 SummaryAirport Rating ***** Reception of locals **** Cost: £££££
The French United States I don't think I've ever been more interested and fascinated to visit a US city as I have New Orleans. It has always seemed "different" to me. While Canada has Quebec and Montreal as two major French influenced cities, in the US most are Anglo-Saxon or Spanish. New Orleans is the exception. Remnants of France exist in North American both in some islands of the Caribbean, and in Canada - but to have a remnant of France within the United States is pretty intriguing. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The city was named in honour of the Duke of Orleans, and it remained under French control until 1763, when it was ceded to Spain following the Seven Years’ War. Spanish rule lasted until 1800, although it coincided with further French immigration from Haiti, and then the territory was returned to France. Just three years later, in 1803, France sold New Orleans to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase as French Emperor Napolean Bonaparte was afraid it might fall into British hands. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, New Orleans developed as a major port city due to its strategic location along the Mississippi River and near the Gulf of Mexico. Its position made it a key hub for the shipment of goods, especially cotton and sugar, during the antebellum period. It also became a centre for the slave trade in the southern United States. The city’s population was diverse from early on, with French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and later American influences contributing to its development. The Civil War had a significant impact on New Orleans. In 1862, it was captured by Union forces, which spared it the destruction faced by other southern cities. During Reconstruction and beyond, the city went through a period of economic and social instability. In the 20th century, New Orleans remained a culturally vibrant place but experienced economic challenges, especially as its importance as a port diminished due to technological changes and competition from other cities. It was during this time it became famous in American plays and later in Hollywood films. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 marked a major turning point in the modern history of New Orleans. The storm caused catastrophic flooding, largely due to the failure of the levee system. Around 80% of the city was submerged, and over 1,800 people died across the region. I remember watching the non-stop coverage on the news in England when I was young and it formed an important memory in my formative years. The population dropped significantly after the hurricane, and the city faced immense challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure, housing, and economy. Although the pace of recovery varied between different neighbourhoods, the long-term effects of the disaster continue to shape the city’s physical and social landscape. Today, New Orleans is a city of about 370,000 people, which is still below the pre-Katrina figure of around 485,000 in 2000 and the size of a large British town. African Americans make up about two thirds of the city and the city is home to jazz music and the world famous Mardi Gras events. The city’s cuisine reflects its multicultural roots, blending French, African, Spanish, and Caribbean influences in dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, and poboys (which I loved). The Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans is large, fairly modern and compared to some of the disasters I've seen in the US, is quite a pleasant place. There were no issues getting in and out the airport, and the trip from the airport into the city was fairly short in a taxi, about 20 minutes into the city. The French Quarter I've learned from some of my US coworkers that New Orleans can be a bit of divisive city, and as soon as I got to my hotel, I began to understand why. I stayed in the French Quarter, the historic centre of New Orleans. The neighbourhood. also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighbourhood in New Orleans and remains one of the most well-known historic districts in the United States. It was established in 1718, the same year the city was founded, by the French Mississippi Company under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The original city plan followed a grid layout, and the French Quarter, situated on relatively high ground near a bend in the Mississippi River, became the administrative and cultural heart of colonial New Orleans. Now, you might think, an old town, at least 300 years old - there must be a lot of culture here. And you wouldn't be entirely wrong. The French Quarter is characterised by its narrow streets, central courtyards, iron-laced balconies, and a blend of French and Spanish colonial architectural styles. Buildings are typically two to three storeys high, with shops, restaurants, or bars on the ground floor and flats above. But if you come here expecting a Paris-like experience, you won't get that (but you can read about Paris here). In the early decades, the district reflected French colonial urban design, though much of its current architectural character stems from the Spanish period of rule, which lasted from 1763 to 1800. During this time, two major fires—in 1788 and 1794—destroyed large portions of the neighbourhood. The Spanish administration enforced new building codes which mandated the use of fire-resistant materials such as brick and stucco, replacing the earlier wooden structures. This led to the construction of buildings with thick masonry walls, wrought iron balconies, and courtyards—features now commonly associated with the Quarter’s appearance. