San Francisco to New Orleans✈️: 21 April 2000

San Francisco to New Orleans✈️: 21 April 2000
Good Friday✝️ sad to miss 3:00 pm Lord's Passion Service - only day & time available for travel😢
United #UA372 B727-222/Adv (N7459U)
Boarding at Gate D10, Terminal 2
Always fun spotting B747-400 #QueenOfTheSkies at the apron,on push-back, and taxing for takeoff.
Great flight, amazing service; crew friendly, helpful and really nice*💕👌
N7459U delivered to United in 1980, withdrawn from use and stored at Victorville boneyard, Southern California in 2001 and broken up*🙈
Checked into Quality Inn Downtown, stone-throw from Canal Street, just 4 blocks away from the French Quarter.
A trip to New Orleans is incomplete without strolling down Bourbon Street, in the heart of the French Quarter, lined with iconic wrought-iron balconies buzzing with revellers & fortune-tellers. It is known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant street bands and spicy cuisine reflecting Creole, Cajun and Soul food.
As you walk along Decatur Street, past Cafe Du Monde to the French Quarter, you can’t miss the imposing 13-foot gilded, bronze equestrian statue of Joan of Arc on a 7-foot pedestal in a tiny triangular park (New Place de France) at the intersection with North Peterson Street across the French Market, clad in armour holding her trademark battle banner on a lance: 1 of 10 copies (from the original 1874 statue by French artist Emmanuel Frémiet displayed at Place des Pyramide, Paris) sent worldwide in the late 18th century and landed at the World House Galleries, New York in 1953.
The statue was transferred to New Orleans in 1958 after the city was proposed as the proper destination that could bring meaning to it at a discounted price. Once received, the mayoral team could not afford the $35,000 installation cost despite fundraising efforts, as a result it remained in storage for the next 14 years until 1972.
In 1960, French President Charles de Gaulle visited New Orleans and came to hear about the statue's plight which presented him with the opportunity to recognize the city's close ties to France and approached Orléans, Paris, Rouen and Reims, the cities identified with Joan of Arc, for funds.
By 1964, the president had paid half the cost, the other half by the 4 cities. In addition, two cannons dating back to 1813, were offered to flank the pedestal of the statue.
The site was dedicated on 19 April 1964 featuring a parade along Canal Street by sailors from the visiting cruiser Jeanne d’Arc and her frigate escort Victor Schoelcher as part of a 5-day showcase of friendship between France and the city ending in inauguration of the statue by Bruno de Leusse, Minister-Counsellor from the French Embassy and a blessing by Auxiliary Bishop Abel Caillouet of Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Three years later on 4 February 1967, plaques from the Jeanne d’Arc were given to New Orleans to be affixed to the base of the statue representing friendship between the city and France, and 4 other plaques, each with a coat of arms bearing a name of a city linked to Joan of Arc: Lorraine, where she was born; Orléans, which she freed from English occupation; Reims, where Charles VII was crowned as King of France; and Rouen, where she was burned at the stake.
Finally, on 26 October 1972, the statue was unveiled at newly-designated Place de France between International Trade Mart (later World Trade Center of New Orleans) and Rivergate complex, and officially presented to the city by the French ambassador, Jacques Kosciusko-Morizet.
The situation was to change in 1999 when Harrah's Casino set eyes on the Rivergate Convention Center building for a vast new gaming complex along with removing the statue. Public reaction to the proposal was swift, and a lengthy and costly legal battle ensued between Harrah and Louisiana Landmarks Society.
The court ruled in favour of Harrah, however, it had to cover the costs of moving, storing and relocating the statue - another period of storage away from the public's eye. Mayor March Morial and French Market Corp. proposed reinstalling the statue at a small walk-in park in the French Quarter. The new Place de France would be at the intersection of 3 streets: Decatur, North Peters and St Philip across the French Market. It would be accompanied by flags of the US, Louisiana, New Orleans and France, along with two bronze cannons in front of her, surrounded by a low wall lined with plaques relevant to Joan's life and campaigns.
Since her re-dedication, the Maid of Orléans, in a victorious pose on horseback when she defended France from the English, during the Hundred Years War, stands as a reminder that New Orleans prizes its ties with France and what she fought for centuries ago.
Take a short walk back on Decatur; on the right is Jackson Square and the magnificent St Louis Cathedral. On the left across the railway line is the Riverwalk, a few steps from the Mississippi River where you can watch the 'Creole Queen', the 'Cajun Queen', and the 'Natchez' steam past.