WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.000 So I want you to picture this for a second. You 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:06.240 are standing in the like this heavy twilight 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.980 humidity of New Orleans. Oh, that thick air. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.259 Exactly. You know the vibe. You are right across 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:13.800 from Jackson Square and the sun is just starting 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.899 to like dip below the roof lines. Right. The 00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:19.420 shadows are stretching super long and distorted 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:22.359 across these centuries old cobblestones. And 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.140 you are getting ready to uncover the city's absolute. 00:00:25.889 --> 00:00:29.089 darkest, most closely guarded secrets. It really 00:00:29.089 --> 00:00:32.130 is just the perfect moody setting for what we're 00:00:32.130 --> 00:00:34.329 about to unpack today. Honestly, to get us in 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:36.750 the right headspace, I've actually changed my 00:00:36.750 --> 00:00:41.009 visual backdrop here to this dimly lit, historic 00:00:41.009 --> 00:00:43.590 New Orleans streetscape. Oh, I see it. That looks 00:00:43.590 --> 00:00:45.329 amazing. Yeah, if you look closely, it's like, 00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:47.009 well, you can almost see the history clinging 00:00:47.009 --> 00:00:48.929 to those wrought iron balconies. That sets the 00:00:48.929 --> 00:00:52.899 vibe perfectly. And welcome everyone to the Travel 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:55.520 Podcast by Excursion Pass. Today we are setting 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.179 out on a brand new deep dive into an experience 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:00.960 that honestly left both of us completely floored. 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:03.399 Totally floored. Now look, I know exactly what 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:05.420 you're probably thinking right now. We always 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:07.760 try to anticipate your objections on this show 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.180 and I can hear you rolling your eyes right now. 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.379 Oh yeah, they're definitely skeptical. Right. 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.200 You're saying, oh great, another cheesy French 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.859 Quarter ghost tour. I'm gonna pay 50 bucks to 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:21.560 get jump scared by... by a guy rattling a tin 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:24.000 sheet for thunder, right? Well, some guide in 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.000 a fake velvet vampire cape tells you about a, 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:31.120 you know... haunted chandelier exactly the classic 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:33.659 neon lit tourist trap we have all been dragged 00:01:33.659 --> 00:01:35.439 on one of those too many of them to be honest 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:38.060 we absolutely have but let me stop that objection 00:01:38.060 --> 00:01:40.379 right in its tracks because this deep dive is 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:42.900 about something completely different we are looking 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:47.159 at the blood and brick macabre histories of the 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:49.640 French quarter tour and that's designed and operated 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:51.579 by a local company called the real New Orleans 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:54.620 right yes exactly and our mission today is to 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:57.310 take you through the gritty completely completely 00:01:57.310 --> 00:02:00.430 uncompromising reality of this experience. Having 00:02:00.430 --> 00:02:02.329 actually lived this ourselves and gone through 00:02:02.329 --> 00:02:04.530 all the source material, the historical records, 00:02:04.989 --> 00:02:07.209 we're going to show you exactly why this is the 00:02:07.209 --> 00:02:10.490 ultimate true crime, adults only, evening out. 00:02:10.729 --> 00:02:14.330 It's so intense in the best way. It really is. 00:02:14.509 --> 00:02:17.449 We want to share every single detail so vividly 00:02:17.449 --> 00:02:20.550 that you can practically feel those uneven cobblestones 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:23.370 under your own feet as you listen. It's so crucial 00:02:23.370 --> 00:02:25.530 to draw that line in the sand right away, though. 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:28.229 I mean, we are not talking about manufactured 00:02:28.229 --> 00:02:30.969 folklore designed to make you spill your drink 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:32.770 in surprise. No, not at all. We are talking about 00:02:32.770 --> 00:02:35.930 the historical record. Real people, real architecture, 00:02:36.310 --> 00:02:38.889 and real... documented tragedies. Yeah, so let's 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:40.770 get straight into what it actually feels like 00:02:40.770 --> 00:02:43.659 on the ground. we're looking at a 105 -minute 00:02:43.659 --> 00:02:46.860 guided evening walk. Which is an hour and 45 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.080 minutes on your feet. Right. But the pacing and 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.280 the atmosphere are entirely unique because it 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.780 handles this extremely dark material as actual 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:56.780 history, not, you know, Halloween theater. And 00:02:56.780 --> 00:02:59.439 the tour operators have this specific philosophy 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.400 for this that I found just completely captive. 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.620 Oh, well, quote. Yeah. They state explicitly 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:08.259 that their tour isn't the scream. It is, quote, 00:03:08.430 --> 00:03:11.830 the breathless hush after the scream. Man, that 00:03:11.830 --> 00:03:14.469 phrase alone, it just tells you everything you 00:03:14.469 --> 00:03:16.629 need to know about the psychological approach 00:03:16.629 --> 00:03:18.729 they are taking here. It really does. It sets 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:21.069 the tone immediately. Because taking a standard 00:03:21.069 --> 00:03:24.289 ghost tour is, well, it's essentially a passive 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:26.210 experience. It's like going on a haunted house 00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:28.110 ride at a carnival. Right, you just sit in the 00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:30.469 car. Exactly. You know the track, you wait for 00:03:30.469 --> 00:03:32.490 the animatronic skeleton to pop out, you have 00:03:32.490 --> 00:03:34.530 a laugh, and then you go eat cotton candy. Yeah, 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:38.030 it's harmless fun. But Blood and Brick is an 00:03:38.030 --> 00:03:41.250 a - confrontation with reality. It's like stepping 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:46.210 directly into a premium, gritty, true crime documentary. 00:03:46.289 --> 00:03:48.189 Oh, that's a great way to put it. The silence 00:03:48.189 --> 00:03:51.289 of the streets, the heavy air, the actual physical 00:03:51.289 --> 00:03:53.750 locations, that is what does the terrifying. 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:56.530 And what's fascinating here is how the natural 00:03:56.530 --> 00:03:58.710 atmosphere of the French Quarter at Twilight, 00:03:58.849 --> 00:04:01.669 it just does all the heavy lifting for you. It 00:04:01.669 --> 00:04:04.189 really does. You don't need a theatrical jump 00:04:04.189 --> 00:04:06.740 scare. when you are standing in the actual shadows 00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:09.639 where a notorious underworld syndicate used to 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:12.860 operate. Like, the reality carries its own weight. 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:14.860 But wait, I do have to challenge this a little 00:04:14.860 --> 00:04:16.600 bit, just based on what we read in the sources. 00:04:17.180 --> 00:04:20.089 The word macabre... is literally in the title 00:04:20.089 --> 00:04:22.009 of the tour. That's true, yeah. With something 00:04:22.009 --> 00:04:25.509 like this, how do they avoid it just becoming 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:28.209 a parade of gore for the sake of shock value? 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:31.050 Like, is there a larger point to walking around 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.990 and talking about centuries of violence? See, 00:04:33.990 --> 00:04:36.269 that is the pivotal question. And honestly, it's 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:38.050 where this tour separates itself from the rest 00:04:38.050 --> 00:04:40.829 of the pack. OK, how so? Well, the violence discussed 00:04:40.829 --> 00:04:43.350 on this walk is never isolated from the wider 00:04:43.350 --> 00:04:46.360 context of New Orleans as a city. The guy doesn't 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:49.220 just point to a doorway and say, hey, someone 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:51.740 was murdered here in 1860. Let's move on to the 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:53.839 next bloody spot. Right, which is what the cheap 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.199 tours do. Exactly. Instead, they explore the 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:59.040 structural mechanics of why it happened there. 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:01.860 They look at how these incidents were born from 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:04.620 a very specific, volatile intersection of elements. 00:05:05.019 --> 00:05:07.379 You mean, like, the economics and the social 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:10.060 structure of the time? Precisely. Because New 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:12.379 Orleans was and is, you know, a massive port 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:16.959 city. Right. extreme poverty, living wall -to 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.060 -wall with just unimaginable wealth. You had 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:23.860 an early, booming entertainment industry, a constant 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:27.079 influx of transient tourism. Sailors coming into 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:29.339 port with pockets full of cash, I imagine. Oh, 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:31.879 tons of cash. And organized crime structures 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.199 designed specifically to empty those pockets. 00:05:34.300 --> 00:05:36.620 Right, of course. All of these forces collided 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:39.079 in the French Quarter. The crime wasn't random. 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:41.949 You know, it was a byproduct of the city's unique 00:05:41.949 --> 00:05:44.790 ecosystem. So it's a systemic look at crime, 00:05:45.029 --> 00:05:47.709 not just an anecdotal one. That actually changes 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:50.350 the entire perspective. It completely flips it. 00:05:50.470 --> 00:05:52.670 Because to most visitors today, you know, you 00:05:52.670 --> 00:05:55.050 go to the French Quarter and it's just, well, 00:05:55.170 --> 00:05:57.250 it's pretty, it's postcard perfect. It's beautiful. 00:05:57.430 --> 00:05:59.110 You walk down the street, there's jazz music 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:01.389 spilling out of open tavern doors. People are 00:06:01.389 --> 00:06:03.750 holding those colorful sugary drinks. Hurricanes, 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:07.360 yeah. Yeah, looking up at these gorgeous architectural 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.279 marvels. But the picture painted by this tour 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:13.459 reveals a place where elegance and brutal violence 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:18.120 literally shared a pillow. It forces you to reconcile 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.639 two opposing truths. at the exact same time, 00:06:21.899 --> 00:06:24.500 like the physical environment becomes an active 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:26.879 character in the story. Oh, absolutely. You might 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:30.360 be staring up at this beautifully preserved 19th 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.180 century facade with intricate ironwork. Which 00:06:33.180 --> 00:06:35.860 is gorgeous. Right, but you are simultaneously 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:39.259 hearing about how that exact spot was the epicenter 00:06:39.259 --> 00:06:42.569 of a notorious red light district. or like an 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:44.790 intense violent bar culture where the police 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:46.829 wouldn't even dare to patrol. Let's actually 00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:48.670 talk about some of those specific historical 00:06:48.670 --> 00:06:50.810 narratives because the source material mentions 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.350 the violent rise of the Gallatin Street underworld. 00:06:53.449 --> 00:06:55.329 Oh, Gallatin Street. For someone who doesn't 00:06:55.329 --> 00:06:57.149 know New Orleans history, Gallatin Street wasn't 00:06:57.149 --> 00:06:59.709 just like a rough neighborhood. It was essentially 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:03.089 a contained zone of absolute lawlessness. It 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:05.329 was the dark heart of the city's vice economy 00:07:05.329 --> 00:07:08.149 in the 19th century. And the tour delves into 00:07:08.149 --> 00:07:11.000 how it operated. Because it wasn't just chaotic 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.920 violence. It was organized extraction. What do 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:18.339 you mean by extraction? Well, the bars, the boarding 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:21.120 houses, the criminal syndicates, they all work 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:24.040 together in this highly efficient machine designed 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:27.100 to prey on the vulnerable, the transient, and 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:30.139 honestly the foolish. So it was systematic. Exactly. 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:32.240 When the guide takes you through the remnants 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:34.889 of these vice districts, They are explaining 00:07:34.889 --> 00:07:38.569 the mechanics of how an entire society can normalize 00:07:38.569 --> 00:07:41.100 and even profit from that level of danger. That 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:43.120 makes you look at the narrow alleyways and hidden 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:45.759 courtyards totally differently. Doesn't it? Yeah. 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:47.740 Like they weren't just built that way for shade 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:50.300 or aesthetics. They were architectural features 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:53.079 that naturally facilitated secrecy. That's a 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:55.060 huge part of what they cover, yeah. The tour 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:58.220 also dives heavily into the notorious trunk murder 00:07:58.220 --> 00:08:00.660 narratives, which I find incredibly interesting 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:02.860 from a media perspective. The truck murders are 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:05.399 such a wild part of the history. Because today, 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:08.800 you know, we have a million true crime podcasts, 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:11.839 streaming documentaries. and Reddit threads dissecting 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:14.439 every single modern crime. Right, we're saturated 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:17.439 with it. Exactly. But how did the public imagination 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:20.139 process and immortalize these gruesome crimes 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:23.220 back in the 1800s or early 1900s? Well, if we 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:25.470 connect this to the bigger picture... That is 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:28.470 exactly what makes the trunk murders so vital 00:08:28.470 --> 00:08:31.050 to the tour's narrative. How so? The guide connects 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:34.769 these visceral, highly localized incidents to 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:37.590 the broader social history of the era. So the 00:08:37.590 --> 00:08:39.929 newspapers of the time, the penny press, the 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:42.149 local whisper networks. They were basically the 00:08:42.149 --> 00:08:44.370 true crime media of their day. Exactly. They 00:08:44.370 --> 00:08:46.070 were the Reddit threads of the 19th century. 00:08:46.210 --> 00:08:48.429 And they knew exactly how to sensationalize a 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:51.250 story to sell papers. Completely. I mean, the 00:08:51.250 --> 00:08:53.289 trunk murders grip the public because of the 00:08:53.289 --> 00:08:55.190 psychological juxtaposition, you know? Like the 00:08:55.190 --> 00:08:58.049 mundane mixed with the horrific? Yes. You have 00:08:58.049 --> 00:09:00.409 a trunk, which is an object associated with travel, 00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:03.529 domesticity, just normal life, being used to 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:07.129 conceal brutal dismemberment. Yeah, that is chilling. 00:09:07.409 --> 00:09:10.070 The early tabloid journalism just seized on that 00:09:10.070 --> 00:09:13.669 horror. They amplified it, serialized it, and 00:09:13.669 --> 00:09:15.950 effectively branded these specific addresses 00:09:15.950 --> 00:09:18.909 with permanent infamy. They turned a physical 00:09:18.909 --> 00:09:21.889 building into a landmark of macabre history. 00:09:22.750 --> 00:09:24.629 It's almost like the city's bricks are acting 00:09:24.629 --> 00:09:27.190 as massive hard drives. Oh, I love that comparison. 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:30.110 Right. They just absorb and store all this dark 00:09:30.110 --> 00:09:32.649 data, all these horrific events. And the tour 00:09:32.649 --> 00:09:34.409 guide is essentially plugging in and reading 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:37.529 the data back to you. That is a brilliant analogy. 00:09:37.649 --> 00:09:39.929 It perfectly captures what I like to call the 00:09:39.929 --> 00:09:42.629 beautiful horror of New Orleans. Beautiful horror. 00:09:42.830 --> 00:09:45.029 Yeah. It is a city that remembers absolutely 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.570 everything. The architecture has survived fires, 00:09:49.169 --> 00:09:52.049 hurricanes, centuries of change, and because 00:09:52.049 --> 00:09:54.990 the physical structures remain, the stories remain 00:09:54.990 --> 00:09:57.350 tethered to them. That gives me goosebumps just 00:09:57.350 --> 00:09:59.409 thinking about it. So when you are standing on 00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:02.110 those cobblestones, you aren't just passively 00:10:02.110 --> 00:10:04.690 listening to a scary story. You are learning 00:10:04.690 --> 00:10:07.610 how public memory is formed. Right. You are learning 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:10.950 why certain addresses still carry a heavy, unsettling 00:10:10.950 --> 00:10:14.230 energy decades or even centuries after the blood 00:10:14.230 --> 00:10:16.590 was washed away. But the tour doesn't just leave 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:18.350 you in the safety of the 19th century, which 00:10:18.350 --> 00:10:20.789 I think is a crucial detail. No, they bring it 00:10:20.789 --> 00:10:23.710 right up to the present. Yeah. It's one thing 00:10:23.710 --> 00:10:27.029 to hear about a crime from 150 years ago. The 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:28.830 distance of time sort of acts as a buffer. It 00:10:28.830 --> 00:10:30.789 almost feels like fiction. It feels safe, yeah. 00:10:30.909 --> 00:10:33.289 But the blood and brick tour brings the darkness 00:10:33.289 --> 00:10:35.529 right up to the modern day. The source material 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:37.970 highlights that they explicitly cover modern 00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:40.629 true crimes. Specifically the sensational tragedy 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:43.529 of Zack and Addie. Yes, the Zack Bowen and Addie 00:10:43.529 --> 00:10:46.669 Hall case. And the inclusion of that specific 00:10:46.669 --> 00:10:51.210 post -Katrina tragedy marks a massive, very deliberate 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:53.429 shift in the tone of the narrative. It absolutely 00:10:53.429 --> 00:10:55.909 does. Because it strips away that historical 00:10:55.909 --> 00:10:58.649 buffer completely. This isn't sepia -toned folklore 00:10:58.649 --> 00:11:01.129 anymore. This is a modern domestic tragedy. A 00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:03.710 very real, very raw situation. It involved immense 00:11:03.710 --> 00:11:06.710 trauma, instability, and a very modern context 00:11:06.710 --> 00:11:09.110 of a city recovering from a devastating hurricane. 00:11:09.389 --> 00:11:11.509 You are suddenly dealing with real people whose 00:11:11.509 --> 00:11:13.870 friends and family are likely still walking around 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.490 the city today. And that transition -like moving 00:11:16.490 --> 00:11:20.549 from historical underworld lore to a raw modern 00:11:20.549 --> 00:11:23.159 tragedy. requires a completely different level 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:26.799 of respect, nuance, and maturity. Oh, 100%. You 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.220 cannot treat a modern murder -suicide with the 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:33.480 same campy tone someone might use for a 300 -year 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:36.279 -old pirate ghost story. Which perfectly explains 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:39.039 a major logistical boundary that the tour operators 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.379 have set and something we absolutely need to 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:44.600 emphasize for anyone planning a trip. The age 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:47.940 limit. Yes. The source material is incredibly 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:50.059 strict about the age and maturity requirements 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:54.220 for this walk. The minimum age is 18. No exceptions. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:57.940 Nope. They say it's strictly ages 18 to 120, 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:00.379 so I guess if you're 121 you're out of luck and 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:02.309 just have to stay at the hotel. Uh -huh. Yeah, 00:12:02.409 --> 00:12:03.970 it's a strict cutoff. You'll just have to listen 00:12:03.970 --> 00:12:06.129 to us talk about it instead. But in all seriousness, 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:07.750 you might be listening right now and thinking, 00:12:07.909 --> 00:12:10.370 well, my 16 -year -old teenager's super mature. 00:12:10.690 --> 00:12:12.409 Oh, people always think that. Right. Like, oh, 00:12:12.450 --> 00:12:14.409 we watch all the dark true crime documentaries 00:12:14.409 --> 00:12:16.370 on Netflix together. I'm sure I can just quietly 00:12:16.370 --> 00:12:19.129 bring them along. And the answer is a hard, resounding 00:12:19.129 --> 00:12:22.500 no. Exactly. First of all, they simply won't 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:25.700 let you. Second, sneaking a kid onto this tour 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:27.940 would be a terrible parenting move. Honestly, 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.860 it really would be. The operators are incredibly 00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:33.879 upfront that there is explicit material, strong 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:37.600 themes, adult language, and highly graphic real 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:40.220 crime discussion. It is heavy stuff. This is 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:43.120 not a family -friendly Disney ride with a spooky 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.000 overlay. And I genuinely applaud the tour operators 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:49.120 for being so uncompromising about this. Like, 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:52.190 flagging the mature material up front and enforcing 00:12:52.190 --> 00:12:55.809 the age limit is just a brilliant necessary move. 00:12:56.049 --> 00:12:57.870 It saves everyone a lot of trouble. It really 00:12:57.870 --> 00:13:00.529 does. It accomplishes two vital things. First, 00:13:00.950 --> 00:13:03.309 it sets the correct psychological expectation 00:13:03.309 --> 00:13:05.830 for the ticket buyer. You know exactly what kind 00:13:05.830 --> 00:13:08.450 of heavy reality you're walking into. And second? 00:13:08.629 --> 00:13:10.570 It protects the dynamic of the group itself. 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:12.669 I mean, this is an Izmit experience. The tour 00:13:12.669 --> 00:13:15.090 is capped at a strict maximum of 20 travelers. 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:17.929 It is small. Yeah, very small. So when a local 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:19.950 guide is standing in the dim light of the quarter, 00:13:20.470 --> 00:13:22.549 unpacking the grim realities of the Gallatin 00:13:22.549 --> 00:13:25.350 Street underworld or the deep complex tragedy 00:13:25.350 --> 00:13:28.269 of Zack and Addie, the absolute last thing they 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:29.889 want to do is self -censor. Right, they need 00:13:29.889 --> 00:13:32.730 to be able to tell the real story. Exactly. And 00:13:32.730 --> 00:13:34.889 the last thing the rest of the paying adults 00:13:34.889 --> 00:13:37.370 want is to feel uncomfortable because someone 00:13:37.370 --> 00:13:39.620 brought a minor. That makes total sense. If there's 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:41.720 a teenager in the group, the adults naturally 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:43.960 tense up. Yeah, the vibe shifts entirely. They 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:45.860 start wondering, is this too graphic for them? 