Ferry to Algiers Point

Having explored the Garden District, the French Quarter and Frenchman Street this morning we’re going to take the ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers Point. As we walk towards the ferry at the bottom of Canal Street we pause to look inside a pink wedding chapel, the guy asks us how we’re doing and where we’re going today. When we tell him he asks why we want to go there, implying there’s nothing there, the lady in the chapel says they’re from the UK – well that explains everything!

New Orleans from the Mississippi

Mississippi Levee

The Canal Street ferry to Algiers Point is a workhorse which joins the 2 communities either side of the Mississippi, waiting for it to arrive reminds me of commuting to Liverpool on the Mersey ferry. The only difference is that there are no seagulls and it’s hot. The trip only takes minutes and we get great views of New Orleans, the bridge and the Natchez paddle steamer from the ferry. The few people on the ferry soon disembark and disappear into Algiers, we set off to find the points of interest I’ve researched, to be honest these seem to consist of a few building styles which are interesting but not going to take long to see. The most interesting thing for us is the Levee, how much higher it is than the land below it and how high the Mississippi is on the other side. There are trees and telephone poles sticking out of the water’s edge, we guess the river is running high at the moment. As we approach the ferry terminal again it starts to rain so we dash for cover in a blue British telephone box, it looks like the Tardis but is the entrance to The Rose and Crown pub. The pub turns out to be a very British pub serving British beer! The pub owner comes from Coventry, he is not around today but we are looked after by a friendly bartender, Brad who is excited to tell us about his upcoming holiday in Perth Australia.

The rest of the day is spent dodging the rain, lunch in the food court of the huge retail outlet by the cruise ship port followed by a walk through the warehouse district back to Bourbon Street. It starts raining again, this time heavily so we shelter in the Bourbon Bandstand and listen to Doc Lovett and the Louisiana Remedy playing a good set of blues music. What a great way to shelter from the rain, though it is dripping down from the ceiling onto strategically positioned mats!