Lagniappe... my blog comes to a close.

From Wikipedia: A lagniappe (LAN-yap) is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th doughnut when buying a dozen), or more broadly, "something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure." The word entered English from Louisiana French, in turn derived from the American Spanish phrase la ñapa ('something that is added' ). The term has been traced back to the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. Although this is an old custom, it is still widely practiced today in Louisiana. Street vendors, especially vegetable vendors, are expected to throw in a few green chillies or a small bunch of cilantro with a purchase. The word is chiefly used in the Gulf Coast of the United States, but the concept is practiced in many places, such as Southeast Asia, North Africa, rural France, and Holland

In this case, since I'm now home from New Orleans after a 12 hour drive yesterday, "lagniappe" refers to the odds and ends and "extras" that didn't make it into any other blog entries... a mixed bag for sure. Enjoy!

A cool sign with wrought iron...



One of my favorite New Orleans souvenirs, besides chicory coffee... a voodoo doll. I can only think of one person rotten enough to warrant the "black pin" treatment. ;-)

Another great restaurant, this one Cuban, and the sign hanging from a very old porch ceiling with ornate architectural columns...

New Orleans has some beautiful judicial buildings downtown ...

This is my friend Brent's lovely, historic home on St. Mary Street... only a few blocks from where I stayed at St. Vincent's (a.k.a. "Motel 6")

The New Orleans Board of Trade, below, has a history of service dating back to 1880 when it was founded as a non-profit membership organization comprised of key leaders in the business community. Over the course of its history, it would be deemed the foremost authority on the River, on commodity commerce, with a specialty in coffee importation.

Lower Magazine Street... downtown. Another cool sign and shop...

A really pretty historic home, in disrepair, with an ornate iron fence and balconies.

One of my favorite pics... a row of 4 houses with identical porch ceiling detail.

This is the produce guy... he drives through the streets uptown with a megaphone saying, "I have oranges and bananas... I have maaaaaaaaangos! There are crates of fresh veggies in the back.... reminded me of Greece!

A tiny, narrow little shotgun house... shotgun houses were most popular before widespread ownership of the automobile allowed people to live farther from businesses and other destinations. Building lots were kept small out of necessity, 30 feet wide at most. An influx of people to cities, both from rural areas in America and from foreign countries, all looking to fill emerging manufacturing jobs, created the high demand for housing in cities. Shotgun houses were thus built to fulfill the same need as  rowhouses in Northeastern cities. Several were usually built at a time by a single builder, contributing to their relatively similar appearance

View of the clock tower at St. Vincent's, with the downtown skyline and the Superdome in the background:

Below is a shotgun camel back house...note the 2nd floor tucked onto the back. The New Orleans old tax structure encouraged this design in the region. The shotgun utilized minimal street frontage, and adding the second story to the rear of the house meant the square footage was not taxed. The tax laws were later amended to include the number of rooms, which equalized the taxation per square footage within a property. Consequently, neither design contains closets or hallways, which were counted as rooms. Interesting, no?

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Another nice view from St Vincent's.... towards downtown.

An old photo of the St. Vincent's nuns giving haircuts to the yellow fever orphans in the late 1800s. Look at that pointy white habit she's wearing! Reminds me of the Flying Nun TV show ;-)

Kind of dark, but another cool old photo of the St. Vincent's babies...so cute ;-)

Pitcher at the New Orleans Zephyrs game I went to...

Near the World War II Museum and Chef John Besh's award winning restaurant American Sector...there is a big urban garden that is explained below, in relation to WWII... interesting!

I love the street names in New Orleans, many of mythological deities or French names, and most completely mispronounced in modern times!

A French Quarter souvenir shop with coffee, sauces, bayou, cajun, creole and even voodoo items!

 My last day in town, I had a Hard Rock Cafe mystery shop, including bar, food and gift shop reimbursements plus $20 for my "trouble." I had been to the original Hard Rock in London when I was 19 and was not overly impressed. The one in New Orleans did nothing to change my opinion... just basic American food and mediocre service, but I did get to bring home two nice logo margarita glasses as part of my loot. Nice way to end the trip!



And now we have reached the end..... hope you enjoyed my little blog, which BARELY scratched the surface of this fascinating city.