The one weekend a year when my love of movies, history and travel converges together is Oscar Weekend. At first I considered sitting this year out. Last years happened in early February 2020, just as the COVID-19 Pandemic was about to strike. Little did I know the next fourteen months would be a daily struggle.
Around October and November of last year things were looking pretty grim. The Pandemic was raging. People weren’t really doing what needed to be done. Here in Utah a lot of people refused to follow the guidelines. We had a sitting president that offered less than zero leadership on the matter. As the year progressed towards it welcome end, I was very doubtful that the California trip would happen, even though the awards had been pushed back to the end of April.
Things changed in mid January on many levels and we finally had a plan for the vaccinations that were needed. The new Utah Governor stepped it up on a local level, and federally thins improved greatly. Still, I decided I would not make the trip if I was not fully vaccinated. Not because I worried so much about myself, but I certainly am not selfish enough to want to put other, more vulnerable people at risk of contacting the virus.
On February 28th I received my first Mederna shot. My second came on March 28th. Two weeks later I was ready to start getting my life back and do a little living.
View from my Bellagio room
I rented a car with my sister and brother and left Logan, Utah on Wednesday morning. First stop: the Belagio in Las Vegas. We stayed the night and then set off for Las Angeles, staying in our usual Sunset Plaza Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
Immediately it was clear that this year was very different. California was still very much in lockdown from the virus. Restrictions were beginning to be lifted on restaurants and stores, but just barely. The hotel was much more quiet and offered very little in room service or housekeeping (though a tip envelope for the staff was still present in the room). Indoor eating was limited. I was happy, though that everyone was wearing their masks and making the effort to do what was right.
The usual Oscar attractions were also very different. The Dolby Theatre was closed up, except for the filming of some musical numbers. The awards instead would be broadcast from Union Station in downtown Las Angeles. The smaller venue would limit the number of attendees.
We chose a few outdoor activities this time around to aid in distancing. All of us love the 1960’s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. The opening sequence of Andy and Opie at a lake for some fishing and a bit of pebbles skipping is a slice of classic pop culture. We decided to take the short drive and see if we could locate the exact spot from the starting.
Franklin Canyon Reservoir. photo by author
We took Mulholland Drive to the Franklin Canyon Drive. The road winds its way down a deep canyon to Franklin Canyon reservoir. This was the place. The first thing we saw a lone, scared looking coyote walking along the road in front of us. We then parked and took a trail around the reservoir, finally locating the spot we believe was the actual spot. Such a peaceful location at the edge of a huge city. Not many tourists flock here, but I highly recommend it as place to enjoy nature and take a break…and maybe whistle a few notes.
Cute but scared. Coyote on the train. photo by Tracey Smith
Keeping the outside theme alive, we also visited Hollywood Boulevard and took a stroll from Santa Monica Beach down to Venice Beach. Though still teaming with some tourists, the vibe of these places was very different from previous years. The pandemic and its bruising of the California economy was evident. I have never seen so many homeless tents and sleeping bags. In recent years the city had made an effort to clean up both places. The efforts were quite noticeable. This year it was sadly different. Urine soaked sidewalks and homeless desperation littered the street and beach. The toll the virus had taken on everyone over the last year, truly saddened me. I truly pray that things will get better from here. Visiting the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was a much more beautiful and peaceful experience.
Venice Beach
Since the Oscar broadcast was at a new location, we decided to visit Union Station and the adjacent Olvera Street. I had never visited this oldest street in the city before. It was so much fun shopping the traditional Hispanic shops and eateries. The Union Station was also an impressive building with its own fascinating history. Though scaled down, the area was still busy with cameras and red carpet being set up. It’s very exciting.
Top: Union Station. Bottom: Olvera Street. photos by author
This year we ate at places we really enjoy. Nothing really new for us this time. Micheli’s, El Coyote, the Polo Lounge, the Rainbow Grill, Farmers Market. We frequented these places often. They were all good. That’s why we come back.
We watched the Oscar Telecast from the hotel room on Sunday night. All of my choices won except I was hoping for Ri Ahmed for Best Actor for The Sound of Metal and Carey Mulligan for Best Actress for Promising Young Woman. But the winners were deserving as well. The show itself was a bit rocky, especially when the big hope for an emotional award for Chadwick Boseman fell flat on its abrupt face.
