S
o we’re pedaling along on those comfy, wide-seat, fat-tire cruisers. We pass shotgun houses, double gallery homes, American-style townhouses and Creole townhouses. After 20 minutes I can tell you the difference between a Creole cottage and a raised centerhall (it starts with the roof pitch and columns) thanks to Jeff, our know-it-all guide whose knowledge and love for New Orleans run deep. He’s spoon-feeding us architecture and history along with the anecdotal tidbits that make history come alive. We learn about neighborhoods, natural disasters, ethnic conflict, monuments and churches. Who would have guessed, for example, that there was a Catholic church where slaves, free men of color and whites all worshipped together in the mid-1800s? We stop at Marie’s Bar, a dive that Jeff claims has the best Bloody Marys in New Orleans. He is spot-on. He also comments that there are no laws prohibiting drink-and-pedal. As we hop back on our bikes to continue the tour with “Confederacy of Cruisers” (no, nothing to do with the Civil War Confederates—this is a reference to the novel set in New Orleans, A Confederacy of Dunces), I realize that this pedal-powered cruise is one of the best ways to open up a different lens in appreciating this city’s heritage. Sure, every spring-break college student knows New Orleans. The party town. The epicenter of Mardi Gras. Beads, balconies and crowds. But New Orleans shouldn’t be left to the frat boys. It’s a vibrant city with a range of attractions for adults and families. You can’t do New Orleans in a few days. I could barely scratch the surface in a week. But you can have a rich, satisfying travel experience in a weekend, one that will make you want to return. This is a city where you look down a street and think you’re seeing it all, when, actually, the best is probably hidden away down alleyways or behind wrought-iron gates, in the courtyards. You can learn a lot about New Orleans by seeking out courtyards, by poking around and letting loose from a tight agenda. And you can learn the most about New Orleans by approaching it as an exotic, foreign country. Try this: New Orleans is not the southernmost port city of the United States, but the northernmost port city of the Caribbean.
about the
writer
Susan Kraus is a therapist and award-winning travel writer who believes that travel can be the best therapy. She enjoys helping people create their own “travel therapy” by writing about journeys that anyone can replicate.
TOPEKAMAGAZINE
Fall ‘12
67