Carroll Case

Members of the New Orleans subculture are known by many names. Transient youth or traveling kids.They are the equivalent of modern hobos. Over the last decade I've watched, photographed and listened to countless Street Bands in the Quarter. I have seen many different groups, hippies,black metal,oogle kids, crust and dreads, goths, and gutter punks. Something different appeared on the streets of the Quarter last year around Mardi Gras...OL'TIMEY. All of a sudden the street bands had the look of the Great Depression Era.

Located in the 1200 block of Royal Street in the French Quarter is one of the most unique Italian restaurants in New Orleans. Known to locals for years as the best place to unwind with a glass of wine and a delicious pizza, tourists rarely have it on their culinary list. Sometimes they stumble on it accidentally on their way to Frenchman Street to hear the bands, but rarely do they venture that far down for serious dining. Big mistake. Mona Lisa's is small, dark, quaint, mysterious, but once you are there, you realize what New Orleans communities are all about.

You can find a Muffaletta on almost any menu in the French Quarter, but all Muffalettas are not the same. This Italian sandwich, made of salami, cheese, olive salad and ham, is on a huge round loaf of Italian bread. The secret is in the bread and the olive salad. The Central Grocery version of this sandwich is a local favorite, but tourists buy them to go and carry them home on air flights all over the world. Perfect complements to the Muffaletta would be Zapp's potato chips and a Barq's root beer.

On Jan. 7,1973 in a siege of about 10 hours. Mark Essex,23, holedup in a Howard Johnson hotel on Loyola Blvd. and killed10 people among themthree police officers.

IN the year 1925 William Faulkner lived in an apartment behind the Cathedral in the Quarter. He wrote his first novel "A Soldiers Pay" while living there.

Caught walking down Royal St.

Find out more about Valentine Xavier at carrollcase.com

Charlie Hewitt, Carroll Case, and Lonny Ray

In the 1960s Charlie, a musician played on Bourbon Street....Jan.3rd 2012 we went back to recapture those memories.

First painting in 2012
40x40
mixed media

Yesterday, my daughter Rebecca and her husband Chad visited Ground Zero at the World Trade Center. Chad snapped a photo of the last remaining steel beams.To his surprise he saw an image of a face.Could it be the face of one of the terrorist Atta?

PHOTO: by Chad Lawler 12/3/2011

A birthday surprise from my wife was a never to be forgotten getaway in Henderson Swamp in the Atchafalaya basin. Our houseboat was towed deep into the swamp and anchored in a beautiful and remote area. Grills on the deck were perfect for cooking hamburgers or grilling the fish we caught for our lunch. The sunset was everything my friend Greg Guirard had described to us. He is a photographer and guide and has served as a consultant to several movies that were made in this area. He joined us for drinks in the afternoon and told swamp stories until far into the night.