Because of the theater closures, the notoriety of the films was lower. Not many people had seen them. The rating for the awards were down as well. I don’t care about any of that. It’s not a popularity contest. We had some wonderful films in 2020. Box office and rating are unimportant to me. None of that really matters. It’s quality over quantity.
The next day we dropped the car rental off at the Burbank Airport and flew home into the new airport in Salt Lake City. It was a unique trip with some challenges and some real pleasures. That said, I hope it is the only year where we to struggle with all the limitations. I hope and pray that we are back to normal 2022.
Seven Day Roadtrip Through Arizona and New Mexico.
They say you experience every trip three times. First when you dream it. Second when you experience it. Third when you remember it. I’ve been wanting to take a road trip through the southern desert of Arizona and New Mexico for several years. It seems like things just got in the way and I kept putting it off. Finally, I decided to set a date and stick with it.
I am a big history buff and love reading about the Old West. This sojourn would focus on seeing Tombstone and the Billy the Kid haunts.
Initially a good friend of mine was on board for the adventure. As the time approached he became less committed. I considered cancelling , but decided that if I let this trip go, I’d likely never plan it again. I decided to go alone!
A few weeks later my brother called me and said that he would like to go. He would have to fly home a bit early, but was on board to see an area that he had never seen before.
Day 1
It seems when I get ready for a vacation there is always something that pops up to make things harder than it should be. A week prior to flying out I was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming hiking when I was hit with kidney stones! I’d never had them before and it was the most painful thing I had ever gone through. They had eased a little after going to Instacare, but the night before I was scheduled to fly from Salt Lake City to Phoenix they returned with a vengeance. I could easily see that the amount of money I was spending on the trip was far from being the most painful part. Luckily I still had some painkillers that the doctor had prescribed to me, so I decided to take them and get on the plane!
It was a beautiful October 8, 2019 morning when I hobbled onto the Delta Airliner with my brother. I was definitely not my best as I tried to sit still in my seat. It was a short hour and twenty minute flight, but felt twice that. I was very relieved when the Pilot announced our descent into Phoenix.
It was closing in on 90 degrees. I’d been to the Phoenix Sky Harbor once before. It is pretty large. I found getting to the rental car was far more of a chore than I would have expected. The rental building was a couple of miles away and we had to take a crowded shuttle bus. Luckily picking up the silver Hyundai was pretty easy and in no time we were on the road, ready for frequent bathroom breaks in hopes of passing a couple of stones.
The Mesa LDS Temple. Photo by the author
I was raised LDS, though I am no ,longer active. I still am close to some of its culture, so we decided to take an exit and drive over to the Mesa LDS Temple to see it. It was a bit disappointing. The area of town was more rundown than I expected and the entire grounds were under construction, so all we could see was piles of dirt and construction trucks.
A few minutes later, we were back on the freeway, heading southeast on I-10 towards Tucson. The land was so different, so barren, so beautiful. The tall cacti were peppered throughout the low rolling hills and desert. I deliberately wanted to fly into Phoenix and rent the car there for a few reasons. First is that is was cheaper. I also wanted to see a little bit of Phoenix since I had only visited the airport before. Lastly and more importantly, I was looking forward to the drive.
Tucson
We arrived in Tucson around 1 pm. The temperature sat at 96 degrees. I didn’t make the time to explore much, but there was a place we really wanted to see and that was the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The building that stands today was constructed between 1783 and 1797, but the mission actually dates back to 1692. It has become a pilgrimage for many people and boasts about 200,000 annual visitors.
The Mission San Xavier del Bac. Photo by the author.
It is a stunning example of early U.S. Spanish Colonial architecture, both inside and outside. Ten miles south of downtown Tucson, the area still feels quiet and isolated,much like it probably was 300 years ago. Next to the parking lot there are a few food concession stands run by the local native-american tribe. I bought some water to soften the heat and help move through my kidney stones.
