out of a "window"
in the bridge to the lagoons
below. |
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| An historic old fire station located in the park. |
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Statuary which was on a peninsula
located in a lagoon in the Park |
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Close-up of the statuary on the peninsula
from the previous picture |
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| Brass band statuary on the pathway from the entrance |
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