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Simon Of New Orleans
Local artist Simon (no last name) has made a name (though only a first name) for himself by painting groovy signs that are hung like artwork in restaurants all over New Orleans. You'll probably recognize the distinctive stars, dots and sparkles that fill the spaces between letters on colorfully painted signs such as 'Who Died & Made You Elvis?' The gallery is a ramshackle indoor/outdoor affair. Out back, a tabletop box contains hand-painted Zulu coconuts - collectors' items in these parts.
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Soren Christensen Gallery
This impressive space showcases the work of nationally renowned painters and sculptors. The gallery is known for its nontraditional sensibility.
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St Augustine's Church
The 1824 St Augustine's Church (504-525-5934; 1210 Governor Nicholls St) is the second-oldest African American Catholic church in the US; many jazz funeral processions originate here.
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St Louis Cathedral
Jackson Square is the heart of the Vieux Carré, overlooking the Mississippi River. The grand 1794 St Louis Cathedral, designed by Gilberto Guillemard, presides over the square's assortment of street musicians, artists and tarot-card readers. The river levee's Moonwalk makes a great spot to sit and dip beignets in café au lait while watching the river boats meander by.
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St Louis Cemetery No 1
St Louis Cemetery No 1 received the remains of most early Creoles. The shallow water table necessitated aboveground burials, with bodies placed in the family tombs you see to this day. Don't enter the cemetery alone; if the ghosts don't get you, the muggers might.
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St Louis Cemetery No 3
This tidy looking cemetery was established in 1854 at the site of the old Bayou Cemetery and is worth strolling through for at least a few minutes. Of particular note here is the striking monument James Gallier Jr designed for his mother and father, who were lost at sea. James Gallier Sr, of course, was also a well established architect who preceded his son in designing many of the city's landmark buildings. The cemetery's wrought-iron entrance gate is a beauty.
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St Roch Cemetery
Just a few blocks towards the lake from the Faubourg Marigny (driving is recommended), St Roch cemetery is one of New Orleans' most intriguing resting places. It is named after an obscure saint, a French native, whose prayers are said to have protected Rome from the Black Plague. During New Orleans' bouts with yellow fever, Catholics who prayed to St Roch (pronounced 'St Rock') are believed to have been spared, and the small chapel within the cemetery grounds was raised in his honor.
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St Vincent's Infant Asylum
This large, red-brick orphanage was built in 1864 with assistance from federal troops occupying the city. It helped relieve the overcrowded orphanages filled with youngsters of all races who lost their parents to epidemics. The orphanage is now a hotel. A sign from the orphanage days still hangs from the finely styled castiron gallery in front.
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Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
Just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden opened in 2003 with some 45 pieces from the world renowned Besthoff collection. The garden collection is growing - 55 works at the latest count - and includes mostly contemporary works by such artists as Antoine Bourdelle, Henry Moore, and Louis Bourgeois.
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The Sanctuary
This historic house was also built by Evariste Blanc, in 1816-22, on land originally granted in 1720-1 to French Canadians. The once swampy property was later transferred to Don Andrés Almonaster y Roxas, the real-estate speculator who commissioned St Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square in the French Quarter.
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Thomas Mann Gallery I/O Jewelry
The 'IO' in this gallery's name stands for 'insightful objects.' The local craftsman Thomas Mann specializes in jewelry and sculpture, and his gallery is a smorgasbord of glass and metal. Mann's necklaces and bracelets make nice gifts.
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Tulane University
The Tulane University was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana in an attempt to control the repeated cholera and yellow-fever epidemics. In 1847, the University of Louisiana merged with the school. Paul Tulane's around US$1 million donation in 1883 initiated significant expansion - plus it immortalized his name. The highly regarded medical school has since moved downtown to Tulane Ave. Tulane's law programme is also well respected.
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United Fruit Company
A cornucopia of tropical produce graces the entrance to this building, hinting at the business conducted conducted within. The United Fruit Company, often reviled for its neocolonial practices in Central America, was based here from the 1930s until the 1970s. For many decades, the company held a virtual monopoly on the banana trade throughout much of the world. It's now part of Chiquita Brands International, based in Cincinnati.
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Ursuline Convent
In 1728, 12 Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans to care for the French garrison's 'miserable little hospital' and to educate the young girls of the colony. Between 1745 and 1752, the French colonial army built the Ursuline Convent, now the oldest structure in the Mississippi River Valley and the only remaining French building in the Quarter. Since Katrina, the convent has discontinued tours so you must peek at it through the gate, but tours may resume.
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US Custom House
The fortress-like US Custom House covers a square block. Construction on it began in 1849 and was supervised by Lieutenant PGT Beauregard, who later commanded Confederate forces. During the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, it served as the headquarters for African Americans in the Republican party. Blacks held a majority in the Louisiana legislature, and two African Americans filled the office of lieutenant governor: Oscar J Dunn and Pickney Benton Stewart Pinchback. Meetings took place in the enormous 'Marble Hall' on the 2nd floor.
