C'mon in, Y'all
Jackson Square, the hub and heartbeat of
the French Quarter, was the center of
activity for the French Creoles. Originally called the Place d'Armes,
it was renamed in 1856
in honor of General Andrew Jackson,
the hero of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
Bordered by Chartres, St.
Ann, St. Peter and Decatur streets,
the Square is surrounded by 18th and 19th century buildings.
Today, that old Creole parade ground
Most of
the buildings in the Quarter
are quaint, two- and three-story structures
of brick or pastel-painted masonry, decorated with fancy ironwork.
Many
have
secluded courtyards
On the Esplanade side of the Quarter resides the French Market,
which has
seven buildings: The Butcher's Market, the Bazaar, the Vegetable
Market, the Red Stores, the Cuisine Market,
the Farmer's Market, and the Flea Market.
In days
now long gone by, the entire length of
the Market, from the Square to Barracks, was alive
with the commerce of daily life. Times
have changed, though, and even if there were
enough people living in the Quarter to justify a
market the size of the French Market,
a large part of the market was converted into retail
shop space. As a result,
the Butchers'
Shopping in the Quarter, like
shopping in the Market, is sooooo much fun!
There are so many
antique and souvenir shops, boutiques and galleries, from the rare and
unusual to more mundane touron shlock. One could spend days just
walking up and down
the streets of the Quarter and never see everything!
At almost any hour of the day or night,
syncopated rhythms
pour into the Quarter from the wide-open doors
of beaucoup music clubs: traditional jazz, dixieland, swing,
honky-tonk piano, Cajun and zydeco, R&B,
hard rock, and even lilting Irish music. Sounds and activity come
from all parts of the Quarter from the French Market to
Jackson Square.
is a green park, with a surrounding fence decorated
by the New Orleans artists who work in the Square. Artists hang their work
on all sides of the wrought-iron fence outside the park, while tarot
and palm readers intermingle with other New-Age more traditional artists
and artesans.
On one side of the square sits the serene white St.
Louis Cathedral, while directly across from the church
is the Cafe du Monde. The scene at Jackson Square is one not likely to
be seen in any city other than New Orleans: dixieland bands and
bongo players, tapdancers and breakdancers,
portrait painters, palm readers, soothseers, mimes,
unicyclists and musicians from every walk of life,
while mules with flowered hats line up across from the Cafe waiting for their
carriages to fill with tourons ready to see the sights.
within, lined with banana trees and bougainvillea. The patios and balconies
of apartments facing the streets often are decorated with Mardi Gras
beads and colorful parasols.
Market and Bazaar no longer
house merchants selling groceries,
but rather the knick-knack kind of wares popular with tourons.
To capture the "old
feeling," it's more fun to skip the
air-conditioned shops of the front of the Market and move
to the outdoor stands and tables at the back, near Esplanade.