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For our last full day in N’awlins, we decided to take the ferry to Algiers Point, a historic neighborhood across the river. We figured we’d get to see the skyline from a new perspective. Perspective is usually good, right?

Again we took advantage of the cheap and convenient streetcar down St. Charles and disembarked at Canal, feeling like old hands at the route by the end of the week. This time, though, instead of continuing our walk straight ahead onto Bourbon Street, we stayed along Canal and walked toward the river.

The ferry to Algiers Point is free, and is actually a much shorter ride than I anticipated. To cross the river on the ferry only takes like 10 minutes or so, and it runs every 30 minutes. We used that time to enjoy the New Orleans skyline, and Boris took a lot of artsy photos.

This is the ferry worker opening the doors onto the other side.

View from the river

Ferry lights

Good thing we won’t be needing these! I wouldn’t care to swim in the Mississippi.

Other than the Louis Armstrong walk along the river, there’s not a ton to do in Algiers Point. But you can learn about Louis Armstrong and other jazz greats while walking along the river path!

Louis Armstrong immortalized

We walked a short time along the river, and then got a recommendation from a passerby to go down Delamonde street for some lovely home viewing. With nothing else on the agenda, we did just that. Algiers Point was hit a bit less heavily by Katrina compared to other parts of the city, and so the houses were mostly still in tip-top antique shape.

A yard! I want a yard like this!

We walked along the sidewalks admiring the houses and yards and porches and gardens. After getting more help from a man on a porch (more on this later), we found a church with a little park next to it, which was kitty-corner to a small cafe.

An iced coffee and watermelon ice later, we headed back to the ferry.

Right along the river walk there is the Plaza de España, a gift given to New Orleans in 1976 by Spain. At first glance, I was really confused; these tiles with the shield of the Spanish provinces looked very familiar! 

A photo I took in 2007 at the Plaza de Espana in Sevilla; in each alcove  is a provincial depiction,  just like the one in New Orleans. Somehow I neglected to take a photo from the front…
Two of the tiles from the Plaza de Espana of New Orleans.
For dinner on our last night, we managed to meet up with more family of mine at the Green Goddess, a small and friendly restaurant in Exchange Alley off Bourbon. Boris & I split the crabcakes, and we indulged in a cheese plate for dessert for the table. The food was very tasty, but I thought that the prices were a little higher than I was expecting (i.e. “Crabcakes” on the menu=1 crabcake. A delicious one, but just one.) 
Post-dinner entertainment came in the form of the Spotted Cat, a music club on Frenchman that had been recommended by a fellow swing dancer. The Cottonmouth Kings put on a good show, but the dancing space was very small; I squeezed in one dance, and we headed home after a bit. 
Overall, my favorite things about NOLA were the food, the friendliness, and the architecture. New Orleans, like many big American cities, has its own distinct flavor. I can’t wait to go back! 
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