Some Lobby Details

Entering from the front door

Quite the jumble of details, isn't it?  Those of you unfamiliar with New Orleans culture may not recognize that black, feathered creature on the right.  When people come in, he is the thing that immediately captures attention and admiration.  From the front:

Spy boy suit

This is a suit made by hand in 2010 for Mardi Gras day.  That is a rooster projecting rom the waist, and a turkey from the apron.  The Spy Boy who sewed this suit is a native of the 7th Ward.  We met him at his mother's house on St. Roch Avenue, where he had two suits stored.  He said, "My son thought this one was so scary he ran away from me on Mardi Gras morning.  It's still one of the best I've ever sewed."  A young boy would find the mask a bit intimidating...

All hand sewn with tiny beads

The Spy Boy told us it took him four months to sew it all together.  The feathers are rooster and ostrich feathers.

Looking up to the top of the pilot doors that separate the yellow front room of the lobby from the green back room, the ceiling is a pleasant dark blue.  The ceiling and medallion are the only parts of the house that have not been repainted...

A real New Orleans ceiling

Shall we take a closer look at that medallion?  Of course we will:

I like to stare at the ceiling

Curious readers may wonder about the bust that caps the pilot doors:

Ceasar Augustus

The lobby is slowly being filled with curios and specimens of New Orleans life that have been collected over the past few years.  Some of them are mundane, such as a branch of palm nuts that fell in the back garden last autumn that has been mounted on the wall.  On one shelf is an armadillo skull that was stumbled over next to the Industrial Canal, just seconds after a woman wondered allowed if there was any wildlife in the area.  Next to the palm branch is a candle chandelier made of collected driftwood by a river man in Arabi, just downriver from the Lower 9th Ward, in St. Bernard Parish.

The driftwood artist also crafted the shelf that hangs over the mantle in the dining room.

Things are proceeding apace.  The target date for opening is still the end of August, but it more probably will be the beginning of September.  There is no point in opening before everything is perfect.  The first month or so, we are thinking about offering reduced rates as we work out the kinks.  All in all, La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast will offer a unique and memorable experience on one of the most beautiful blocks on one of the most beautiful streets in one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Why the fondness for Mardi Gras Indian suits?  When we first came to New Orleans, we visited the Backstreet Cultural Center, on Henriette DeLille Street, about a half-mile's picturesque walk from our address.  If you want to see some beautiful suits, learn about the culture of Faubourg Treme, and also learn what a second line is, what a baby doll is, and what a skull-and-bone gang is, this is place will answer all your questions, and more.

A votre sante!