Street Car View on Saint Charles Avenue

Not far from where I stayed at the Hotel Monteleone, Saint Charles Avenue is right across from Canal Street.  Someone I met at the STORET conference suggested I take the cable car ride.  Funny is that as I tried to locate the nearest street car stop, I came across a guy who was from Hawaii.  Just prior to meeting Roy, he had asked one of the Hospitality Rangers for the next car stop location.  As a side, I wonder if the volunteers who make up the Hospitality Rangers were there to support tourism, which is the industry that NO is very much dependent on.  Perhaps the rangers are there to comfort the tourist in light of the crime rate in NO.  Well anyway, here is my tour...

My tour of Saint Charles would not be possible without the street car.  These cars are similar to the ones I've rode in San Francisco.  I've read that the cars were re-instated to the delight of the New Orleanans in a local magazine which listed as one of the best things to happen to the City in 2004.  The worst was their ever increasing murder rate.  The far right picture is the turning point and end to the Saint Charles route.  If you look closely to the bottom right corner of that picture, you will notice a trash can.  Well its actually does not contain trash but sand.  One of the operators (which did not seem friendly at all) placed about a large scoop of sand underneath a chair on the cable car.  Don't ask me why!

One notable feature along Saint Charles are the large "plantation mansion" style homes.  These are similar to the one that we had back at the plantation manager's house in Kaumakani Kauai.  Similarities are the giant pillars and elegant, large front entrances. One mansion actually had two spiral stairway to the front door and a mini driveway fronting the stairs.

Mardi Gras is what NO is most noted for.  I noticed that their trees have necklace beads on them.  If you take a close look, you can see the beads.

Along Saint Charles are several beautiful churches such as the one in the photos.  Loyola University campus is right along Saint Charles

I took this picture on my way back to Canal Street.  With Hawaii's gas prices at about $2.40, the local price of the fuel in NO seemed cheap at $1.89 for the lowest grade.  Thought I wanted to show you all that gasoline is still moderate albeit of their high sales tax of 10%!

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