Vintage Signs and The Oldest Street Car Line In The Country – St. Charles Ave New Orleans

Those of you who check the Retro Roadmap Facebook Page will know that Retro Roadhusband and I just spent a long (cold!) weekend in New Orleans Louisiana. While it wasn't technically a Retro Roadtrip, I can't go anyplace without trying to track down some vintage delights, so here are a few worthy photo ops from the Central Business District of NOLA - all within the same block!

The Pearl Restaurant Neon Signs (2021 Update, the restaurant is closed but the signs are still there)

The Pearl Restaurant has two glorious vintage signs - one lit up just above the sidewalk entrance, hanging from the balcony above and the other on the 2nd story of the building.

While the restaurant has been around since the 1920s, the interior has been recently renovated (and the food gets mixed reviews on Yelp), but the signs are definitely worth a snapshot or two.

Kolb's Vintage Sign

Just next door to the Pearl is the grand vintage sign from New Orleans' last German restaurant, Kolb's, which is alas now closed. I'm always learning something from Roadside Architecture guru Debra Jane Seltzer and she notes that this type of sign where bulbs would light up the letters (instead of neon tubes) is quite rare. From this writeup it looks like the restaurant had an illustrious history, and I'm just glad the sign is still there.

Meyer The Hatter

Don't you just love that Mid Century Modern Facade and groovy metalwork?
Such an angular respite from the curlycues of the latticework so popular around this town. 

While Meyer The Hatter is technically open, as un-luck was with us this trip, the place was closed by the time we were able to get to it. Still family owned, we were told that this is THE PLACE  for ladies and gents to get their hats! Retro Roadhusband is forever looking for a jaunty chapeau, so we've got a stop at Meyers' penciled in for the next visit to NOLA.

St. Charles Streetcar Line

One good thing about making the trek down to this area to check out this historical signage is that you are poised and ready to ride on the St. Charles streetcar line - the oldest in the country!

According to the RTA website:

The original line dates back to 1835, and due to its status as National Register of Historic Places, by federal law the current "Perley Thomas" streetcars in use must be preserved in time as they existed in 1923. In so many ways, a ride on the St. Charles streetcar is a ride through history.

Hop on either just across from Meyers' (or get a better chance of a seat by backtracking a block to Canal Street) and for a mere  $1.25 you can check out the grand houses along the tree-lined thoroughfare that runs from just outside of the French Quarter into the Garden District.

So while we were bummed that some of these places were closed, or renovated, or closed down, this little block of St. Charles between Canal and Common is well worth the trek!