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:48.000 Should the guide tone it down? It just shatters 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.940 the immersion? Precisely. The strict 18 plus 00:13:50.940 --> 00:13:53.500 rule ensures that the group is composed entirely 00:13:53.500 --> 00:13:57.120 of adults who actively consented to history with 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.879 a sharp edge. It creates a shared baseline of 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:03.539 maturity. Yes. And it allows the guide to maintain 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:07.539 that breathless hush. without interruption, without 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:10.580 apologies, and honestly, without watering down 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:13.080 the brutal truth of the history. Okay, so if 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:15.220 you are listening to this, you are probably thoroughly 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:18.039 sold on the gritty reality of this experience. 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:19.980 If you're a true crime fan, you definitely are. 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:22.379 Right. You want the deep history, you appreciate 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:25.259 the edge, and you want to engage with the true 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:27.000 crime of the quarter the way it was meant to 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:29.679 be experienced. Now, let's pivot to the practical 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.789 reality of actually going on this walk. We always 00:14:32.789 --> 00:14:34.850 want to leave you with the insider tips on this 00:14:34.850 --> 00:14:37.509 podcast, just as if we just finished walking 00:14:37.509 --> 00:14:40.049 the route and grabbed a drink to debrief. And 00:14:40.049 --> 00:14:42.450 the on -the -ground logistics are just as important 00:14:42.450 --> 00:14:45.169 as the history. For sure. Because if you aren't 00:14:45.169 --> 00:14:46.990 prepared for the physical reality of the tour, 00:14:47.149 --> 00:14:49.029 you won't be able to absorb the narrative at 00:14:49.029 --> 00:14:52.269 all. And looking at the baseline value proposition 00:14:52.269 --> 00:14:54.950 here, it is exceptionally strong. I knew you 00:14:54.950 --> 00:14:56.409 were going to bring up the value. You always 00:14:56.409 --> 00:14:59.309 check the price first. Hey, it's important. The 00:14:59.309 --> 00:15:02.549 cost is $48 per adult. That's really reasonable. 00:15:02.850 --> 00:15:06.009 It is. When you consider you're getting a 1 hour 00:15:06.009 --> 00:15:10.820 and 45 minute deep dive with a live highly knowledgeable 00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:14.139 local guide who is expertly weaving together 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:17.279 architecture, media history, criminology, and 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:19.759 sociology. Yeah, that is a spiel. You aren't 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:21.779 just paying someone to point at buildings. You 00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:24.320 are paying for an extra curation of the city's 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:26.700 darkest data. And it's incredibly accessible 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:29.379 right from the jump, too. The meeting point is 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:32.179 right at 702 Decatur Street. Oh, great location. 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:35.080 It is. You meet directly on the steps of Washington 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:37.460 Artillery Park. which is right across the street 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:39.559 from Jackson Square. So you are dead center in 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:41.919 the action. Exactly. You can finish dinner in 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.080 the quarter and walk right to the meeting spot. 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.080 You don't have to navigate to some obscure, unlit 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.299 alleyway on the edge of town just to find your 00:15:49.299 --> 00:15:52.590 guide. which is nice, especially at night. And 00:15:52.590 --> 00:15:55.450 speaking of accessibility, the operators explicitly 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:58.230 note that the tour is wheelchair accessible and 00:15:58.230 --> 00:16:00.549 stroller accessible. Though, obviously, keeping 00:16:00.549 --> 00:16:03.029 the 18 plus rule in mind, that would be for adult 00:16:03.029 --> 00:16:05.730 mobility devices, not babies. Good clarification. 00:16:06.450 --> 00:16:09.409 No babies. But service animals are allowed as 00:16:09.409 --> 00:16:11.549 well. That level of accessibility is actually 00:16:11.549 --> 00:16:14.429 quite fantastic considering they are navigating 00:16:14.429 --> 00:16:18.610 historic 300 year old street grids. It is fantastic, 00:16:18.830 --> 00:16:21.480 but... And this is a massive neon flashing. But 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.960 there is one crucial non -negotiable rule regarding 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:26.559 your wardrobe that we have to talk about. Oh, 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:29.139 the shoes. The shoes. You must wear soft -soled 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:31.299 shoes. Absolutely no high heels, no stilettos. 