Dead Duck in New Orleans City Park

You never know what you'll find in New Orleans.  Ours is a city of mystery and surprises.  Some of the surprises are pleasant.  Some of the surprises are unsettling and weird.  Welcome to the New Orleans state of mind.

I'm not gonna tell you about the time I found all the sacrificed animals in burlap sacks under trees in City Park.

I'm not gonna tell you about the time I encountered the Skunk Ape.

I'm not gonna tell you about the time I found the voodoo painting in  the crotch of a tree way back in City Park where nobody goes.  You can see that painting in our lobby.  

I'm not gonna tell you about the time I found the pile of pineapples where there was no good reason for pineapples to be there.

I'm not gonna tell you, today, about how I discovered the secret nudist colony in City Park.

I'm not gonna tell you about The Suicide Oak.

I'm not gonna tell you about the demon skull that was kicked into the bushes on the bank of Bayou Saint John.

I'm not gonna tell you about the time I was walking our dog on the back trails of the park and we met a crow that spoke French.  I'm not gonna tell you what that crow said to us before it flew away never to been seen again.

I'm not gonna tell you what it means to fall in love with New Orleans.  You'll find that out when you get here.

The great City of New Orleans is an onion of a place.  It contains layers under layers under layers under even more layers.  The more you peel off, the more you'll feel like crying over how beautifully mysterious it all is.

Instead, I am gonna tell you about the dead duck I found in City Park the other morning:

You never know what you'll find in New Orleans.  Some things will make you smile with equanimity and perfect understanding.  Some things will make you scratch your head in puzzlement.  Why?  Why does New Orleans exist?  Why is New Orleans the way it is?  Answer: Because God dictated it should be so.

Welcome to the New Orleans state of mind.  

--- If you are looking for someplace to stay when you visit New Orleans, I happen to be an innkeeper.  I run the #1-ranked place to stay in New Orleans (it's been #1 since April 2014 according to TripAdvisor).  You could do a lot worse.  Believe me.  You can choose a lot worse.  If you are looking to experience authentic New Orleans off the usual tourist radar, you know where to find us: in the bright orange house with blue shutters on Esplanade Avenue: La Belle Esplanade.