Magazine Street

Magazine Streetis a major thoroughfare inNew Orleans,Louisiana.LikeTchoupitoulas Street,St. Charles Avenue,andClaiborne Avenue,it follows the curving course of theMississippi River.The street took its name from anammunition magazinelocated in this vicinity during the 18th-century colonial period.

History

Alternatively, the street may have been named after the Spanish wordmagazinoralmazonwhich means warehouse. The story goes that GeneralJames WilkinsonfromKentuckymade a controversial trip to New Orleans to trade American products withthe Spanish.He persuaded GovernorEsteban Rodríguez Miróto give Kentucky a monopoly on the Mississippi River trade. Wilkinson became an official agent, and a warehouse ormagazinwas built for him.

Commercial section of Magazine Street

Magazine Street at Josephine

Magazine Street atFelicity

Description

The downriver end of Magazine Street is atCanal Street;on the other side of Canal Street in theFrench Quarterthe street becomesDecatur Street.From Canal through theCentral Business DistrictandLower Garden District,Magazine Street is one-way in the upriver direction; downriver traffic forks to join Camp Street, the next street away from the river. Above Felicity Street to the far Uptown end it has a lane of traffic going in both directions with parking on both sides. It is anRTA bus route.

The street follows the length of the crescent throughUptown.After several miles of residential and commercial neighborhoods, it cuts throughAudubon Park,withAudubon Zooon the river side of the street. The far upper end of the street is at Leake Avenue, a part of theGreat River Road,where it turns away from the river in theCarrolltonriverbend.

Most of the street is a mix of residential and commercial buildings, generally older houses from the later nineteenth century and similarly aged commercial stretches consisting of antique shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, and bars. Magazine Street is well known for being a popular shopping district for interested tourists. The street however runs a length of six miles, so it is generally recommended by travel connoisseurs to hail a cab orridesharing companywhen shopping in the area. Magazine Street shopping offers a unique selection of products many of which are handcrafted and one of a kind pieces.

See also

• Garden District, New Orleans
• List of streets of New Orleans
• Sliver by the River
• Simon of New Orleans

References

• Campanella, Richard. Time and Place in New Orleans: Past Geographies in the Present Day. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company, 2002.ISBN1-56554-991-0

External links

• Magazine Street Merchants' Association website
• Magazine Street at New Orleans Online
• Southern Living Magazine: A New Orleans Travel Guide
• Gambit: Best of New Orleans Website
• New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau