Baton Rouge | Government Street

It’s been a bit of a crazy week here as I’ve had work-related after-hours events to attend the last couple nights. Tuesday night I sat in my office and watched Hulu for two hours before my event. Although it was good to catch up on Archer, I realized I could have been out taking some pictures for my faithful readers… so last evening I took the opportunity. In hindsight, being outdoors taking pictures in the late afternoon in South Louisiana, while wearing a suit, was not the best idea before a social event. But these are the sacrifices I make for you.

My subject yesterday was one of my favorite parts of Baton Rouge – Government Street in mid-city. Government Street certainly has it’s highs and lows, but I kind of love the mix of mid-century architecture, nice restaurants and unique boutiques, along with some splashes of urban decay and kitsch. Admittedly, these will focus more on the decay part, because as my wife says, “all [I] like to take pictures of is run-down buildings.”

Hope you enjoy these pictures, I feel like my skills are getting slightly better. The first two are from the western edge of mid-city, nearly downtown. The rest bounce around a bit east-to-west as I saw subjects and darted in and out of parking lots.







I thought this was an interesting juxtaposition.





I had read about Ninja Snowballs, so when I saw the truck I had to stop and take a picture. (It was hard to miss - the truck is a brilliant, shiny red as you can see.)  I’m not sure which Ninja this was, but he graciously posed for the snapshot as he was packing up. He asked if I was from the newspaper. “No, just a little blog,” I replied.











Here are several from the grand old dame of Government Street, Baton Rouge Magnet High School.















This was actually on North Boulevard, but I couldn’t resist.






As always, larger, higher-resolution versions of everything can be found on my Flickr. Just click a photo to be taken there, then click "All Sizes." One last one for the road…

Chemicals and Catholics: River Road, Hahnville to Welcome

Today I was reminded of the old phrase, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” After being stood up for the second time by the same business owner outside New Orleans, I decided to turn anger into creative energy, and took the proverbial long way home. My supposed appointment was in St. Rose, so I took the bridge over the Mississippi and took River Road home.

Lots of interesting sights along the way, from rural decay to lovely plantation homes. Let's go.


Luling Bridge, where I crossed the river.



First large house I saw – I missed the name of it.



Neat little grocery store, apparently closed, in Hahnville.







Further down the road...



The pictures don't really do this justice – this little cemetery is completely surrounded by a Dow Chemical plant. I bet that wasn't in the cemetery brochure.









After passing a nuclear power plant (decided it wasn't a good idea to stop and take pictures)...







When it was in business, it appears that the Edgard Center had everything you needed...





Across the street was Duck's Ice.





St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and cemetery, which dates to the 18th century, apparently.







These two storefronts are neighbors and looked nice.





Further down the road...





Evergreen Plantation.





The Veterans Memorial Bridge in the distance.





The incomparable Oak Alley Plantation.



Getting toward the end...



This is marked as the “site of the first Acadian settlers.” As you probably know, the term “cajun” comes from the word “Acadian.”



And our tour today ironically ends in the town of Welcome, Louisiana.