Inside it was surprisingly cool in comparison to the outside. The walls are nearly six feet thick with rock and lime. There is still an undeniably holy ambiance throughout. Outside the temps continued to hover around 100 as we took a quick hike up the hill next to it to see a tomb and to look down on the Mission to the west and the city to the north.
The interior chapel area of San Xavier. Photo by the author.
The air conditioning in the car was welcomed as we headed back to I-10 for the remaining 72 miles to Tombstone. The terrain changed only slightly on the drive. We climbed in elevation, but the temperature stayed in the upper 90’s. We left the freeway and took State Highway 80 with about 23 miles to go.
It was interesting to observe life the closer you get to the border of Mexico. Tombstone lies about 30 miles north. About a mile north of Tombstone we passed a border patrol stopping point for those heading northbound. Their were officers and dogs waiting for every vehicle to be inspected. In Utah I am used to hearing about immigration and border issues, but it was different to actually see the operations. It was a strange feeling knowing that this is everyday life down here.
Tombstone
The first thing I noticed driving into the town of Tombstone was the Boothill Cemetery on the left. It was a stern reminder that many people lost their lives in the “town too tough to die.” My first priority was to find my hotel. The town is so small it wasn’t very hard to locate Wyatt’s Hotel. It sets less than a block from historic Allen Street and was decorated in old west furnishings. The second floor room looked like we had stepped right back in time, except of course for the television mounted on the wall. Despite my discomfort from the stones, we were ready to start exploring the town where I would spend the next three nights.
My room is the one on the top floor. Photo by the author
It doesn’t take long to walk through downtown, but it is well worth it to take your time. Each place offers some sort of interesting little tidbit. Most of the building date back to the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. Sadly fire has destroyed Tombstone on more than one occasion. They rebuild fast, however.
We were pretty hungry as it was getting later in the afternoon, so we picked a restaurant that would be representative of the area. We had hope for some good Mexican food, but we were informed that there weren’t any good ones in town. Right on the corner of Allen Street and Fifth sets the Crystal Palace Saloon.
Originally built as the Golden Eagle Brewery in 1879, it then burned in the great fire of 1882. It was rebuilt as the Crystal Palace Saloon that same year. It looks much the same today as it did then. Inside is a giant, beautiful bar that runs nearly the entire side of the room. It’s easy to imagine a bunch of cowboys siding up to it asking for some whiskey.
The Crystal Palace Saloon. Photo by the author.
My brother had some homemade chili, which he loved and I had a burger (not the best choice with kidney stones). It was definitely very tasty.
There really isn’t much to do after 5:00 on Allen Street. With the exception of a few bars and eateries, the town closes up. Ironically that is the exact opposite of what the town would have been like one hundred and forty years ago. When the sun goes down, however, the feeling of walking the streets takes on a more sinister feel. The fighting couples and lone wandering drunks don’t seem quite as inviting.
Tombstone right before sundown. Photo by the author.
Luckily, the historic Birdcage Theatre was sponsoring some late night ghost investigations. This is right up my alley, as I love the paranormal. This old theatre has been standing since 1881 and is known as one of the most haunted places in the American West.
There was already a feeling of foreboding as we waited in the front room of the Birdcage for the tour to begin. Surrounding by old vintage items and relics from Tombstone’s heyday there was an uneasiness in the air. About 15 people were present as the tour guide gave some history and tour of each room. She relayed stories of Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo confronting each other at a Faro Table, which was still in its same corner. The rooms for prostitution were creepily aligned next to the Poker Room, which featured a game that ran continuously for about nine straight years!
The Bird Cage Theatre. Photo by the author.
Interior of the Bird Cage. Photo by the author.
With all the crazy events that occurred here, it’s no wonder the spirits have chosen to stay. The last half of the tour featured a session where we tried to communicate with the ghosts. Equipped with my own K2 Meter, I was ready for some dialogue.
I won’t say there was a flurry of activity, but we did have some experiences. the lady across from me had an entity pull at her ponytail. There were also a few knocks close to the old horse drawn hearse in the back of the room. My K2 Meter went off a few times with correlated with the moments the lady had her hair pulled. Overall it was a fun and slightly creepy evening…just the way I like it. My brother felt it seemed a bit too much like a seance.
