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Formerly named the Place des Armes, Jackson Square is a city-block sized open park located at the old center of New Orleans. At the northwestern reaches of the park you'll find a statue of Andrew Jackson, who led his troops to victory in the Battle of New Orleans. This place used to be a famous gathering place for painters of various talents who would set up shop around the perimeter of the square. Since then, the tarot card readers, fortune tellers, and mimes have largely driven them away. The mimes? You've gotta be kidding! Aggressive, pushy mimes? For some reason I can't picture that.

Just northwest of Jackson Park is Jackson Park Mall. The mall itself is rather small, spanning the space between St. Louis Cathedral and the northwestern border of Jackson Park. During my visit I noticed quite a bit of activity there; a magic show, tarot card readings, two-person band.

A major landmark in the French Quarter, the St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continuously active cathedral in the United States. Build in 1853, the cathedral is the third substantial church in the square; the first burned and the second was replaced with the current structure. Given the reputation of the French Quarter, it's odd to see this grand Catholic cathedral amidst of all the surrounding hedonism, from the sex shops to the all-hours bars to the crazy and wreckless behavior.