Harrison Avenue, New Orleans

St. Dominic's Church, New Orleans, LA

When I am looking to buy something for the lady of the house, I often head up to New Orleans' Lakeview neighborhood.  More suburban in feel than much of the rest of the city, Lakeview's main street is Harrison Avenue.

There is a local supermarket, a few very good restaurants, a few stores, a bank, a gas station, an ice cream parlor, a library, everything you would want in a small town.  There is ample parking on the shaded neutral ground.  It is never terribly busy up on Harrison Avenue; just the pleasant hum of local traffic.  

I could go to one of the coffee shops on Esplanade Avenue when I want to get some computer work done.  Community Coffee is just a few blocks away, and it is pleasant to sit under the oak trees outside.  Or, I could walk a little farther up Esplanade to Fair Grinds, which is a good place to pick up some neighborhood gossip.  The problem with these two establishments, if you can call it a problem, is that I spend more time chitchatting with my neighbors than I do getting any work done.  That is the usual way a day passes in New Orleans.

It is on days like this that I head up to Lakeview.  I go to Nola Beans, a pleasant little coffee shop that is full of artwork inspired by the neighborhood.  The women behind the counter are very pleasant and, though I am a bit of a regular I don't know too many people who live in Lakeview.

Nola Beans on Harrison Avenue

Right next door to Nola Beans is the reason men in New Orleans come to Lakeview to go Christmas shopping for the ladies in their lives.  

Little Miss Muffin on Harrison Avenue

A warning: The merchandise in Little Miss Muffin may cause allergic reactions in men.  This is a store with a distinct feminine appeal.  There is jewelry and a selection of fine women's clothes to the right.  The rear of the store is dedicated to children's wares.  To the left, after entering the front door, about a third of the store is full of gewgaws and gimcrackery, artwork and crafts, glasses and china, serving dishes, statues, candlesticks, place mats, vases, and other things that women love.

Guaranteed you will find the perfect gift for the lady in your life at Little Miss Muffin, whether it is for Christmas or not.   I always do.

We like to recommend Harrison Avenue to our guests at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  Besides the simple ambiance of the street, there is enough to keep a visitor occupied for an hour or two, and right on the other side of the canal is City Park.  The good restaurants include Susan Spicer's Mondo, the Steak Knife, and the Velvet Cactus.  You can eat in or take out at Harrison Cove at the Lakeview Grocery.     

Lakeview was heavily flooded in 2005 due to the federal levee failures during Hurricane Katrina.  While Harrison Avenue has been repaved, the weight of the water buckled the streets everywhere else.  Some streets are as rough as a walk on the moon.  The state of the streets is the opposite of the tidy homes and manicured lawns they serve.  Another surreal New Orleans juxtaposition.

By way of a preview of Celebration of the Oaks, we were in City Park this morning when I noticed some signs set up athwart the railroad tracks.

Proceed with caution in City Park

I took some pictures of the dinosaur display in the light of day.  Imagine what they will look like at night from the window of a passing train.

Velociraptor in daylight, City Park, New Orleans

Velociraptor in front of the sculpture garden, City Park, New Orleans

Tyrannosaurus Rex, City Park, New Orleans

A votre sante et joyeux Noel.