After the session at the Birdcage, it was getting late and I could feel that we had really piled quite a lot into the first day. We returned to the our hotel and fell asleep pretty quickly. Tomorrow we planned to visit the OK Corral and to really see more of the history that lurks throughout the dusty desert town.
Driving around Hollywood and West Los Angeles there is a changing landscape. History is important in the city, but not as important as money. Little by little the Hollywood of yesterday is being torn down so more mega-mansions and high end boutiques can take there place. It’s becoming more and more difficult, but if you look hard enough there are still remnants of what has been constant throughout the years. There are still some holdouts that can be enjoyed by a new generation just as they were in Tinseltown’s bygone era.
Nestled in between neo eateries I was able to find a few restaurants that have stood the test of time. They were once a place where starlets met with agents and seven figure deals for movie went down. Mostly they are places that had some importance in the entertainment world. I am writing about five places that should take tourists or film lovers back in time. One can imagine the Hollywood elite dining for a glamorous Saturday night on the town, or taking a break from filming to catch a bite. So lets step back in time and dine with the stars.
Barney’s Beanery in Hollywood opened in 1927. Photo by the author.
There are several Barney’s Beanery’s around southern California, but the one that sets along Historic Route 66 on Santa Monica Blvd is the original. Actually the very first location was opened in Berkeley in 1920 by John “Barney” Anthony. Seven years later he decided to move his restaurant to the historic highway running through Los Angeles as it headed to the end of the line at the Pacific Ocean.
Celebrities, artists, writers, and movie production workers began frequenting the bar. In the 1930’s through the 1950’s it was a frequent hangout for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall considered it “their” place. Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth, Errol Flynn were all regulars.
In the 1960’s the clientele shifted. The nearby Sunset Strip had become a haven for the hippy culture. Just a few blocks away, Barney’s attracted several rock stars. One was Jim Morrison, leader of The Doors. He visited often. One time he was even kicked out of the place for urinating on the bar.
Another regular was Janis Joplin. She even carved her name into one of the tables. That table top is still there and on display on the ceiling over where she sat. She actually ate her last meal here. She was seen dining shortly before she headed back to the Landmark Motor Hotel on Franklin Avenue where her body was found dead the following day in Room #105 of a heroin overdose.
In the early 1990’s filmmaker Quentin Tarantino sat at his favorite booth and wrote the screenplay for his film Pulp Fiction.
The Beanery isn’t without its share of controversy. The exact date when the trouble started is unsure, probably just prior to 1953. The owner put up a sign behind the bar among the various license plates. The sign read: ‘Fagots – (sic) Stay Out! ” John Anthony had regularly let his hatred of gays be known. Ironically, Barney’s Beanery is right in the middle of the heavily gay population of West Hollywood. The sign came and went, finally being taken down permanently in 1984 when the mayor of West Hollywood, the City Council and a group of activists walked in and physically removed it.
Pop Culture: Parts of Oliver Stone’s The Doors was filmed here. There is also an illustration showing the restaurant on the Big Brother & the Holding Company’s album Cheap Thrills. On TV “Columbo ” Peter Falk often ordered a sandwich from the restaurant, though it was never featured on camera.
Just north of CBS Studios and Farmer’s Market is Fairfax Village. A staple of the area since 1948 has been the famous Canter’s, a Jewish-style delicatessen. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week except on the Jewish holidays of Yon Kippur Rosh Hashanah.
Walking into Canter’s is like stepping back in time. The interiors look like it hasn’t been updated in decades, which is one of the great appeals of it. Sitting there I could easily imagine the late night crowds that frequent the place.
Because of its location and hours, it quickly became a hangout for people involved with the entertainment industry. In the 1960’s it was a place where rock stars and hippies held late night gatherings. In the bar area adjacent to the deli musicians such as Fiona Apple and The Wallflowers got their start. The current owner Marc Canter wrote a book about his high school friend Slash and his band Guns N Roses. In 2014 President Obama surprised the guest when he stopped by for a bite to eat.
The Canter’s menu offers not just the usual deli favorites. It also is a pretty straight forward diner with lots of sandwiches and meat and potato entrees. They also offer their famous Matzah Ball Soup. I wasn’t quite brave enough to try it, but my brother did and said it was good. The prices are very reasonable as well.
