Jazz Po-Boys

There's a stretch of Washington Avenue in Central City that is home to a cluster of po' boy shops and sno-ball stands.  Taking Fourth Street, which runs parallel to Washington Ave., a two story, ramshackle looking, gray building has a handmade sno-ball sign mounted high on its back wall.  Jazz Po-Boys.  What could it be?

It's Jazz Po-Boys.  The sign mounted high on the rear of the building is echoed by another piece of cut and painted plywood on the ground.  This is a shop that obviously doesn't just serve po' boys.  They serve sno-balls too.  The rainbow concocted sno-ball is the common way they are depicted on signs.  I've never seen anyone eat one of these though I'm sure this tutti-frutti option is available if a skilled syrup hand is crafting the treat.  In reality, they seem to be eaten one flavor at a time.  Two at the most.

Here's the view from the corner of Fourth Street and Magnolia.  Washington Ave is a block away.  Note the classic Coca-Cola sign paired with the handpainted wall advertisement.  The awning sports the colors of Mardi Gras: gold, purple, yellow.  These are the joyful colors of a sunny disposition.  Don't bother with the door on the corner.

Jazz Po-Boys has a take out window (closed in this picture unfortunately).  This is the Magnolia Street side.  Notice the cobblestones alongside the sidewalk.  They are home to streetcar rails.  The street is paved in the middle and the cobblestones and abandoned rails run along the opposite sidewalk as well.  A streetcar once ran down Magnolia Street.

I've driven down Magnolia a number of times.  It is a picturesque avenue that has seen better days and more traffic in its time.  One can only hope, especially the residents, that the New Orleans Master Plan will revive this streetcar line.  It will be good for business for Jazz Po-Boys and be easier than schlepping down to St. Charles Avenue to catch a ride for the residents of this corner of the city.

A block away from this corner, on the other side of Washington, new homes are being built.  A lot of them.