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Bayous Lafitte 8 Jul 2012 3:00 AM (12 years ago)
November Obscura
Sorry about the water spots. It was pouring all day, and we ended up having to get out in the rain to get certain photos.
This fellow had the place to himself.
We did not see any alligators, but I am just sure some were watching us!
Drenching rain and Bayous makes for an extra wet Louisiana day!
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Greenwood Cemetery- New Orleans 4 Jul 2012 3:00 AM (12 years ago)
November Obscura
Greenwood is across the road from Metarie. What struck me most about Greenwood was the state it is in. The older section at least has more or less been left to crumble away. The plus to this is that you can really get a good idea of the construction of the tombs.
Most are red brick barrel vaults that are then covered with a thick plaster. There were some absolutely stunning Family Tombs such as the one above, that were covered in metal siding. Alas with the constantly moist air in Louisiana, the rust has set in, but it creates a beauty all its own.
Greenwood had quite a bit of marvelous rusted wrought iron. New Orleans is full of beautiful wrought iron on both the homes of the living and the dead. I just could not get enough of it!
In most of the older cemeteries there, the cement bases for some tombs and even walkways is made out of cement that has shells like this mixed in. Here in Greenwood, there were some family plot areas covered in these white shells.
This metal covered tomb had a lovely fresh coat of paint!
The cemetery was opened in 1852, and is located on City Park Avenue (formerly Metairie Road) in the Navarre neighborhood.
The cemetery has a number of impressive monuments and sculptures. Notables interred here include several mayors of New Orleans, Confederate Generals Young Marshall Moody, who died of yellow fever in 1866, Thomas M. Scott and James Argyle Smith, Confederate supporter and resister of Union occupation William Bruce Mumford, who was hanged for tearing down a United States flag during Union Army occupation of New Orleans during the American Civil War, Union Army Brigadier General and Brevet Major General William Plummer Benton,
who was Collector of Internal Revenue in the City of New Orleans after
the Civil War and died of yellow fever in 1867, jazz legend Leon Roppolo and novelist John Kennedy Toole.
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Metarie Cemetery New Orleans, LA. 30 Jun 2012 11:47 AM (12 years ago)
November Obscura
Metarie was the first NOLA cemetery we visited. So huge and incredibly beautiful. Of course most of the cemeteries we saw were fabulous.
It was Mothers Day when we went, and a lady at the entrance gate was giving out small Begonias. I named mine Metarie and took her home with me. She is thriving and blooming in the hot dry shade in my patio garden
On to the photos! As always some Wikifacts too.
Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road (and formerly on the banks of the since filled in Bayou Metairie).
This site was previously a horse racing track, Metairie Race Course, founded in 1838.
The race track was the site of the famous Lexington-Lecomte Race,
April 1, 1854, billed as the "North against the South" race. Former
President Millard Filmore attended. While racing was suspended because of the American Civil War, it was used as a Confederate Camp (Camp Moore) until David Farragut
took New Orleans for the Union in April 1862. Metairie Cemetery was
built upon the grounds of the old Metairie Race Course after it went
bankrupt.
The race track, which was owned by the Metairie Jockey Club, refused membership to Charles T. Howard, a local resident who had gained his wealth by starting the first Louisiana State Lottery.
After being refused membership, Howard vowed that the race course would
become a cemetery. Sure enough, after the Civil War and Reconstruction,
the track went bankrupt and Howard was able to see his curse come true.
Today, Howard is buried in his tomb located on Central Avenue in the
cemetery, which was built following the original oval layout of the
track itself. Mr. Howard died in 1885 in Dobbs Ferry, New York when he
fell from a newly purchased horse.
Beautiful
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NOLA- Downtown, Arts, Bywater, CBD 25 Jun 2012 7:48 PM (12 years ago)
November Obscura
Managed to snap this photo of Satan out for a bike ride one afternoon. I thought I was able to get 2 photos, but he is a fast little shit. Of course he was smoking. Why wouldn't he be?
This was interesting. I noticed this while we were stopped at a traffic light. It was the side of a small store, and yet it seemed to serve as a sort of neighborhood bulletin board.
The Central Business District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the French Quarter/CBD Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Iberville, Decatur and Canal Streets to the north, theMississippi River to the east, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Julia andMagazine Streets and the Pontchartrain Expressway to the south and South Claiborne Avenue, Cleveland and South and North Derbigny Streets to the west.