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, New Orleans became part of the United States. The French Quarter retained its distinct cultural identity through the 19th century, especially as waves of immigration introduced new communities. French-speaking Creoles, former black slaves mostly from West Africa, Spanish settlers, and later Italian and Irish immigrants all left their mark on the area. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the district began to decline in prestige, with many wealthier residents moving to newer parts of the city and the neighbourhood began a slow decline which has only recently been reversed through tourism. But there is another side to New Orleans from this historical culture, and it is a side that is much more prevalent today. The French Quarter attracts millions of visitors each year, particularly during major events such as Mardi Gras and the French Quarter Festival. The district is home to a high concentration of hotels, bars, restaurants, art galleries, souvenir shops, and music venues. Bourbon Street, which runs through the centre of the neighbourhood, is particularly known for its nightlife and commercial atmosphere. The entire length of the street, and nearby Frenchmen Street, is a 24/7 party, all days of the week. In some ways it reminded me of Broadway in Nashville (which you can read about here), and during the evenings it felt very much like that. At some points it becomes impassable, but the vibe and energy was always at 100 and people just seemed relaxed and having fun, mixing around and it never felt unsafe or aggressive. You can go from place to place, enjoying live music, speaking to people, and it feels like one big party. Put it this way. If you come to New Orleans, and you don't like to go out in the evenings, I am not entirely sure how many days you would enjoy it here. I made sure I was prepared mentally for it, and I had a great time. And it's not the say the entire French Quarter is just partying. Royal Street and Chartres Street feature a greater number of antique shops, boutiques, and historic landmarks, offering a different experience from the more crowded areas. Culturally, the French Quarter remains a focal point for New Orleans’ identity. It is associated with the development of jazz, with early performances often taking place in clubs and street corners in and around the Quarter. Today, street musicians, brass bands, and other performers are a regular presence, and each day I was there, performers were everywhere giving the neighbourhood a real buzz and energy. St. Louis Cathedral One of the most famous and important landmarks in the French Quarter is St. Louis Cathedral. Located on Jackson Square and facing the Mississippi River, it is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. The original church on this site was constructed in 1727, not long after the founding of New Orleans in 1718. This first building, a simple wooden structure, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1788, which destroyed a large portion of the French Quarter. A second church, built under Spanish rule and completed in 1794, replaced the earlier structure. This version forms the core of the current cathedral, although significant alterations and expansions have taken place since. In the mid-19th century, the cathedral underwent a major renovation that significantly altered its appearance. The redesign, carried out between 1849 and 1850, incorporated Gothic Revival elements and added the central steeple that defines the cathedral’s silhouette today. During this construction, most of the existing structure was demolished, and the current facade and bell towers were built, although parts of the earlier Spanish church remain incorporated into the present-day building. You can stand on the banks of the Mississippi River, overlooking Jackson Sqaure, and get a great view of the cathedral. It's a beautiful building, and during my time in New Orleans, it became a highlight whenever I walked past it each day going into the French Quarter in the morning and returning to my hotel in the evening. Inside, it is just as beautiful, although it doesn't quite have the opulence of European cathedrals. One of the prominent features is the ceiling mural, which was added in the 19th century and depicts scenes from the life of St. Louis IX, King of France, after whom the cathedral is named. Behind the main altar is a decorative apse, and to the side are several smaller chapels used for private prayer and special services. The church also contains a historic organ and a number of artefacts reflecting its long history. Jackson Square, in front of the cathedral, is usually filled with artists, musicians, street performers, and vendors - and a lot of stalls that tell fortunes. Flanking the square are two other historic buildings—the Cabildo and the Presbytere—both of which were originally associated with the cathedral’s operations and now function as state museums. Together, these buildings form one of the most photographed and visited sections of the French Quarter. Cafe du Monde New Orleans has quite a few institutions but none are more famous than Cafe du Monde, a long-standing cafe located in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Cafe du Monde was established in 1862 and has become one of the city’s most well-known cafes in the state. Its most famous menu items are the cafe au lait and beignets, and these have changed little since its founding. The original cafe opened during the American Civil War and was part of the French Market, an area that historically served as a centre for trade, food, and cultural exchange in New Orleans. The French Market itself dates back to the late 18th century, and it functioned as a commercial hub throughout the colonial period and into the 19th century. Cafe du Monde was established as part of this marketplace environment, and it has maintained its association with the space ever since. From the outset, the cafe specialised in serving French-style coffee and fried pastries and the menu is deliberately simple. The cafe au lait