Bill's Aviation Log

New Orleans was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was regent of the Kingdom of France at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans.

The French colony of Louisiana was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, following France's defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War.

The city of New Orleans was always a cosmopolitan city, made up of Frenchmen, Spanish, native Americans, traders from the 13 colonies, pirates, black slaves.

In 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. Andrew Jackson's victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 ensured that the city would remain American. But in the early days of American ownership, the dominant culture in the city was still French. The tour guide told us, as the Americans moved in starting in 1803, they built their own "American Quarter" on the west side of town. We cruised around American Quarter and saw some of the very nice houses there.

Families own the tombs, like real estate. They are passed down through the generations. The tombs hold two deceased at a time. Basically, the summer heat turns the tomb into an oven which disintigrates the remains so that there is an open space by the time the next family member is ready for internment.

As you can see, the park is very pretty.

Then we got into the bus and covered the area to the north and east of the city. Here we are looking north at big Lake Ponchartrain.

A good look at one of the levees and floodwalls.

The tour guide told us about the iconic drink of New Orleans: Sazerac I was surprised it wasn't the Hurricane. So before dinner I had one. (see below). I must say, it was not my cup of tea.

A little history about Sazerac: In the mid-1800s a Creole man named Antoine Peychaud started selling his own medicinal elixir with the promise of health benefits. Made with Cognac, bitters, sugar, and herbsaint, Sazerac quickly became a hit and has turned into the Official Drink of New Orleans. Today most of the places in New Orleans use rye whiskey instead of Cognac but you can order it either way. Whiskey is made from grains while Cognac is made from grapes but they are both strong.

Overall, the tour was excellent, the perfect complement to our Food Tour yesterday.

March 21, 2021 - New Orleans Minibus Tour
Today we went on a minibus tour of the city of New Orleans. The minibus picked us up in front of our hotel -- the Drury Plaza -- pictured here. The building used to be owned by a telephone company and has been converted into a hotel.

Lynnette in front of the tour bus. The tour guide was excellent; he really knew his New Orleans.

The tour skipped the French Quarter, which was fine with us since we had walked most of it yesterday. But I was surprised to learn that there is an "American Quarter" on the west side of town where those Americans who had money built big fancy houses like this.

New Orleans was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was regent of the Kingdom of France at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans. The French colony of Louisiana was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, following France's defeat by Great Britain in the Seven Years' War. The city of New Orleans was always a cosmopolitan city, made up of Frenchmen, Spanish, native Americans, traders from the 13 colonies, pirates, black slaves. In 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. Andrew Jackson's victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 ensured that the city would remain American. But in the early days of American ownership, the dominant culture in the city was still French. The tour guide told us, as the Americans moved in starting in 1803, they built their own "American Quarter" on the west side of town. We cruised around American Quarter and saw some of the very nice houses there.

Cemeteries are a thing in New Orleans. So we stopped at one and it was quite interesting.

Families own the tombs, like real estate. They are passed down through the generations. The tombs hold two deceased at a time. Basically, the summer heat turns the tomb into an oven which disintigrates the remains so that there is an open space by the time the next family member is ready for internment.

The names of the deceased family members are chiseled onto the tomb face.



Some of the tombs had family members going back hundreds of years.

It turns out that New Orleans has a huge park called "City Park" which I believe is bigger in acreage than San Francisco's Golden Gate Park or New York City's Central Park.

We didn't see the entire park but it has

As you can see, the park is very pretty.

Then we got into the bus and covered the area to the north and east of the city. Here we are looking north at big Lake Ponchartrain.

Other than the land along the Mississippi River and some low ridges cutting out perpendicular from the river, New Orleans is all below sea level. Three "outfall" canals, which extend from what used to be the back swamp to the shore of Lake Ponchartrain, are used to pump water from the city to Lake Ponchartrain. In case of a storm surge, levees were built along the canals to prevent water from flowing INTO the city. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Floodwalls and levees constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers failed below design specifications and 80% of the city flooded. Tens of thousands of residents who had remained were rescued or otherwise made their way to shelters of last resort at the Louisiana Superdome or the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. More than 1,500 people were recorded as having died in Louisiana, most in New Orleans, while others remain unaccounted for. Below, looking south, is one of the "outfall" canals, with the New Orleans skyline in the background.

A good look at one of the levees and floodwalls.

Another levee/floodwall.

Driving through the Ninth Ward, on the eastern side of New Orleans, which was the hardest hit Ward during Hurricane Katrina. One of the poorest areas of New Orleans, many of the homeowners weren't insured. Much of the blight -- houses and buildings that were severely damaged, abandoned, and never restored -- is gone, but some still remains.

The tour guide told us about the iconic drink of New Orleans: Sazerac I was surprised it wasn't the Hurricane. So before dinner I had one. (see below). I must say, it was not my cup of tea. A little history about Sazerac: In the mid-1800s a Creole man named Antoine Peychaud started selling his own medicinal elixir with the promise of health benefits. Made with Cognac, bitters, sugar, and herbsaint, Sazerac quickly became a hit and has turned into the Official Drink of New Orleans. Today most of the places in New Orleans use rye whiskey instead of Cognac but you can order it either way. Whiskey is made from grains while Cognac is made from grapes but they are both strong. Overall, the tour was excellent, the perfect complement to our Food Tour yesterday.


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March 21, 2021 - New Orleans Minibus Tour