The setting for my novel, Crescent City Lies is the enticing city of New Orleans. Let’s look at another location that plays a prominent role in the story.
Jackson Square
Jazz, bars, street performers, and tourists may be the soul of the French Quarter, but its heart is the beautiful Jackson Square. On any given day, revelers, tourists, locals, a wedding or two, and art, glorious art fill the Square. I chose the location to be a backdrop for a pivotal scene in my novel, Crescent City Lies. A scene which increases the danger for Emeline Drake as she seeks to unravel the mystery of her great-aunt’s death.
Dominated by the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral, the Square faced the Mississippi River and was once known as the Place d’Armes was a public square, an open-air market, and a military parade ground at its inception. The governor’s mansion, the Cabildo sat on the northwest corner beside the cathedral and the presence of the seat of government and the center of religion made the Square the epicenter of New Orleans life, business, and commerce.
In 1814 the Square underwent a redesign, an iron fence enclosed the perimeter and benches added for sitting. A bronze statue of General Andrew Jackson, hero of New Orleans became the square’s centerpiece. In 1815, the name “Jackson Square” officially replaced the former “Place d’Armes.”
In addition to the historical landmarks, an open-air artist colony has thrived outside the iron gates for over a half-century. Go have your portrait made, sit a spell on a bench with a drink or an ice cream and bask in the beauty that is the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Remember the motto of this city that revels in the joy of living. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll!
Oh – and be on the lookout, you might spot Emeline Drake and some of her fellow characters from Crescent City Lies strolling through the Square.
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Source Material: http://www.experienceneworleans.com/jackson-square.html
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