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center called "The Riverwalk". The Riverwalk was once the location for the World's Fair and was converted to shops after the fair closed. From that dock, you can visit the Spanish Plaza, the Aquarium of the Americas, or take a riverboat cruise back in time and imagine what the crowded waterways were like when the steamboats ruled the waves. The riverboat "calliope" blasts music all over the city before the steamboat "Natchez" launches. It can be very annoying, and it is very loud, especially from the dock, but it serves its purpose then as now. There is no mistaking what time it is when the calliope starts to sound. It is interesting to note that in New Orleans "calliope" is pronounced "cally-ope". New Orleans is filled with names that look like a recognizable foreign language, but they are distinctly New Orleans.

Getting off the riverboat, you can catch a ride on a restored, vintage cable car. These are the cable cars that inspired Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire". For $1.25, you can ride up and down the banks of the Mississippi. When I was there, the transit authority was allowing people to ride free! Take the streetcar uptown and get off in the museum district. There you will find the "D-day Museum" of WWII history. The landing craft for D-day were built in New Orleans, and the salvaged scrap of the World Trade Center disaster is being used to build a ship there now. The museum district also houses the "Confederate Museum", the "Southern Art Museum", and a statue of Robert E. Lee atop a large, long obelisk in Lee Circle. Lee Circle is close to the "Garden District" where the most lavish homes in the city are, and another part of the town has the restored house of Confederate General Pierre G. T. Beauregard. After the museum tour and a visit to the Garden District, get back on the streetcar, and go back down the riverbank to where the tour began.

This time, head east and keep walking until you get to Rampart Street. Walk up Rampart until you get near Orleans Street. On the east side of Rampart near Orleans Street is Louis Armstrong Park. It houses the New Orleans Theatre for the Performing Arts, and Congo Square. Congo Square is used for theatre performances now, but it was once used for Voodoo ceremonies since it was just outside city limits at the time. Louis Armstrong Park is also near Storieville, which used to be a Red Light district, and where many famous jazz musicians polished their craft. Not far from Louis Armstrong Park is the Louisiana Museum of African American History, and St. Louis Cemetery, which displays the "above ground" accommodations including the tomb of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Finally, you can now take the short walk back to Bourbon Street for a bite to eat and a refreshing beverage. There are plenty of places on Bourbon Street to relax in air-conditioned comfort.

Bourbon Street is the heart of the Old Square, "Le Veiux Carre" in the French Quarter. This is the only part of the city above sea level, and where it all began. It's called the French Quarter, but most of the architecture is Spanish as evidence of the city's varied past. When all of the wooden buildings burned down in the 1800's, new restrictions required the use of brick in construction to avoid any similar catastrophes in the future.

This is only a small sample, and just a hint of what is available. There are many other museums, the old mint, and Tulane University. There really is something for everyone. If you want to explore history, especially American history and the history of American immigration, this is the place. New Orleans has a past steeped in history and enough historic attraction to keep anyone captivated for days. Enjoy your visit!

Learn more about this author, Stan Dyer.
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