History at your feet
New Orleanians are passionate about their street names. Less than half of 1 percent of the city’s streets are numbered; the vast majority are named after royals, politicians, plantation owners, philanthropists, pirates, and others. The French Quarter is laid out in a grid with its earliest streets named for the bastard children of Louis XIV (Toulouse, Conti, Dumaine, Chartres), interspersed with streets named after various saints.
Many of the streets’ pronunciations are often used as signifiers to determine if someone is a local. One of the best ways to be NOLA-ier than thou? Pronounce the following streets the “right” way: Burgundy (bur-gun-dee), Milan (My-lan), Calliope (cal-lee-ope), Euterpe (you-terp), Carondelet (kuh-ran-duh-let), and the mother of all street names, the four-syllable Tchoupitoulas (chop-ah-too-luhs). Once you have mastered the pronunciations, it’s time to ask for directions.
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Address Located throughout the city of New Orleans | Tip Many local shops sell street-tile art, including Derby Pottery and Tile (2029 Magazine St), 1850 House (523 St. Ann St), and Forever New Orleans (700 Royal St).
Don’t be surprised if you ask a local what street you are on and they point to the ground. It was not until the early 20th century that the city installed traditional street signs. Before that, people were completely reliant on blue and white tiles manufactured in Belgium and Ohio with street names and addresses on them, embedded in streets and sidewalks.
Some of the original street names remain in the sidewalks. For example, on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard you can still see “Dryades” underfoot, and places on Tremé Street still show “North Liberty Street.” In Mid-City, while the street sign that reads “Hennessey” (for murdered police chief David C. Hennessy) is spelled incorrectly, the street tiles are correct. Following Hurricane Katrina, the city allowed citizens to make their own official street signs and interest in street tiles surged; they became a revered symbol of civic pride. So as you walk around New Orleans, don’t just look up and around for art and history—look at your feet.
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