It is the equivalent of what many cities call their "downtown", although in New Orleans "downtown" or "down town" was historically used to mean all portions of the city downriver from Canal Street in the direction of flow of the Mississippi River. In recent decades, however, use of the catch-all "downtown" adjective to describe neighborhoods downriver from Canal Street has largely ceased, having been replaced in usage by individual neighborhood names (e.g., Bywater).
Bywater is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Bywater District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Florida Avenue to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, the Mississippi River to the south and Franklin Avenue Street to the west.
Bywater is part of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, but is located along the natural levee of the Mississippi River, sparing the area from significant flooding. It includes part or all of Bywater Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(504) 949-3232
Best BBQ Anywhere! The Joint is located in Bywater.
701 Mazant Street New Orleans, LA 70117
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It's twice the name, twice the fun. NY,NY. 25 Jun 2012 2:48 AM (12 years ago)
A New York wander
I've been to a lot of cities in my life, and having grown up in Chicago and now living in Los Angeles, I had a standard big city expectation. I was wrong! The big apple has a unique vibe to it, unlike anything I've felt. Almost a new-orleans like party is happening around the corner feel, but all day and all night, and just about everywhere. The place is buzzing.
This was the 1st visit in the day, so the better camera came along for the trip. Above is 1 World Trade Center- Already taller then anything else in town. And fittingly so.
Across the street from the WTC Complex is St. Paul's Cathedral, the oldest public building in operation having opened in 1766. It has a graveyard in the churchyard with some unique headstones.
Zucotti Park- best known for it's occupation last fall. Plenty of private security here- it is a private park.
Everything is bigger here- even the ketchup. It's so big they have to keep in in a park in front of city hall. I forgot to bring fries....
A rare instance of Graffiti I saw, but this is Downtown.
There's also a good mix of old with the new- kinda goes with the fact that this city started in 1626.
Manhattan Island is part of the County of New York, and comprises only 23 square miles. It's the smallest county in New York, but with the highest population. Which makes it the most densely populated county in the United States. By contrast, Simi Valley where I live, is 42.4 square miles.
If Simi was as populated as Manhattan- there would be 3 million people.
More to come!
I've been to a lot of cities in my life, and having grown up in Chicago and now living in Los Angeles, I had a standard big city expectation. I was wrong! The big apple has a unique vibe to it, unlike anything I've felt. Almost a new-orleans like party is happening around the corner feel, but all day and all night, and just about everywhere. The place is buzzing.
A rare instance of Graffiti I saw, but this is Downtown.
If Simi was as populated as Manhattan- there would be 3 million people.
More to come!
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Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana 3 Jun 2012 11:48 AM (12 years ago)
Even 7 years after Hurricane Katrina, the lower 9th ward still carries many scars. The devastation is unimaginable still. Despite its condition, there are signs of people rebuilding. An older but quaint neighborhood, its charm is visible if you look closely enough. Whether or not it is ever able to get back to being home for the many displaced families or not remains to be seen.
I have included some wiki facts between the photos.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina
hit New Orleans. Multiple breaches in the levees of at least four
canals resulted in catastrophic flooding of the majority of the city.
Beautiful, Tragic
Nowhere in the city was the devastation greater than in the Lower 9th Ward, especially the portion from Claiborne Avenue back. This was largely due to the storm surge generated in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a deep-draft shipping channel built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1950s, which destroyed tens of thousands of acres of protective coastal wetlands that once acted as a storm surge buffer for the community.
Nature continues
Abandoned
Even God's house was not spared.
Storm surge flood waters appear to have poured into the neighborhood from at least three sources. To the east, water flowed in from Saint Bernard Parish, while to the west the Industrial Canal suffered two distinct major breaches: one a block in from Florida Avenue, the second back from Claiborne Avenue. The force of the water did not merely flood homes, but smashed or knocked many off their foundations.
A large barge, the ING 4727 (owned by the Ingram Barge Company) came into the neighborhood through the breach near Claiborne Avenue, leveling homes beneath it as it floated in the flood waters. Storm surge was so great that even the highest portions of the Lower 9th were flooded; Holy Cross School, which had served as a dry refuge after Hurricane Betsy, was inundated, and even the foot of the Mississippi River levee, the area's highest point, took on some 2 to 3 feet (0.91 m) of water.
Signs of hope in rebuilding!
Nearly every house in New Orleans was searched for bodies and hazards, then the findings were noted by a spray paint marking left on the front of homes. This graphic explains what the cryptic markings mean.