Pop Culture: Several TV shows have filmed there including Mad Men and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The song “Oh Daddy” by the Turtles mentions Canter’s as well.
El Coyote opened on March 3, 1931. Photo by the author.
When a restaurant has been opened as long as some of these classic diners in the Hollywood area, there are bound to be some stories that will live on. The El Coyote features some very tasty Mexican Food, and has kept the dark and authentic atmosphere that it has likely always had. Due to it’s small connection to a notorious murder scene, it is often drawn into conversations about Hollywood crimes.
El Coyote first opened in 1931 on the corner of La Brea and First. Twenty years later it moved to its present location on Beverly Blvd. Within its proximity to CBS Television studios and other movie studios, it became a place for many celebrities to eat.
On the evening of August 8, 1969 Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and a very pregnant Sharon Tate visited the El Coyote, which was Sharon’s favorite restaurant. Following their meal they drove along Beverly Boulevard and back to the house Tate was renting with her husband director Roman Polanski in Benedict Canyon. Polanski was out of town filming a movie in London.
The foursome arrived home around 10:30 pm. Shortly after midnight on August 9th four members of the Manson Family entered the home and murdered the Tate and her house guests , plus one other person, Steven Parent, who was visiting a friend in the guest house. He was shot in the driveway as he tried to leave. Any worker at the restaurant will gladly point out the table where Tate and her company ate that night.
The murders shocked the nation and an entire generation was affected by the heinous crime. Unfortunately this wasn’t the one moment of notoriety for the restaurant. In 2008 it was boycotted by the gay and lesbian community due to the owner’s daughter and manager Marjorie Christoffersen, a devout Mormon. She had donated money to Proposition 8, the ballot initiative to block gay marriage. She apologized to the LGBT community and offered a free lunch, though she continued to support Prop 8.
I’ve eaten at the El Coyote several times over the years and the food has always been excellent, and the service very good. They are open most everyday, but keep in mind they close early on Oscar night
Pop Culture: Feature in the documentary, Six Degrees of Helter Skelter.
The Formosa Cafe has been a Hollywood staple since it opened its doors in 1925 on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Formosa Avenue. The Chinese flavored cuisine quickly emerged as a favorite for the movie industry crowd. It is very close to several film studios.
In 2015, the owners gutted the historic interiors and changed everything to a more modern style. Showing that the public doesn’t always want change, an outcry arose among those who craved old-Hollywood style. The new version lost business with all the negative publicity.
In December of 2016 the property closed down without notice, some thought permanently. Luckily, in 2017 the property was picked up by the 33 Group and is being renovated. The new owners want to restore it completely to its glamour days of the 30’s and 40’s. It is scheduled to reopen in the Spring of 2019.
Few restaurants have a history of celebrity clientele like The Formosa. It is said that Frank Sinatra spent many nights in the 1950’s here at the bar, pining away for Ava Gardner. Some of the eatery’s other famous regulars are: Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Brad Pitt, John Wayne, Bugsy Siegel, Warren Beatty, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, Jack Benny, Elizabeth Taylor…just to name a few.
I learned of the renovation recently when I returned there to eat and found it closed down. I hope the new owners are able to return this landmark to its original splendor. It is a place that Hollywood doesn’t want to lose.
Pop Culture: The films Swingers, L.A. Confidential, Still Breathing, and The Majestic features scenes shot here. It was also used in the television series Bosch.
Micheli’s, the historic Italian Restaurant. Photo by the author.
In 1949 Carmen and Sylvia Micheli pulled their funds together and opened this historic restaurant that is just half a block south of Hollywood Blvd. Carmen used recipes that had been handed down to him from Sicily. They hoped to create the first pizzeria in Hollywood.
The place became a hit among the celebrities of the day and the tourists who flocked to the famous street. The interior has remained almost unchanged for years. In fact the booths that are still used came from another historic restaurant. When the famous Pig ‘N Whistle closed in 1949, Micheli purchased the booths. The image of a pig holding a whistle can still be seen carved into the seat backs. The Pig ‘N Whistle would again open, but not for fifty years. In 1999 it was restored and is still open around the corner from Michel’s on Hollywood Blvd.