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.320 And I would strongly argue against flimsy, cheap 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.559 flip -flops. Because the cobblestones do not 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.220 care about your outfit. They really don't. The 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:41.960 streets of the French Quarter are centuries old. 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.799 They are uneven. They are shifting. There are 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:46.639 gaps in the bricks. And you're walking them at 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:49.639 twilight. Exactly. In the dark. If you try to 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.639 walk this 105 -minute route in heels, you are 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:54.879 going to break an ankle. It's basically guaranteed. 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:57.700 And I promise you, a twisted ankle in the dark 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:01.240 on a historic side street is not the authentic, 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:04.240 macabre experience you are looking for. You will 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:07.420 literally become the next tragic story the guide 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:11.019 tells on tomorrow night's tour. Just put on some 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:12.900 comfortable sneakers, everyone. Please do. It's 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:14.980 a very practical warning. And looking at the 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:16.700 booking side of things, there's another logistical 00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:18.660 point that travelers need to factor in, which 00:17:18.660 --> 00:17:21.740 is the flexibility. Right. Booking through Excursion 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.539 Pass offers free cancellation up to 24 hours 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:26.640 before the local start time for a full refund. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.400 Which is huge when you are dealing with the Gulf 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:31.779 Coast. Exactly. I mean, this is an entirely outdoor 00:17:31.779 --> 00:17:33.880 walking experience. It requires decent weather. 00:17:34.259 --> 00:17:36.720 And frankly, New Orleans weather can be highly 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.380 unpredictable. Oh, for sure. A gorgeous afternoon 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:43.319 can turn into a torrential gulf storm by 7 .0 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.480 p .m. Having that 24 hour cancellation window 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.240 is a major tactical advantage for travelers. 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:51.160 It really takes the pressure off. It gives you 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:53.460 the peace of mind to secure your spot on a tour 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:57.000 that frequently sells out. while still maintaining 00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:59.619 the flexibility to pivot if the weather turns 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:03.299 dangerous. Because nothing ruins a trip faster 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:05.839 than getting locked into an expensive outdoor 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:08.599 activity in a downpour and realizing you can't 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:10.579 get your money back. Totally. It's great they 00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:13.799 offer that safety net. Now, there is one more 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:15.960 logistical option I want to throw out there for 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.079 anyone planning a group trip. Oh, the private 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.539 groups. Yeah. Like where you have a larger group 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:22.980 of adults, maybe a bachelor or a bachelorette 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:25.240 party or a corporate retreat, and you want something 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:27.500 much darker and more intellectually stimulating 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:30.440 than a standard pub crawl. There is a private 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:32.900 option available. You can book the Blood and 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:35.380 Brick Tour exclusively for your group with your 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:38.119 own dedicated guide. That raises a great question 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:40.200 for anyone planning their itinerary. Like, what 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.240 kind of rhythm do you want for your evening? 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.099 Right, because a private tour changes the dynamic. 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:47.700 Exactly. The 20 -person public group is great. 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.859 But if you book the private version, you gain 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:53.859 complete control over the rhythm of the storytelling. 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:55.920 Because you aren't worrying about strangers. 