Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-06-20
NEW ORLEANS TO-DAY.
Its Frame Buildings. Water Tanks,
Restaurants and Theatres.
II otter in Nav Xorl, TinnnS

Letter in New York Times.
1 was told that the upper part of st
Charles street was the Fifth avenue of
New Orleans, and walked up to look at
it. 1t is very pretty street. but about
as much like Fifth avenue as Hoboken
is like New York. There are q number
of handsome residences, nearly all built
of wood, and elevated to keep them
out of the damp. They all stand in the
midst of large yards, in which are
orange, lemon, and magnolia trees and
great quantities of flowers. They have
curious custom of keeping the front
gates locked, and a visitor has to ring
bell at the gate before he can reach
the front door. This part of the street
stretches out for several miles, and is
filled all the way with pretty dwellings.
Around Jackson square are number
of comfortable. old-fashioned houses,
in which furnished rooms are kept for
rent, and my experience goes to show
that visitor, intending to spend any
time here, can make himself more com.
Portable in some of these lodgings than
in any of the hotels.
l found curious place Immediately
opposite the square in one of the old
family mansions built when this was O
fashionable part of the city. On top
of the two story front building the roof
runs up to q sharp point, and in the
rear is long row of smaller buildings,
in which in old times the slaves were
quartered. The room looks over a
small paved garden, in which are -four
ishing orange and lemon trees and q
few bananas. But the bananas show
the effects OF the late frosts
and droop sadly. Like all the
houses in New Orleans. this
one of mine is supplied with an i'm
mense tank. filling large part of the
yard, to catch the water from the roof
for there are no wells. The water
tanks form curious part of the New
Orleans establishments. They are i'm
mense wooden casks, like brewers vats.
When tank proves too small for the
necessity of the house they build another
one on top of it, like second story,
and sometimes o third and fourth
story, till the cistern towers up in the
air as high as the house. Many of the
tanks are built in imitation of Chinese
pagodas, and look like summer-houses
For all the comforts of life New Or
leans is far in advance of any other part
of the south indeed, it is nearly the only
place south of Washington where trav-
eler can feel sure of getting good din
ner. Some of the better restaurants,
although generally plain in their ap-
pointments, are almost equal in their
fare to the best in New York. There
are number of comfortable little
French restaurants in the French quar-
ter, and several excellent German ones
where pretzels and sauerkraut may be
washed down with foaming beer.
For the miserable slave to to.
bacco New Orleans is O much bet
ter place. than New York. In
nearly every one of the 10000 little
tobacco shops good cigar can be had
for q reasonable price, and in some Of
the restaurants good Havana cigar is
always served after dinner, whether il
is ordered or not. The restaurant can
we'll afford to soothe their customers
feelings with good cigar. for find it
impossible to get reasonably good
dinner in any passable restaurant for
less than $500 or $3.50.
No city in the country is better sup
piled with means of transit than New
Orleans. Street-cars run in every
possible direction, and o stranger
has no difficulty in reaching any
of the points of interest. The theatres
are striking reminders Of those in
Havana and Mexico They are so much
like them that they even have the same
musty smell, though have never been
able to make up my mind whether the
smell is must or garlic The fashion
able part of the theatre is that which
in New York we call the balcony or
dress circle. No lady ever goes into
the parquet. This is given over en-
tirely to gentlemen, who often do not
take the trouble to remove their hats
during the performance. But no
theatre in New Orleans is really fash.
ionsble; the only thing that draws out
society ladies is the opera.