Frank Sinatra seemed to really get around and Micheli’s of course became one of his many hangouts. In fact he reserved the same booth in a corner and up a few steps. Appropriately, there is a giant photo of Sinatra that decorates the exterior wall outside of the restaurant.
Lucille Ball learned how to toss pizza here for an episide of I Love Lucy, and she frequented the place as a patron often. Other regulars were: Richard Burton, Dean Martin, Sal Mineo, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, John F. Kennedy, and even the Beatles.
I make it a special event to eat at Micheli’s each year when I visit Los Angeles during Oscar Weekend. Stepping into the building is like embracing Hollywood’s bygone era. There is always a piano player on the upper level, playing classic tunes from another time. Occasionally the waiter or waitress will pause in their order taking and break into song. Most of the time they sing as well as they wait on the tables.
It’s not just a place to eat, but it is a dining experience. Don’t rush through the meal. Sit back and enjoy the ambiance. You can almost believe that you are at a happening nightspot in 1950.
Pop Culture: The film Knocked Up featured a scene shot at Micheli’s. Also the television shows Dexter and Mob City included the location.
There are several other restaurants in Hollywood that also preserve the past. As mentioned Pig ‘N Whistle on Hollywood Blvd. Mel’s Drive-In on Highland and Carney’s on Sunset are fun throwbacks. The Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood and Lucy’s El Adobe on Melrose are also recommended. It’s even worth spending a little extra and having a Sunday morning breakfast at the famous Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Make sure to make a reservation.
I want to showcase one more place. If anyone has the time, take the short drive into Laurel Canyon and visit the Canyon Country Store. It is virtually unchanged from the era when Mama Cass lived in the basement and Jim Morrison owned the home directly behind it. They were regulars, as were countless residence of the canyon. Mick Fleetwood even met Lindsay Buckingham here and invited him and Stevie Nicks to join Fleetwood Mac.
Lauren Canyon Country Store. Photo by the author.
It’s not a restaurant, but they have a great coffee spot to sit outside and watch the traffic speed by on the winding Laurel Canyon Blvd as it twists its way to the San Fernando Valley.
It is located at 2108 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles is a haven for wonderful eateries, if you can handle the traffic to get there. I have found that they are worth the headache of maneuvering through the busy streets. I hope these few cafes and restaurants and coffee shops might motivate a few folks to give them a try.
The French Quarter in New Orleans attracts tourists of all kinds. Some come for a chance to party along Bourbon Street. In February Mardi Gras takes over and the city is nearly impossible to navigate. The sounds of drunk party goers echo through the streets as tourists stumble from bar to bar. They might try a Hurricane from Pat O’Brien’s, or sip a blood red wine at a vampire pub. Everyone has a reason to trek to the Crescent City. Underneath the revelry and smooth jazz melodies lies something more unnerving, more sinister, even.
New Orleans has a reputation for being the most haunted city in the country. Around every corner there is another tale of ghostly sightings and voodoo warnings. Are they just folklore, or is there really something to the stories? The answer depends on who you ask. Regardless, most would agree that there is something mesmerizing, something that could be called almost supernatural that lingers in the air much like the Spanish Moss that clings to overgrown oak trees.
Heading northeast on Royal Street, several blocks from the back of St. Louis Cathedral sets a three story mansion. It looks serene enough. It could even be called majestic despite it’s square, boxy design. It has had numerous owners over the years. Even Oscar winning actor Nicolas Cage once lived here until he ran into financial troubles.
Reports of paranormal activity have surrounded the residence for years. The origins of those reports date way back to the first half of the nineteenth century when New Orleans was a hot, humid port city. Setting at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the city shipped imported goods north to other areas of the United States.
During the final campaign of the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson led a victorious army in the Battle of New Orleans. They were able to defeat the British troops in the ten day battle.
In 1787 Marie Delphine Macarty was born and raised into a notable family in New Orleans. At the age of thirteen, she married a 35 year old high ranking Spanish royal officer, named Don Ramón de Lopez y Angulo. Four years later he died at sea. They had one daughter together. She married for the second time in 1808 to Jean Blanque, a prominent merchant, lawyer and banker. He purchased a house at 409 Royal Street. There they had four children. He died suddenly in 1816, leaving her in debt and raising five children.
