She beckoned to me this Cypress Queen of New Orleans from her antebellum throne within the walls of Louisiana's Cabildo. Many have passed before her but few have heard her plaintive wails that echo the rich fertile history that is Louisiana's. She beckoned me to follow for only she could reveal what I was seeking; the heart and soul of New Orleans. She led me through the soulless circus that now inhabits Jackson Square . ..along the crumbling, stained and horse manure filled gutters of Decature ...around stockpiles of previous night's garbage ...through narrow eroded French Quarter alley ways ...past barred and shuttered windows ...and under dripping balcony poised pot plants.

Where is she my Cypress Queen of New Orleans? Lost in the midst of tourists teeming as thick as the May mid day air. Her beckoning calls smothered by piped music gushing from tourist trap door ways. Her presence thwarted by countless stores peddling cajun, jazz, voodoo and Mardi gras merchandise. What is that fragrance I detect? It is the wonders within the humidor of the Cigar Factory of New Orleans. With robusto alight I began to lament less what the French Quarter had become. The many listening posts of the nearby Louisiana Music Factory, each with ten different CDs to appraise, beckoned instead. The dark roasted beans of The Original Coffee Pot summoned as well. Live music from the franchised House of Blues flowed into the night air. Dixie Brewery's Darkened Voodoo Larger and Louisiana's own Sweet Lemonade began to flow also. Mmmm! That's gumbo simmering in Bourbon Street's Cajun Cabin kitchen.

The heart and soul of New Orleans may have alluded me …but hey…the good times were starting to roll!

David Stoeckel
5/2001

Angst Art Arena Tour Index | Back | Next