At an intersection of street signs that could only happen in New Orleans, there is a little urban oasis called Walter "Wolfman" Washington Park. The park, too, is something that could only happen here, this city where everything, even the mundane, is magical.
There is a neighborhood supermarket, a snowball shop, a butcher, two Spanish restaurants, the best hummus in the city, a wine bar, coffee shop, Café Degas, etc, etc. In the middle of it all is a park where people wait to take the bus, sun themselves, rest their bones, play chess, or hold hands. Mothers push strollers.
A park bench is a nice place to have lunch.
Time moves to its own rhythm in New Orleans, the city the birthed jazz. Nobody calls it Wolfman Washington Park. Until a few years ago, it was called Alcée Fortier Park. Nobody called it that either. It was named after somebody you never heard of, then renamed to someone who sounds familiar, even if you don't really know who he is.
People in the neighborhood call it that park on Mystery Street.
Home is where the heart is.
Our part of New Orleans is close to the French Quarter. Bourbon Street is only a walk away, and world-famous Frenchmen Street, too! Esplanade Avenue is an old Creole main street in the city. There is a lot of history. You can feel it in the air.
Wolfman Washington Park is one of the communal nodes that make life enjoyable in this part of the Big Easy. Everybody says hello. If you can't find Liuzza's by the Track for the best gumbo in the city, ask somebody. They'l be happy to tell you. In New Orleans, we're all in this together.
Happiness loves company.
When you are looking to visit New Orleans like you live here, you are in the right place. La Belle Esplanade is named for the street for a reason. We live on a beautiful street. I see good memories get made here every day. You should make some of your own.