Delphine LaLaurie
Nearly ten years later, Delphine would marry for a third time. This time to a physician named Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie. She was nearly fifty years of age at the time. He was in his late twenties. They built and moved into a mansion at 1140 Royal Street. There the couple enjoyed the high society of the city, hosting parties and attending gatherings.
Everything was not as glamorous as it seemed, however. The LaLaurie’s owned numerous slaves, who occupied the slaves quarters adjacent to the mansion. By most accounts the neighbors believed that Delphine treated her slaves well in public. There were murmurings, however that in private it was a much different story. On occasion the authorities visited the house upon reports that she was mistreating her slaves.
It is believed that life only got worse for those she kept in her home. One resident claimed to see a 12 year old black girl fall to her death from the roof when Madame Lalaurie had chased her. The rumour was that the girl had been brushing her mistresses hair when she hit a nasty snarl. She ran when Delphine had chased her with a whip.
The incident led the authorities back to the residence for an investigation. They found that the LaLaurie’s were indeed guilty of mistreatment. They removed nine slaves from the home. A relative of Delphine’s gained ownership of them and promptly returned them to Madame LaLaurie’s custody. Things only got worse following the very public scrutiny. The LaLaurie’s attempted to keep their treatment well hidden from the New Orleans elite. Despite the tight lip from Delphine, there were whispers that one slave was chained to the stove in the kitchen.
On the night of April 10, 1834 Leonard and Delphine threw an extravagant party at their home. Midway through the event a fire broke out in the kitchen and the guest were told to go outside. The fire department arrived on the scene and found a 70 year old black woman chained by her ankle to the stove. She admitted to starting the fire in a suicide attempt. She claimed that several slaves had gone into the third floor attic and never came out.
The interior of the LaLaurie House.
Some of the guest asked the LaLaurie’s for the upstairs key to the slave quarters. The couple refused to hand it over, so some of the party goes broke the door down.
What they found was a horrific scene that sent even the strongest of men into repulsion. Seven slaves were held captive. They showed signs of torture. One had shackles around his neck. Another had their joints pulled from their sockets. They had been mutilated and imprisoned for months. When Leonard was questions he defiantly told the crowd to mind their own business.
When word spread of the horror show, a mob attacked the house, destroying much of the interior. Leonard and Delphine fled the city shortly after the fire and violence in the house. They took a boat to Mobile, Alabama and eventually sailed for Paris.
It was reported in the papers that bones had been found buried in the courtyard and two of the slaves held captive died within days of being discovered. Some believed that Leonard LaLaurie was the evil one. Being a doctor allowed him an opportunity to experiment and torture the slaves. The LaLaurie’s were never brought to justice.
As time went by the house fell into several different hands. At one point it was a high school. It also served as a bar and later a furniture store before being turned into apartments. After much renovation it was eventually restored as a single residents.
Shortly after the LaLaurie’s abandoned the property there began tales of unexplained knocking sounds and moans. The high school students believe the place to be infested with spirits. The furniture store owners moved out after claiming that furniture moved.
Nicolas Cage moved in, but many claimed he rarely was seen at home. After some financial issues he sold the property. The current owner has a main house elsewhere and rarely stays in the home. He has made no comment of the house or whether he has experienced anything beyond the normal.
The LaLaurie House today. Photo by the author.
The home is featured on numerous Ghost Tours throughout the French Quarter. The gruesome tale stays with the tourists long after they return home. It is still an impressive home. No one is allowed in since it is still a private residence. If anyone decides to visit the home, please respect the owners private property.
There has been a lot written about and speculated about Delphine LaLaurie. Was she really as wicked as the tales suggest? She is portrayed as a sadistic headmistress by Kathy Bates in a season of American Horror Story. It is likely the stories have grown more wicked over the years with details becoming more and more spectacular. One thing is for sure the events that took place inside the mansion did happen to an extent. There are newspaper accounts to back this up. The details about the amount of torture that took place might vary, but even the mellowest versions still reveal horrific events that never should have happened. If any house in America deserves to be haunted…it’s this one.