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:58.279 Right. You can interact much more directly with 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:00.740 the guide. If your group is particularly fascinated 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:05.890 by the... media sensationalism of the trunk murders 00:19:05.890 --> 00:19:07.869 we talked about. Or the architectural layout 00:19:07.869 --> 00:19:10.509 of the Gallatin Vice District. Yeah, you can 00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:12.950 stop and ask highly specific nuanced questions. 00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:15.950 You set the pace. It essentially tailors the 00:19:15.950 --> 00:19:19.049 deep dive to your group's specific intellectual 00:19:19.049 --> 00:19:21.569 curiosity. Which is the ultimate luxury when 00:19:21.569 --> 00:19:23.650 you are trying to actually learn about a city. 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:25.980 It really is. So what does this all mean for 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:28.440 you, the listener, as you look at your travel 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:30.559 plans? Let's bring all these threads together. 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:33.400 Let's go. If you are a true crime enthusiast 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:35.819 or even just a seasoned traveler who has already 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:39.279 done the standard generic French quarter historical 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:42.000 walk. Go on with the vampires. Right, exactly. 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:44.079 And you are craving something with real bite 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:46.740 before you head off to your late dinner. The 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:48.859 Blood and Brick Tour on Excursion Pass is an 00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:52.299 absolute non -negotiable must book. Completely 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:55.170 agree. It strips away the theatrical fake blood. 00:19:55.589 --> 00:19:57.809 It throws out the velvet vampire capes and it 00:19:57.809 --> 00:20:00.990 replaces them with the cold, hard, fascinating 00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:04.269 reality of human nature and history. It challenges 00:20:04.269 --> 00:20:07.690 you to look at a beautiful, vibrant tourist destination 00:20:07.690 --> 00:20:11.269 and just like acknowledge the very real, very 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:14.160 dark shadows that built it. Yes. And as we wrap 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:16.519 up our analysis of this experience today, I actually 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:18.579 want to leave you with a final lingering thought 00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:21.500 to mull over. Oh, lay it on us. Well, we've spent 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:23.259 this entire time discussing how the bricks to 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:25.960 the French Quarter still hold so tightly to the 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:28.200 echoes of violence, the whispers of the vice 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.940 districts, and the tragedies from centuries ago, 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:33.059 right? Like the hard drive analogy. Exactly. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.559 They are a physical hard drive of the past. But 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:38.619 it makes you wonder, what modern secrets are 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:41.119 those very same streets absorbing from us right 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:44.099 now? as we walk over them tonight. Wow. That 00:20:44.099 --> 00:20:46.460 really recontextualizes the whole city, doesn't 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:49.579 it? It makes you think. It does. The history 00:20:49.579 --> 00:20:52.019 isn't just trapped behind glass in a museum. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.720 We are walking on top of it, breathing it in, 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:56.880 and adding our own data to those bricks every 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.039 single day. We're part of the story now. We really 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:02.220 are. And that... honestly, is exactly why we 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:04.819 do these deep dives, to look past the cheap jump 00:21:04.819 --> 00:21:08.000 scares and the tourist traps and find the real 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.460 breathtaking stories hiding right in plain sight. 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:12.980 It's what makes travel so rewarding. Absolutely. 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:15.319 Thank you so much for joining us on this journey 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:17.880 today on the Travel Podcast. Keep questioning 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.220 the history around you. Watch your step on those 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:22.680 unforgiving cobblestones and be sure to check 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:24.839 out Excursion Pass for your next real adventure. 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.240 We will catch you on the next deep dive.