New Orleans is a consolidated

city-parish located along the

Mississippi river in the southeastern
region of the U.S. state of
Louisiana.It is the most populous city
in Louisiana. A major port, New
Orleans is considered an economic
and commercial hub for the
broader Gulf Coast region of
the United States. The boundaries
are formed by the Mississippi River
and Jefferson parish to the west
and Lake Pontchartrain to the north.
Lake Pontchartrain is connected by
The Rigolets channel to Lake Borgne
on the east (and thence to the gulf),
and the southern boundary of New
Orleans is made up of St. Bernard
parish and, again, the Mississippi
River. The city is divided by the
Mississippi, with the principal
settlement on the east bank.
Bourbon Street embodies the life of a
party town. The street is lit by neon
lights, throbbing with music and
decorated by beads and balconies.
Named for a royal family in France
and not the amber-colored alcohol,
Bourbon Street has become a place
for revelry of all sorts. With its
windows and doors flung open to the
wandering crowds, it should be no
surprise that the famed sidewalk
strolling libation known as the “go
cup” was invented on Bourbon Street,
according to Tulane University
historian Richard Campanella. Many
things change in New Orleans, but the
color and excitement of Bourbon
Street never falters. One of the most
luxurious spots on Bourbon Street, The
Royal Sonesta Hotel, opened in
1969. But the hotel’s site dates back
to when the city was founded.
Facing Jackson Square and flanked by the historic
Cabildo on one side and the equally historic
Presbytere on the other, St. Louis Cathedral is among
the tallest and most imposing structures in the French
Quarter. And one of the most recognizable. It has
been seen in hundreds of movies, TV shows and other
visual presentations and it is a local and international
architectural icon.

As the mother church of the Archdiocese of New

Orleans, St. Louis Cathedral has a long and
interesting history. It is the oldest continuously active
Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States,
originally built in 1727 and dedicated to King Louis
IX of France, "The Crusading King" who was later
canonized by the Church. The original St. Louis
Cathedral burned during the great fire of 1794 and
was rebuilt. The present structure was completed in
the 1850s.

In September 1987 the cathedral witnessed the

historic visit of Pope John Paul II and the plaza
directly in front of the church was renamed in the
pope's honor. Shortly afterward the status of the
Cathedral was upgraded to a Basilica. At the rear of
the Cathedral is the St. Anthony Garden dominated
by a statue of Jesus with His arms upraised. At night,
floodlights project an imposing shadow from the
statue onto the Cathedral - a particularly awe-
inspiring sight.