Sidewalk steppin' - at least in my mind

I finally got to the cemeteries today - Lafayette 1 and St Louis 1, which I believe are the most famous in the city.  They were neat, but about as I expected.  Perhaps the guided tour talking about who all the ghosts were would have made it more amazing, I don't know.  And while I know there's been a bunch of movies shot in them, especially Lafayette, the only one that comes to my mind is Easy Rider.  I try not to think of that movie too much on this trip, seeing as how their motorcycle journey in the deep south ended up.  Not to mention their acid trip in St. Louis Cemetery #1...

The guidebooks all say to avoid going to St. Louis on your own, only go with a guide even during the daytime.  Criminals can lurk around the tombs and jump out and mug you.  Because, of course, it's next to a real-life...HOUSING PROJECT!  It doesn't matter that there's a dozen NOPD cars parked right across the street at first precinct headquarters - nope, there's low-income minorities living in publicly-owned brick buildings nearby.  I hate how they do that.  Same warning goes for the historic Treme neighborhood across the park from the cemetery and across Rampart St from my house.  On my first day in town after renting the bike I wound up in Treme by accident and then just ran into a really good five-piece brass band playing a private party at the small African-American Museum.  There were several people just chilling (drinks in hand) on the sidewalk listening in and dancing a bit looking through the fence.  Sound just filling the whole neighborhood, it was fun to soak it in like man, I'm really in New Orleans.  I tried recording it on my camera but got stuck with a huge video file I don't know what to do with and crappy audio.  But a great memory.  Riding back through the same block today was a bit quieter.

The Treme neighborhood, of course, is best-known for the Second Line - possibly the funkiest thing in the world.