The Gates of Dixie

The French Market is reputed to be America’s oldest marketplace.  Originally built in 1791 to house the Choctaw Indians and German traders who came to New Olreans to sell their wares.  Produce, groceries and restaurants can all be found here.

In another photo from 2000, Gil is about to get his head chomped by a $5000 stuffed gator.

Free (and good) music can be enjoyed just about anywhere and anytime in the French Quarter.  This jazz band is performing near the French Market.

In this photo, below, taken in 2000, Jay is standing alongside the statue of a butcher who is holding a steak in his hand. 

The statue of the butcher in the Dutch Alley recalls the story of Hans Muller and is one of the favorite routes of the ghost tour operators who conduct tourists on nightly ventures throughout the Quarter.  The statue is located in a group of buildings across from the French Market on Decatur Street.  According to the story, Muller the butcher fell in love with a younger woman.  He then killed his aging wife (who worked in his sausage factory) and ground her body up in the sausage grinding machine.  Afterwards, she was sold as sausage to the public!  Customers eventually complained about finding bits of the woman’s bones and jewelry in their food.  Meanwhile, Muller lost his young love when she heard about the demise of his wife.  Muller became incessantly haunted by the bloody ghost of his wife, who eventually forced him into an asylum.  Muller committed suicide while at the asylum, and reportedly the ghost of the sausage factory was never heard from again.  

The statue of the butcher as it looks today.

The Dutch Alley--suprisingly deserted when just a few hundred feet away, N Peter's Street is jammed with vehicles and Jackson Square is alive with thousands of tourists.