Magazine Street

Imagine Thom's delight Friday morning when he discovered his work on prominent display in Fleur de Paris, a dress shop on Royal Street in the French Quarter.  A saleswoman told us she sold a lot of plus sizes to Southern belles and drag queens.

Although I'd been to professional conferences in NOLA and toured the 9th Ward with the Red Cross shortly after Hurricane Katrina, I hadn't ventured much beyond the French Quarter.   Joe and Magda led us across Canal Street through the warehouse district, filled with trendy stores and restaurants getting ready for the NBA All Star weekend, to a coffee place they found when they arrived.

First we had to go through an industrial area.

It's probably safe to say that with the 24/7 drinking culture, the Big Easy is the world's Pot-O'Gold capital.

At French Truck Coffee, the woman behind the counter asked if I wanted the barista to make my peppermint iced tea with sparkling water.  Never again.  Our wet--in more ways than one--brunch at Atchafalaya was a lot better.  Incredible Bloody Mary bar, duck hash and blue cheese flan.  Like the natives say, you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning!

 

We knew we were among kindred spirits once we hit Magazine Street.

These young cheerleaders were getting ready for Mardi Gras.

The area had a funky charm.

 

And cool places to park bikes.

Many shops offered vintage merchandise.

Did you know that the music industry sold more product on vinyl than compact disc last year?  Jim Russell's Rare Records just couldn't hold on quite long enough.

There were a few galleries, too.

Thom bought a discounted Parisian umbrella with a zebra motif from this woman.

Across the street, a statue memorialized Sophie B. Wright who educated disabled children and advocated for prison reform.  I'll bet she never paid 300 bucks to impersonate Mary Poppins.

 Even the NOLA meter readers are friendly.