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.
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