New Orleans Visit

his tour of the Esplanade Ridge and the Faubourg Marigny is split into two parts for easy planning, and is more an architectural than historic one. It begins at the foot of Esplanade Avenue, where it meets the river. This double-wide boulevard was once the dividing line between the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny, a suburb of the old city carved out of a former plantation owned by Bernard Marigny. Formerly a parade ground for marching soldiers located outside of the city defenses, it eventually became a street of mansions, while Marigny with its small blocks drew refugees from impoverished countries. The streets here are laid out in a grid pattern, but they follow the river as it makes a sharp turn to the east. As a consequence, they are angled 45 degrees from the streets of the French Quarter. Some streets go past Esplanade from the French Quarter, then form various Y intersections with others at different points, and one street (Bourbon St) even switches names for no reason! This can be quite disorienting for the first-time visitor, or for that matter, many New Orleans natives unfamiliar with this area of the city. Just click on the map above or the links below to go where you desire.