served at Cafe du Monde is made with a blend of coffee and chicory, a root that has historically been used as a coffee extender and flavouring agent, particularly in Louisiana. The beignets are a type of deep-fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. I don't really have a sweet tooth so I didn't love them (and you can only order them in portions of threes), but I can see why so many people from around the world come here to have them. The powdered sugar covers the beignets and when I was there the floor was dusted with sugar all over too. Cafe du Monde operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except on Christmas Day and is open-air, with green-and-white striped awnings that have become part of its visual identity. Seating is first-come, first-served, and there is no table service - you sit there and wait for someone to come over. It's very old school, very chill, and the price is also quite reasonable. I don't really like these sorts of things usually, but I didn't mind Cafe du Monde at all, and by the end of my trip I enjoyed spending some time there. There are two more branches open now, one in the city park and another at the airport - but the original is the best. The Garden District The French Quarter might the best known neighbourhood in New Orleans, but the city extends far beyond its historical boundaries and neighbouring districts have some great things to see and do. The Garden District is largely a residential neighbourhood in New Orleans, located upriver from the French Quarter. It's part of the city’s Uptown section and is recognised for its preserved historic architecture, broad streets, and organised layout. It is one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century residential development in the United States. The Garden District was originally developed in the 19th century on land that had previously been part of plantations. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, an influx of American settlers—particularly those from the Northeast and Midwestern United States—began moving into New Orleans. Many of these newcomers sought to establish communities outside the older, more Creole-dominated French Quarter. In 1832, the area that would become the Garden District was incorporated as the city of Lafayette. It remained a separate municipality until it was annexed by New Orleans in 1852. The district was planned with an emphasis on large residential plots and landscaped gardens, hence the name. Most development took place between 1832 and 1900, and a lot of the homes were built by wealthy families involved in shipping, trade, or plantation agriculture. Perhaps the most famous commercial street in the largely residential area is Magazine Street. The street contains a mixture of independent shops, restaurants, cafes, and art galleries. It was recommended to me as a place to check out, and while I liked the general vibe, it really wasn't all that. The shops were decent, and cafes were fine, but nothing to go out of your way to see. But... nearby is a sandwich shop that I absolutely loved called Turkey and the Wolf. Opened in 2016, the shop gained national recognition for its unconventional approach to traditional Southern food, incorporating ingredients such as fried bologna, collard greens, and processed cheese into its menu. It has received coverage in various food publications and is a big deal on social media, and I wasn't disappointed when I checked it out. It's not cheap. Actually, for what you get, it's quite expensive (that's before you even consider the ridiculousness that are American tips). But the food is tasty, and the restaurant is very different from your usual casual dining. The Garden District also includes a number of religious institutions, schools, and cultural landmarks. Commander’s Palace, a restaurant dating back to the 1880s, is located near the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, one of the oldest city-operated cemeteries in New Orleans. The cemetery was established in 1833 and features above-ground tombs and mausoleums, reflecting the city’s burial customs. Public access to the cemetery has been restricted in recent years for conservation reasons, and you have to buy tickets and get a guided tour. The Garden District has a couple of tram lines running around it and I took one from the French Quarter past the District to the City Park and while the tram network isn't extensive it is a very cheap and convenient way of getting around some of the major landmarks. The trams (called streetcars) were made famous in the middle of the 20th century through plays like A Streetcar Named Desire (which I still remember being taught to us in secondary school). Museums of Nola Nearby is one of the largest museums in the United States - the National WWII Museum. It focuses on the American experience of the Second World War, with an emphasis on the contributions of the United States to the Allied victory, particularly in the European and Pacific theatres. The museum was founded by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, who was a professor at the University of New Orleans and author of several influential books on the Second World War. He proposed the museum as a means of highlighting the importance of the Higgins boats—amphibious landing craft designed and built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries—which played a pivotal role in the D-Day landings and other Allied invasions. By 2004, the U.S. Congress had designated it as “America’s National World War II Museum,” and subsequent funding, including federal support and private donations, allowed for significant expansion beyond just a museum about the D-Day landings. Tickets cost about $30 so it isn't cheap, but I didn't really expect New Orleans to have the Second World War Museum for the country so I felt like I had to check it out. The museum complex spans several buildings and includes