Even though we didn’t arrive in New Orleans in time for “Fat Tuesday,” the city still offered ample entertainment. Without flailing bodies and distracting garb to steal our attention that April 2005 day, we were able to take in the exquisiteness of Jackson Square, which in many ways resembled a typical town square, but on a larger scale.
Jackson Square, known up until 1814 as Place d'Armes, is historic park located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Place d’Armes’ bleak claim-to-fame was that is served as the preferred site for the public execution of disobedient slaves. Luckily, the dismembered bodies of slaves no longer serve as decorations for the city gates.
Currently, the plaza has, at its heart, a castle-like cathedral, the Saint Louis Cathedral. Coincidently, we were in New Orleans on the day that the new pope, Pope Benedict XVI, was being ordained. To honor this event, chiming church bells echoed through the district for nearly an hour. In front of the church, there is a great lawn with bordering gardens, all of which emphasize the monumental statue paying tribute to the Square’s new namesake, General Andrew Jackson.
The side-streets of New Orleans were equally as active as the Square itself. The walkways were speckled with local artists selling masterpieces, seeking inspiration from the metropolitan hubbub, and soliciting shoppers to sit for portraits. In spite of the fact that New Orleans is a municipality, it avoids many of the excesses that characterize other great cities. I found it refreshing that Jackson Square was remarkably clean, beggars weren’t prevalent, and people didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
Jackson Square, complete with Saint Louis Cathedral and Jackson statue
Photo from: www.inetours.com/New_Orleans/images/Tours/Jackson_Square_0466.jpg
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