I saw the sign. In New Orleans

A street corner and a corner shop. Love that alligator.

Royal always goes my way.

New Orleans is probably my favorite American city. It’s hard to decide, really. I love the museums and shops and Central Park of New York. San Francisco has my favorite restaurant in the whole world. And I treasure every waking minute in my hometown of Baltimore. But New Orleans really does let the good times roll. I’ve visited on company time and just for fun — in the heat of the summer, the beauty of a fall day and in the build-up to Mardi Gras (never Fat Tuesday itself.) On my most recent visit, I couldn’t help but notice the signs. Dazzled by architecture, the music and, well, the silliness of Bourbon Street, I just never noticed them before. But there they are — filled with history and information you might not have thought you needed. A For Sale sign that says “haunted?” Here are a few of my favorites.

I like to call this little hotel home, as Audobon once did.

Memories of a good restaurant don’t fade away completely.

And then there’s the Spanish history of New Orleans, recalled around every corner.

Church Zone a quiet zone in the French Quarter? C/mon.

How do you want your apartment in the French Quarter. Not Haunted?

Or haunted?

And there’s one more, created not with words but with light and shadow. Every photographer takes this photo I think. But in the midst of all New Orleans’ revelry, it’s a bit sobering, there on the back of St. Louis Cathedral.

Here’s a different kind of sign.

© Text and photos Mary K. Tilghman

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