Virtually New Orleans - Feature Photo of the Week, November 18,
1995
Pirate's Alley in the French Quarter
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or on the image to receive a larger (97K) JPEG version of the
photo.
No, it's not likely that Jean Lafitte, Dominique You and company
hung out here. They did most of their hangin' down the street
at Pierre Maspero's, or over at the Absinthe House. This alley,
which connects Royal Street with Chartres Street, was re-named
by the city fathers long after the pirates disappeared from the
scene. Pirates or no pirates, this is one of my favorite places
in the Quarter. It's quiet, and (as of now) unspoiled by street
people. The Cathedral looming on the downriver side (it's out
of the scene on the left in the picture) gives the alley a sense
of tranquillity most of the year. There are only two times when
I don't like to be in Pirate's Alley: Sunday mornings and anytime
during Carnival. The reason is the same for both times, namely
that too many idiots believe that this quiet little space is a
public toilet. The alley is for locals the rest of the year, the
tourists being content to take in Jackson Square.
The buildings behind the Cabildo are some of the oldest in the
Quarter. The most notable of the group in the photo is the yellow
one towards the middle, which is now known as Faulkner house.
This is where William Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldiers'
Pay in 1925. The building was built in 1840, and was part
of the prison yard of the Cabildo complex prior to that.
This photo was shot by me (Ed. Branley)
with my Nikon EM and a 50mm lens.
If you have any comments on the feature photos, please feel free
to drop me a line and
tell 'em to me!
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