exhibition halls, a theatre, an academic research centre, and an area for special temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions include “The Arsenal of Democracy,” which covers the build-up to war and life in the United States during the conflict; “Road to Berlin,” which explores the European theatre; and “Road to Tokyo,” which addresses the war in the Pacific. It was fun going through all these areas - and yeah, the focus is on the US and so some parts of the role played by allies is downplayed or not shared at all, but I guess that is normal. It's genuinely a huge museum, and at times it isn't signposted so well, so I got lost at parts of the exhibition, starting near the end or the middle of some parts of the museum - but after a couple of hours I had seen almost everything. And while there is nothing on the Sikh contribution, there was a large photo of a Singh at the end that aimed to show America's diversity. I wouldn't fly to New Orleans just to check out the museum, but if you are in the city, it's something you should really see although the ticket prices are a little steep. Back in the French Quarter is the Historic New Orleans Collection which is an institution that is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Its campus includes a group of historic buildings centred on Royal Street, including the Merieult House, which dates back to the 18th century. The institution operates both as a museum and a research centre. It offers free exhibitions that cover a wide range of topics, including colonial history, music, architecture, art, and the evolution of the city’s diverse population. The collection includes photographs, maps, manuscripts, prints, decorative arts, and personal papers, many of which are available for public viewing or scholarly research. Temporary exhibitions regularly explore specific topics such as jazz history, Mardi Gras, or major anniversaries in the city’s timeline. I really enjoyed visiting the Historic New Orleans Collection. It's free, it's right in the middle of the French Quarter, and the collection is eclectic, easy to follow, relatively small, and spans the history of the city. It's one of the better museums I have visited in the US, and it gets a strong recommendation from me - even for the beautiful building that houses the museum. Bywater and bakeries On the other side of the French Quarter is another cool neighbourhood - Bywater. The area is located downriver from the French Quarter in New Orleans. I walked from the French Quarter to Bywater, and while I wouldn't recommend doing it on your own (especially if you're a woman) or especially during the evening, it wasn't a horrible experience. The walk follows the general curve of the Mississippi River, although the river itself is not always visible due to flood protection infrastructure. Crescent Park, a linear riverside park completed in 2014, offers a scenic and direct walking route between the French Market and Bywater. The park runs for 1.4 miles along the riverfront and includes pedestrian bridges, landscaped areas, bike paths, and views of the downtown skyline. When I walked past the industrial area by the riverside and across the park it was largely deserted and had a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel, with newspapers being blown around by the wind, a lone swing being pushed around, and just had a generally eerie feeling. Historically, Bywater developed during the 19th century as a working-class residential district, with a mixture of French, Spanish, African American, German, Irish, and Italian communities. The architectural style in the area largely consists of shotgun houses, Creole cottages, and double-gallery homes, many of which date from the mid-to-late 1800s. The industrial character of the neighbourhood was shaped by its proximity to shipping docks, rail lines, and warehouses, particularly along the riverfront and near the Industrial Canal. It was also a site of manufacturing and processing industries that served the port economy. I liked seeing the rows of differently painted houses, but other than a couple of very nice restaurants and bakeries, there wasn't a whole lot to do here. That being said, the area is home to Bywater Bakery, and the story here deserves to be told. Opened in 2017, it looks like any other cafe (although beautifully built and very Instagrammable). The bakery is known as the home of the Lemon Doberge cake, a multi-layered dessert consisting of alternating layers of sponge cake and lemon custard, covered in a thin layer of icing. The Doberge cake is itself a New Orleans adaptation of the Hungarian Dobos torte, popularised in the mid-20th century by local baker Beulah Ledner. Bywater Bakery’s lemon version has now become nationally famous and is packed in supermarkets around the country. After visiting another restaurant I decided to catch a taxi back to the French Quarter as the weather was beginning to turn and I ended up getting a brilliant Panjabi taxi driver from Lehnda Panjab and we spoke in detail about our shared Panjabi heritage as well as his experiences in New Orleans (which he described as generally positive with the odd bit of racism common everywhere). City Park Further north from the French Quarter is New Orleans City Park - one of the largest and oldest urban parks in the United States. Located in the Mid-City area of New Orleans, it spans approximately 1,300 acres and is bordered by Bayou St. John to the west, the Lakeview neighbourhood to the north, and various residential areas and city infrastructure to the south and east. The land on which the park now sits was originally part of a colonial plantation estate. By the early 19th century, it had passed into the hands of the Allard family, and by the mid-1800s, part of it had become known as the Allard Plantation. In 1854, the City of New Orleans officially designated the land as a public