Louisiana - Pelican State
As I write this, Hurricane Ida is slamming into New Orleans which reminds me of Katrina in 2005. We visited Louisiana in May of 2007 and there was still plenty of evidence of Katrina’s damage, especially in certain neighborhoods in New Orleans. We drove through one particularly hard-hit area and there were very few grocery or drug stores, dry cleaners, restaurants, etc. Many of the houses and commercial areas were still boarded up and empty. The miles of desolation and ruined structures were heartbreaking. However, in the French Quarter, where we spent four nights, it was lively and crowded with people having a great time. We went during the time of the annual Jazz Fest where we spent one whole day in the steamy heat. The temperature was 97 degrees, and the music was hot, too! We saw several young women wearing nothing but bikinis and everyone, including us, was shining with perspiration – from the heat, from the crowding and from dancing at the various tent venues. In addition to classic jazz, there were blues and Gospel bands, too.
We hit some of the famous restaurants for classic New Orleans food, including Commander’s Palace for brunch and Nola’s for dinner. We stayed at The Soniat House, a small deluxe hotel, on a quiet stretch of Chartres Street which was still close enough to walk to the center of the Quarter. We saw a marvelous exhibition of mosaic art, which is normally kept in Rome, at the Old Ursuline Convent. Thirty-seven exquisite mosaics, reproductions of the art of Monet, including Van Gogh, Rouault, Chagall and Rembrandt, formed the exhibit. It was truly eye-popping. At the other end of the artistic spectrum, we watched as naked women were being body painted as they stood in the display window of a storefront right on one of the main streets. It was over-the-top and memorable, a completely novel experience for us.
Leaving New Orleans, we headed north to the capitol, Baton Rouge, stopping on the way in the small town of Bayou Goula to visit the world’s tiniest church, the Madonna Chapel. It is just 8 feet by 8 feet and contains only five chairs. It was built in 1903 by a man named Anthony Gullo, a poor sugar farmer, after he successfully prayed to the Virgin Mary for the recovery of his son. We almost drove right by it, that’s how small it is.
We also stopped to tour Oak Alley Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, in Vacherie. It boasts an antebellum mansion which is surrounded by 25 acres. It was built in 1839 by a wealthy Creole sugar planter for his young wife. The plantation is named for its alley, or canopied path, created by a double row of southern live oak trees which were planted in the early 18th century, long before the mansion was constructed. The Alley is 800 feet long and runs between the house and the Mississippi River. As you might imagine, it is extraordinarily picturesque.
Our tour of the state capitol in Baton Rouge was fascinating and, at times, comical. It was fun seeing a group of elementary school children, all black and dressed in school uniforms, learning about the history of their state. The view from the top of the building was thrilling because it has 34 stories, making it the tallest capitol building in the US. Our 90-year-old docent told us lots of amusing stories, especially about Huey P. Long and his younger brother, Earl. Huey Long, nicknamed “The Kingfish,” was the 40th governor of Louisiana (1928 to 1932) and later served as a member of the Senate from 1932 until he was assassinated in 1935 by the son-in-law of a political opponent. The assassin shot him with a gun right in the state house and the bullet hole remains there to this day. Huey’s bodyguards returned fire (reportedly 60 rounds) and killed him. There were rumors that Huey was having an affair with the wife of his assassin, but these are apparently unsubstantiated.
Huey’s younger brother Earl was also a politician, known for his colorful campaign style and willingness to say to folks in various parts of the state whatever they wanted to hear. News didn’t travel so fast in those days, so he was able to get by with it. His sometimes-erratic behavior, including a liaison with New Orleans stripper Blaze Starr, did not affect his ability to get elected. He was elected the 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three non-consecutive terms. Earl was well-known for his erratic behavior, leading some to think he may have suffered from bipolar disorder. (There are also rumors that he had syphilis.) His campaign supporters even printed signs that said, “Vote for Earl. He ain’t crazy.” At any rate, he was confined for a time in a psychiatric hospital. He was later nominated by the Democrats to run for a seat in the House of Representatives, but he died of a heart attack before the election. Our tour guide was acquainted with both Huey and Earl Long; he was also a great storyteller!
The song “You Are My Sunshine” also has a connection to the Baton Rouge statehouse. Jimmie Davis was a well-known country singer and politician. He wrote the song and lyrics and used it as a campaign theme, often singing it while riding a horse called Sunshine, at least once reportedly inside the statehouse. Apparently, the song was written not for a person, but for a horse! In 1960 he was elected governor of Louisiana on a segregationist ticket. Hmm.
Before leaving Baton Rouge, we drove through the campus of Louisiana State University, which looks remarkably like Stanford University.
Forty miles north of Baton Rouge is Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site in St. Francisville, along one of the most historic corridors in South Louisiana. When it was built, society in this area was dominated by Europeans, primarily British settlers who became cotton planters on an enormous scale. At its largest, Rosedown comprised almost 3,500 acres, mostly planted in cotton. The home was completed in 1835 by the Turnbull family and a surprising number of the furnishings, purchased from the North and from Europe, are still on display. The gardens are very beautiful. In the 19th century, Rosedown was one of the few privately maintained formal gardens in the United States.
Heading southeast, we drove through the lovely town of St. Martinville which has a strong French influence. It was founded in 1765 upon the arrival of Acadians in this area. There is a statue of Evangeline in a courtyard next to St. Martin de Tours Church and nearby is a bust of Longfellow.
After lunch at funky McGees Landing, we took a swamp tour of Atchafalaya Basin. This area was somewhat reminiscent of the Okefenokee Swamp we saw in Georgia. Yes, we saw lots of alligators again and Spanish moss growing on the trees. From there we went to Jungle Gardens on Avery Island which covers 250 lushly landscaped acres. This is where the world-famous Tabasco Sauce originated. A huge live oak tree on the property, called the Cleveland Oak, is name after President Grover Cleveland who visited there in the late 19th century. Obviously, this is a very old tree and a person standing next to it looks tiny.
We stayed two nights in New Iberia which allowed us to explore Cajun country. We love eating dinner outside and usually in the Bay Area it cools off in the evening. When we told the host at the restaurant where we went to dinner one night that we wanted to eat outside, he looked at us as if we were crazy. No one else was sitting outside and after just a few minutes, we headed inside, too. It’s the humidity that makes it feel so much hotter we learned. Obviously, if you live in Louisiana, you must get used to that!
We had a wonderful time in Louisiana and were able to experience so many different aspects of this state. I just hope that Hurricane Ida doesn’t do too much damage. People in New Orleans have suffered enough.