First floor off the ground!
Signs of hope in rebuilding!
Nearly every house in New Orleans was searched for bodies and hazards, then the findings were noted by a spray paint marking left on the front of homes. This graphic explains what the cryptic markings mean.
First floor off the ground!
In December 2005 Common Ground Collective
volunteers gutted the first house in the area. From there volunteers
and residents began gutting other houses in the community. Soon after
Common Ground Collective opened the first distribution center in the
area to provide returning residents with water, food and other
necessities while there were no stores open in the area.
In January 2006, the great devastation and difficulties in restoring basic utilities and city services made the Lower 9th Ward the last portion of the city of New Orleans not officially reopened to residents who wished to return to live. It was the last area of the city still under a curfew half a year after the disaster. Officially residents were allowed in during daylight hours to look, salvage possessions, and leave, although some few had already done extensive work gutting and repairing their damaged homes in preparation to move back.
The most severely damaged section of the Ward is the lower elevation section, north of Claiborne Avenue. A Bring Back New Orleans Commission preliminary report suggested making this area in whole or part into park space. The suggestion is vehemently objected to by most Lower 9th Ward residents.
In March 2006 a group of residents and Common Ground Collective volunteers broke into Martin Luther King Elementary School to begin cleanup efforts. Not long after, the state school officials agreed to repair the school. The school has subsequently become a Recovery School District charter school and is running at full capacity. It is a rarity in that it has no management company. The school is operated by the faculty and administration. When asked about it Dr. Hicks, the school's long-time principal said "We didn't have a management company before and we don't need one now."
As of late 2006, a small number of local businesses in the area reopened and residents returned (many living in FEMA trailers).
However, much of the area is still little-populated and in ruined
condition. Work crews continue to remove debris and demolish
unrepairable houses daily, but hundreds if not thousands are vacant and
gutted. Many more buildings are still little touched since the waters
were drained, with ruined possessions still inside severely damaged
buildings.
In January 2006, the great devastation and difficulties in restoring basic utilities and city services made the Lower 9th Ward the last portion of the city of New Orleans not officially reopened to residents who wished to return to live. It was the last area of the city still under a curfew half a year after the disaster. Officially residents were allowed in during daylight hours to look, salvage possessions, and leave, although some few had already done extensive work gutting and repairing their damaged homes in preparation to move back.
The most severely damaged section of the Ward is the lower elevation section, north of Claiborne Avenue. A Bring Back New Orleans Commission preliminary report suggested making this area in whole or part into park space. The suggestion is vehemently objected to by most Lower 9th Ward residents.
In March 2006 a group of residents and Common Ground Collective volunteers broke into Martin Luther King Elementary School to begin cleanup efforts. Not long after, the state school officials agreed to repair the school. The school has subsequently become a Recovery School District charter school and is running at full capacity. It is a rarity in that it has no management company. The school is operated by the faculty and administration. When asked about it Dr. Hicks, the school's long-time principal said "We didn't have a management company before and we don't need one now."
As of late 2006, a small number of local businesses in the area reopened and residents returned (many living in FEMA trailers).
However, much of the area is still little-populated and in ruined
condition. Work crews continue to remove debris and demolish
unrepairable houses daily, but hundreds if not thousands are vacant and
gutted. Many more buildings are still little touched since the waters
were drained, with ruined possessions still inside severely damaged
buildings.http://novemberobscura.com
What Happens in Vegas. . . . 28 May 2012 3:00 AM (12 years ago)
Weekend Trip to Las Vegas. Since we are close enough to drive, we always do.
Vegas up ahead
Where is the Green one? Everyone likes the Green one.
Coca Cola Museum
These guys are on bikes, to more easily get through the crowds.
Wastin away again. .
Caesar is now working in Traffic control on the Strip.
Wonderful place to stay
Denny's in case emergency pancakes are needed!
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Alien Jerky - Out of this World 26 May 2012 11:45 AM (12 years ago)
In the small desert oasis known as Baker California, the halfway point in the drive to Las Vegas, THEY have landed!
Hungry for Jerky you are.
We come in Peace. . no. . really!
Use at your own risk!
Heaven or Hell?
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2008 Chatsworth Train Collision 12 Sep 2011 4:00 AM (13 years ago)
A few days after this train accident, we went to the location, or as close as we could get, the Chatsworth, Simi Valley and Moorpark stations to photograph the sad but beautiful, touching memorials set up there. It is 3 years since this tragic event.
