Faulkner House Books

Faulkner House Books is a New Orleans icon located in the premises where William Faulkner wrote his first book Soldier's Pay. It's an excellent bookshop and a place that must be supported lest it falls into the same fate as Gotham Book Mart (see my previous post on Shakespeare & Co.) Each independent bookshop has its own heritage, its own character. To lose any of them is a travesty.

Inside, the bookshop has private quarters in the back (guarded by a poodle), walls lined with autographed pictures of some pretty gob-smacking writers and a great selection. The lady manning the bookshop was lovely--just don't, like two mid-Western ladies in t-shirts and shorts, come in asking for the facilities. This ain't no Borders, y'all!

Robert Frost! 

 A autographed picture of Harper Lee!!!!

Richard Ford! 

Pan! Pan! Tennessee Williams! Amazing! 

Papa, can you hear me?

 A handwritten note from George Bernard Shaw?! Incredible!

Music On Every Corner

From brass bands to blues, jazz to world music, there's a busking musician in every street corner on the French Quarter. If you take a picture, please give a tip--or buy their CD. Went to Preservation Hall twice (there's a back story) but they were very strict with the picture taking.

Meet Tanya and Dorise. Tanya's from Taiwan and has been in N'awlins for years.

Was on my ghost tour when I caught them playing--went back to watch them perform again after the tour. They were so good, I bought two CDs (they have a Christmas one)-quite professionally packaged.
I wonder if Tanya was the inspiration behind this character from Treme:

Sweet Street Symphony. Saw them at the corner of St. Ann street on the way to Faulkner books.

Their CD was homemade. They were awesome.

French Quarter, New Orleans

Gorgeous houses on the French Quarter... I felt like a kid in a candy store and couldn't decide how to shoot it or what to shoot. 

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.