park. However, it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that City Park was formally developed into a structured urban green space. The park is huge, and I only managed to walk about a third of it, but it felt very different to the Royal Parks of London (and you can read my reviews of them here). City Park is characterised by a diverse mixture of natural and constructed elements. The park’s live oak trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, are concentrated in areas like the Couturie Forest and the Peristyle. Bayous and manmade lagoons run through the park, supporting birdlife, aquatic species, and recreational boating. The layout includes both open spaces and densely vegetated areas, along with formal gardens such as the New Orleans Botanical Garden, which was established in the 1930s and remains open to the public. The New Orleans Museum of Art, located at the southern end of the park, houses a permanent collection of over 40,000 works. Next to the museum is the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, an open-air installation site with sculptures by modern and contemporary artists, set against landscaped paths, water features, and oak trees. The park also contains several sports fields, tennis courts, a driving range, and an 18-hole golf course. There are also running and cycling trails, a stadium, and the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, which includes a wooden carousel dating back to the early 20th century. Storyland, an adjacent children’s play area, includes storybook-themed sculptures and playground equipment. I can see how it would be fun for kids, but the sculptures looked a little creepy. There's also a Cafe du Monde which I visited and although it doesn't quite have the charm of the one in the French Quarter it is still so good! Vampire and Voodoo Tours One of the things I was 100% told to do was to lean into the ghost / voodoo / vampire mythology of the city and I went headfirst into it. New Orleans voodoo, sometimes referred to as Louisiana Voodoo or Voodoo-Catholicism, is a syncretic spiritual practice that developed among enslaved Africans in the French and Spanish colonial periods. It combines elements of West African spiritual systems, Roman Catholicism, and indigenous American traditions. Voodoo developed partly in response to the conditions of slavery, where Africans were prohibited from openly practising their religions and often adopted Catholic saints and rituals to maintain elements of their spiritual systems covertly. I decided to take a vampire tour which explored legends of vampires said to have arrived from Europe during the colonial period or to have lived in the city under assumed identities. We arrived at a designated meeting point during the late evening, were given wristbands, and then we moved through the French Quarter as a group of about 15 people, stopping at various buildings to explore the legends around them. We were told stories of the Casket Girls—young women sent from France in the early 18th century to marry colonists. According to the tour guide, they arrived with small casket-shaped chests, pale skins, and sharpened teeth, which became associated with vampire stories. Another story (and building) that we heard about and visited involved the so-called “Ursuline Convent vampires,” with the guide telling us that the attic of the Ursuline Convent was sealed to prevent supernatural entities from escaping. Many vampire stories draw upon fictional or semi-fictional characters. The novels of Anne Rice, particularly her Vampire Chronicles series, have contributed significantly to the popularity of vampire lore in the city. Rice’s character Lestat, for instance, is often mentioned on vampire tours, and some routes include stops outside locations mentioned in her novels or associated with her life. The blend of literary fiction with urban legends forms a core part of these tours’ narratives. We also stopped by the LaLaurie Mansion. The mansion is associated with 19th-century socialite Delphine LaLaurie and alleged acts of cruelty against enslaved individuals which were unbelievably haunting to hear and too disturbing to repeat here. I don't know how many of the stories or the stops were embellished, and how many were completely made up, but I do know that I had an incredible time. I'm not much of a fiction reader, but put me in an interactive map where someone is telling me a story, and I am standing opposite the place where the story takes place, and I bought into the experience completely. Would I recommend visiting New Orleans? Yes, but you need to go in with your eyes open. The best part of the city is the French Quarter, and beyond the architecture, the best way to enjoy it is to go out and become a part of it by taking part in voodoo and vampire tours and feeling the energy in Bourbon Street even if you don't drink. In this blog I have always tried to play down elements of any place that I visit that are primarily to do with drinking given the problems within our community. I don't mean go out and get drunk, I mean just feel the energy. The food is nice, prices are a little high, but the city is definitely good fun if you're in the mood for it. Beyond the French Quarter, there are some great neighbourhoods and museums, a huge park. But there is also crime, poverty, and violence so you need to be a little more careful than usual in New Orleans. That being said, I felt fine for the most part. I saw a couple of Sikhs during my time there although they could have been tourists too - but there is a small Gurdwara about 20 minutes' drive from the French Quarter which caters to the local Sikh community. For me, New Orleans gets a positive review - but I know it will not be a city for everyone. Comments are closed.
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AuthorBritish Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures. 
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