Historic Ride
A form of transportation used by locals and visitors alike is the city’s famous streetcars. There are three lines — St. Charles, Canal Street and the Riverfront — all of which originate downtown. Fares are $1.25, paid with exact change, or you can buy an all-day pass for $3.
The historic St. Charles line, the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world, is a must-ride with its mahogany seats, brass fittings and exposed ceiling light bulbs.
We rode the St. Charles streetcar past the large Victorian, Greek Revival and Eastlake mansions in the Garden District to the National World War II Museum.
The sprawling museum combines traditional artifacts, including weapons, planes, vehicles, uniforms and equipment, with innovative hands-on exhibits, electronic maps, photomurals and oral histories.
An introductory 30-minute film, “Beyond All Boundaries,” is narrated by Tom Hanks.
“The movie is the big brush, a really strong introduction to the museum,” said Terri Burton, associate vice president, membership. “It gets people to understand the multiple areas affected by the war and is a segue into the exhibits, where you get the deeper story.”
The museum will open its fourth major building, the Campaigns of Courage, in December. The first floor will contain “Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries,” which will include an innovative “My Journey” experience.
“Visitors will receive a dog tag [of an actual soldier] they will swipe at each exhibit to find out where they were at the time,” said Burton.
The pavilion’s second floor, “Road to Tokyo,” which covers the Pacific campaigns, is scheduled to open in late 2015.
