Warehouse District

This is the Riverwalk Mall. The Riverwalk Mall and neighboring Convention Center were built for the 1984 World’s Fair. They are where most of the exhibits were located.

They say they fair was a failure because it didn’t bring the number of people they wanted but I see it as a huge win for New Orleans that is still paying dividends today.

It built the convention center, riverwalk mall, and revitalized this area that was old warehouses and is now full of hotels and restaurants.

If anyone is interested in reading more about the 1984 World’s Fair here is a good article the local newspaper published a few months back:

The 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans: Then and now

Here is a look down river from the outdoor food court portion of the Riverwalk Mall.

This is a parking lot across the street from the convention center and next to the Fulton Place parking facility. This lot is sometimes rented out for special events. On this day it’s hosting festivities for New Orleans’ version of the Running of the Bulls. In this case runners are chased by plastic bat wielding roller derby girls.

Emeril’s Restaurant

The National WWII Museum. You can read my full article on this one here.

Confederate Memorial Hall. This houses the second largest collection of confederate artifacts after the American Civil War museum in Richmond, Virginia. The price of admission is $10.

Lee Circle. Or Leeless Circle. The statue of Robert E. Lee that stood on that pedestal was removed a few years back during the war on Confederate Monuments. A total of four statues were removed from around New Orleans.

This is the Circle Bar

This is the Circle K

I’m going to circle back around to the Circle Bar. It has some historic significance. It was the office of the first female doctor in Louisiana.

Hey I made the happy hour! $4 draft. Back home that’s what we call…regular price. I got a local beer here called the NOLA blonde.

This is a recent development. This was the Hotel Modern. Now it’s a Holiday Inn Express. I’m very excited about that.  Hotel Modern has always had sketchy reviews. It’s changed ownership a couple of times and the ratings really haven’t improved. I’ve stayed at three holiday inn properties around here and they’ve all been great. I’ve also heard nothing but good things about the Holiday Inns in Metairie and on the West Bank. So I’m expecting this to be another good hotel.

Lighthouse for the Blind. The lighthouse was added to the existing building in 1924. Now I believe it is just rented out for special events.

This is St. Patrick’s Church. It was built by the Irish to have an English speaking alternative to the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square which was built by the French.

Fifth circuit court of appeals

This is Lafayette Square. That’s Gallier Hall which served as city hall for the 1850s-1950s.

Gallier Hall

John McDonough bust in front of Gallier Hall.

He was a real estate tycoon with some questionable business practices. He would buy  a property and turn it into a brothel to drive down home values.

After he bought the surrounding homes at a discount, he would shut down the brothel, and sell all of the properties for a substantial profit.

He was a slave owner. But he educated his slaves, paid them one day per week, and allowed them to buy their freedom. I guess that’s good enough to allow his statue to stay.

He was big on education in this area. There are a slew of schools around here named McDonough with a number after it.

I don’t know the significance of the William Henry Clay statue in the middle. I know it was originally smack dab in the middle of canal street and there was a statue of Benjamin Franklin here. They relocated the Clay statue here and the Ben Franklin statue is now at Benjamin Franklin High School.

This replica of the Ben Franklin statue from Lincoln Park on Chicago was added later.

Central Business District (CBD)

We are now on St. Charles Street. This is the Hilton St. Charles. It used to be the Louisiana Masonic Temple.

This is One Shell Square. It’s the tallest building in the state of Louisiana at 700 feet.

After Katrina there were signs a few blocks back for the future home of Trump International Hotel & Tower. That was going to be the new tallest building in the state at 850 feet. That project was canceled in 2011 and as you can imagine, a lot of people around here held a grudge in 2016.

If this interests you…

Le Pavillon. A historic hotel. They say it’s haunted. There are rumors of an underground tunnel that was built during prohibition that takes you to another building a couple blocks away. I believe the bar area has been used in several movies. They have a tradition of a peanut butter and Jelly and hot chocolate buffet at night that was started by a guest a long time ago. 

Johnny Sánchez. If you watch Master Chef, this is Aarón Sanchez’s restaurant. 

John Besh was the co-owner but he was a casualty of the “me too movement” and is no longer associated with this or any of his other restaurants.

I was disappointed with that situation because when most celebrity chefs open restaurants all over the country, he focused his in New Orleans. I liked that. Off the top of my head I think he had a steakhouse in Harrah’s. He had Borgne in Hyatt Regency. Luke in the Hilton on St. Charles. Willa Jean on Girod Street….and Johnny Sanchez on Poydras.

This is Walk Ons sports bar. You see those three mirrors to the right? Those are the urinals in the men’s room. One of those you can see out but not in deals.

Walk Ons was started by a couple of former LSU basketball players that were…walk ons. It’s a sports bar but with better food than most sports bars. 

A few years back Drew Brees invested heavily in Walk Ons and said they were going nationwide. So keep an eye out for one near you.

I have old pictures from inside that walk Ons bathroom

I intended to stop at this PJs for a coffee and muffin. The whole block is locked up so I’m wondering if they have a power outage. I’ll stop at one in the French Quarter.

Mercedes Benz Superdome

Champions Square entrance

New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise on November 1st 1966—All  Saints Day. The franchise was purchased for $8.5 million with money that was made in the oil business (Black Gold).

After nearly two decades of losing a local car dealership owner, Tom Benson, purchased the team for $64 million to keep it from moving to Jacksonville. The team is now valued at over 2 billion.

This is Tom Benson.

He would later buy the New Orleans Voodoo AFL team…and sell them a year before then AFL folded. He also purchased the Pelicans (then Hornets), saving them from a potential relocation. He bought the local fox station. He bought Dixie beer.

Tom passed away last year and the teams went to his wife, Gayle. The last couple years of his life he fought a big legal battle to keep his daughter (not Gayle’s daughter) and grandchildren from inheriting the teams. That part of his family is located in San Antonio and he didn’t feel they’d have the best interest of New Orleans in mind. Mrs. Benson is a true New Orleanian and has been a fabulous owner.

This is Champion’s Square. It used to be a mall called the New Orleans Centre. The New Orleans Centre never re-opened after Katrina. 

The Saints owner at the time, Tom Benson, bought the New Orleans Centre and Dominion Tower (Now Benson Tower) in 2009. Most of the New Orleans Centre was tore down. 

On a game day this area is filled with food trucks and concessions stands. They have a stage setup for pregame entertainment. 

On Monday this will be a sea of black and gold.

The Smoothie King Center AKA “The Blender” is where the Pelicans play. They also have concerts in there. Queen was there a couple weeks ago.

Steve Gleason blocked the punt that was covered for the Saints first touchdown in the Superdome after Katrina. He  is just a ridiculously good person. He has ALS now. If you are down here and see 37 Gleason shirts or Team Gleason or No White Flags. Its all about ALS. If you’re here on the 28th or September please stop by Champions Square for the annual Gleason Gras.

This statue of former Governor John McKeithen is outside of the Superdome. McKeithen was Governor or Louisiana when the Superdome was built.

Vietnam War memorial

Benson Tower

I decided to take the street car to Bourbon street which would take me just a few blocks from the hotel.

The streetcar costs $1.25 per ride and .25 per transfer or $3 per day. I’m going with a $3 pass. 

The first street car takes me to canal and the second takes me to Bourbon Street.

I have videos riding to canal then boarding the one to Bourbon Street.

French Quarter

PJ’s is like Starbucks only better. It was started in the 80’s by Phyllis Jordan. Her first store was uptown. Phyllis sold the company about 20 years ago. Now its franchised all over Louisiana And Mississippi. Then there are a few other stores located randomly around the country. 

This is the Sheraton Four Points. It used to be the French Quarter Opera House.

Louisiana Supreme Court

Jackson Square

St. Louis Cathedral

The Cabildo

Washington Artillery Park

You’ll find some interesting people around Jackson Square at night. This guy was yelling at a tree.

This is the exterior shot of NCIS New Orleans Headquarters

This was the home of Confederate General PGT Beaugard and later American author Frances Parkinson Keyes. It is now a museum.

This Joan of Arc Statue was given to New Orleans as a gift from France in 1964. It was originally located in the area where Harrah’s Casino now resides and was moved to this location near the French Market in 1994.

This is Pirate’s Alley. They say this is where pirates used to meet.

The pole represents the closest point of Church, State, and Bar in the country with St. Louis Cathedral, The Cabildo, and Pirates Alley Cafe (bar).

Also in Pirate’s alley is the house where William Faulkner wrote his first novel.

Musical Legends Park

I’ll end this with a ghost story.

LaLaurie Mansion 1140 Royal Street

Owned by a crazy woman who tortured her slaves. In 1834 there was a fire believed to be started by a slave that was chained to the oven.

When putting the fire out slaves were discovered starved, tortured, chained up. They were taken to the cabildo for medical treatment.

As word spread an angry mob gathered around her house and ran her out of town. It’s believed she returned to France where she died about 15 years later.

The house was recently owned by Nicholas Cage but he lost it in a bankruptcy. 

It’s supposed to be the most haunted house in New Orleans. They say you can feel negative energy just by standing too close to it.

1am and nobody is around. Is this a paranormal experience? You be the judge.

• New Orleans