Basin Street Station & St. Louis Cemetery (I), New Orleans

So, I had to go feed my macabre tastes with the requisite cemetery tour. J'aime beaucoup les cimetieres! Went to St. Louis Cemetery (No.1) with a guide from Save Our Cemeteries (non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of NOLA's last resting places). We met at the historic Basin St. Station.

Train benches were called pews for obvious reasons.

Old service counter at Basin St. Station

See how chuffed I am!

Marie Laveau's (purported) tomb

Don't forget to make your wish. Turn anti-clockwise three times, mark the tomb (with your fingers please! too much desecration going on ala Jim Morrison's tomb) with three XXX's, make your wish, put an offering. And remember, if it comes true, you must come back to the tomb to pay homage to Marie Laveau.

New Orlean's most famous chess player. For Yusuf and Miguel.

Nicholas Cage's future final resting place. The pyramid is, frankly, a real blight on this beautiful heritage cemetary--very tacky. Mark, however, will have a field day as to the Illuminati symbolism.

A rare sight in a Catholic cemetery

Miniature tomb for a child.