You can read more on the train wreck HERE
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On the road in Wisconsin 23 Aug 2011 4:00 AM (13 years ago)
This photo was not taken at 4:20!
A Castle of Cheese!
They have barns all over the place here
No Laverne & Shirley
Thar be lots of green here!
A red barn on green grass- just like in the movies!
There may have been some rednecks here
We stopped for lunch. This place reminded me of the old Van De Kamps restaurants from the 1960's
They keep these wayyyy outside of town
I think these signs were in every state! Fail.
In California- Illegal. Here, you just pop on down to the shop!
More cheese is always good
They call Carl's Jr. - Hardee's out here
Funny name for a grocery store
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The Sears Tower 20 Aug 2011 3:46 AM (13 years ago)
The Willis Tower (formerly named, and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.[4] At the time of its completion in 1973, it was thetallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, as well as the fifth tallest building in the world to the roof.
The Sears Tower observation deck, called the Skydeck, opened on June 22, 1974. Located on the 103rd floor of the tower, it is 1,353 feet (412 m) above ground and is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago. Tourists can experience how the building sways on a windy day. They can see far over the plains of Illinois and across Lake Michigan to Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin on a clear day. Elevators take tourists to the top in about 60 seconds. The Skydeck competes with the John Hancock Center's observation floor a mile and a half away, which is 323 feet (98 m) lower. Some 1.3 million tourists visit the Skydeck annually. A second Skydeck on the 99th floor is used when the 103rd floor is closed. The tourist entrance can be found on the south side of the building along Jackson Boulevard.
In January 2009, the Willis Tower owners began a major renovation of the Skydeck, to include the installation of glass balconies, extending approximately four feet over Wacker Drive from the 103rd floor. The all-glass boxes allow visitors to look through the floor to the street 1,353 feet (412 m) below. The boxes, which can bear five short tons of weight (about 4.5 metric tons), opened to the public on July 2, 2009.
You can stand outside the edge of the tower 103 stories up in these clear boxes!
Just to say I did.
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A visit to the Ostrich Farm- Ostrichland 17 Aug 2011 4:05 AM (13 years ago)
This is the best place to make a stop on the way to Ostrich Land
There is a year round Christmas store inside!
Ostriches
and Emus!
Baby Ostriches
They also like to hiss
These are the feeding trays
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Walking Downtown Chicago 2011 14 Aug 2011 4:21 AM (13 years ago)
I call these 'Hurry Up' doors, cuz people are in a hurry when they go through them!
Lots of Scions were being used as Taxis
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Shanahan's- Where Shamrocks and Crawfish Collide 10 Aug 2011 4:15 AM (13 years ago)
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Oak Park Illinois, Hemingway, Frank Lloyd Wright, & lots of Midwest charm 6 Aug 2011 4:51 AM (13 years ago)
Veterans Memorial
Oak Park Baptist
Hemingway House
Nearly every house in the small town is fabulous like this!
Bun Bun Bunny Bun!
LOVE!
This is the Post Office!
Secret Society symbol
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Johnnies - Elmwood Park, Illinois 20 Jul 2011 4:32 AM (13 years ago)
This place is nothing to look at, but the line was out the door! Despite that, they were fast, took us all of 10 minutes to wait in line, order and get our lunch.
Italian sausage sandwich
These lemon Italian ices were excellent!
BEST sandwich EVER!
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Mount Carmel Cemetery, Chicago- Al Capone 17 Jul 2011 4:17 AM (13 years ago)
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Chicago Food- Tasty Dog- Oak Park 16 Jul 2011 4:10 AM (13 years ago)
Dear Tasty Dog- Please do not try and make a California style Chili dog.
Stick with Chicago style.
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Hyde Park Neighborhood, Chicago- The Presidents House 14 Jul 2011 4:03 AM (13 years ago)
Not only is the street blocked off with cement barriers and other fences, but security and Secret Service are constantly circling the place. Probably a little inconvenient for the neighbors.
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Memorial Day 2011 13 Jul 2011 3:52 AM (13 years ago)
Grandfather Ladislave. Killed in the War in England. Purple Heart and re- internment at Evergreen Memorial Park, Evergreen Park, Illinois
Grandmother
Together again
As we walked away from the graves a Red Tailed hawk began to screech at us and fly in circles over us.
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