Great Shopping on a Beautiful December Day We were back to New Orleans in December (meetings for my wife), and after breakfast in the 400 block of Royal, walked the rest of the way downriver to Esplanade. On the previous visit, several of the shops - an eclectic blend of vintage clothing stores, a few restaurants, art galleries and unique shops - had been closed for refurbishment. Most of the construction seems to have been completed, and the Royal Street Mall was fully opened for business. As the weather was beautiful, as the day progressed, the Royal Street Mall began to fill with mostly visitors, with a lot of activity in each of the shops. This area of the French Quarter is unlike what most first-time visitors think of, when the French Quarter is mentioned. It is quiet, lovely and offers a great shopping experience. It is the “refined sister” of the famous Bourbon Street, just a block away. The Royal Street Mall must be experienced, especially if unique shopping is on the agenda.

In January, we were back in New Orleans for a medical conference, and extended that trip a bit, to have a vacation in the city, where my wife was born, and in which we lived for 10 years, after we were married. We had visited the year before (though not extending that trip so long), and had great Winter weather. We were not so fortunate this trip, but still managed, despite the cold, and sporadic rain. We started our stroll of Royal St, at its beginning, at Canal St, just a few short blocks from our hotel. Royal St is mostly known as passing through the famous French Quarter, but it runs far beyond - though most tourists seldom traverse much of it, except for the section through the Quarter. The Royal St Mall is basically a portion of Royal St, in the French Quarter, and starts in about the 200 block at Bienville St, and runs for 10 blocks, to about Ursulines Ave, and it is filled with art galleries, unique clothing shops, restaurants, and bars. While the first block, or so of Royal, heading down-river from Canal St could be counted, because of the Hotel Monteleone taking up a full block, it usually is not. Same for the blocks, down-river from Ursulines, which, while partially commercial, becomes more residential, all the way to Esplanade, into the Frenchmen St Area, where Royal St turns, to keep following the River, through the Marigny to the Industrial Canal. In the Mall area, traffic is usually restricted to pedestrian, pedi-cabs, carriages and bicycles. We walked the full length of the Royal St Mall, stopping at Brennan’s for brunch, and then heading to a one-of-a-kind gift show, The Idea Factory, for a present for a great-nephew’s birthday. We then walked back, stopping at two bars/restaurants for wine, and also a brief visit to the Pharmacy Museum, which we found open, for the first time. On the way back, we stopped into several of the art galleries, and for my wife, one of the jewelry shops, as well. We took a pause at the little park, Place de Henriette Delille, which is immediately behind St Louis Cathedral, and is a location favored by several local artists. They hang their artwork on the wrought iron fence, surrounding that park, which is bordered by Pere Antoine Alley and Pirates Alley (going back up-river). The late artist, George Rodrigue (famous for his Blue Dog paintings), is still featured in the art gallery at the corner of the Royal St Mall, and Pere Antoine Alley. On this day, we had cold, gloomy weather, with small rain showers. Those played havoc with the artists at Place de Henriette Delille, as they rushed to cover their artwork, attached to the fence. For us, it just meant more stops at bars and restaurants (or shops) along the way. Often, the Royal St Mall has several groups of musicians performing, but on this day, there was only one - plus a solo violinist, a few blocks down-river. The number of musical groups can vary, depending on the time of year, the day of the week, and then, the weather. The Mall is flanked by great architecture, mostly from the French and Spanish periods, but there are two Federalist/Neo-classical structures, which are interesting, if for no other reason, than they are such an architectural departure from everything else surrounding them. Before the rain became serious, we headed back to our hotel’s bar, to spend the rest of the afternoon. However, we had a lovely stroll, did some shopping, dined and had a few glasses of wine, all in the lovely, and very interesting Royal St mall. This is one of our favorite walks, in the French Quarter, and probably in all of New Orleans.