Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New Orleans

70  NE W ORLEANS AREA B Y AREA

Street-by-Street: Lower French Quarter

The area surrounding the French Market is loaded with
atmosphere. It has long been a place for meeting and
mixing. In the city’s early days, Native Americans came to
this area to sell wild herbs, and today the district still offers
a range of exotic goods. French Market Place, formerly
Gallatin Street, was once the most notorious street in the
Quarter, populated by prostitutes, rowdies, criminals (like
the Black Hand Gang), and visiting sailors, who ventured
here at their peril. It was lined with so many brothels and
bars that it was dubbed “Louisiana’s Barbary Coast.” Today,
it still has plenty of bars, and some of the oldest and most
important buildings in the French Quarter. 7 Gallier House Museum
Set in a former residence, this is
an informative showcase of
6 Soniat House 19th-century life.
This residence has been
restored to its original
splendor, and serves
as a lovely small hotel
(see p166).

C H A R T R E S S T R E E T

5 Beauregard-Keyes
House, former home of
Frances Parkinson Keyes, GOV. NICHOLLS ST
is now a museum.

4 . Old Ursuline
Convent
Designed in 1745, and
built in 1752, this is
the oldest building in the
Mississippi Valley.

2 . Farmers Market at the
French Market
A New Orleans institution since 1791, the
Farmers Market is the place to visit
to stock up on fresh produce.

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