I can't remember where exactly, but I remember walking through some part of City Park and stumbling upon a huge "mountain." Now that I live in Italy, a country where there are real mountains, I wouldn't call it a mountain any more. One of the friends who was with me said that he had heard that it was a mound of dirt created by the construction of the I-610. Is this true? I remember discovering a San Francisco trolley that same day. What's the story on that?

Damion

Courtesy of The Audubon Institute

Monkey Hill at the Audubon Zoo is the most famous "mountain" in New Orleans, but it isn't the highest.

Dear Damion,

The "mountain" in City Park is manmade, created from riprap from the construction of Interstate 610. At the top of the mountain, which can be reached from Harrison Avenue, is an observation platform. The "mountain" is named after Ellis Laborde, a general manager of the park. The mountain stands in a 33-acre preserve that had its origins in 1930 when Rene Couturie, a City Park board member, provided funds for the planting of 60,000 trees. The trees matured and in 2001, a group of volunteers along with the National Guard turned the area into a nature reserve -- the Couturie Forest and Arboretum -- with trails and labeled trees for an educational experience. They also created an amphitheater and six education stations.

Monkey Hill used to be the only "mountain" in New Orleans, but Laborde Lookout, which stands at 53 feet, towers over its 15-foot competition, which was created in 1933.

As for the trolley, we got it in a trade. For the trolley you saw, we gave San Francisco one of our streetcars, and it was put to use right away. What we got in the trade was car No. 59 built in 1906 in San Francisco. When the trolley was retired, it was sent to New Orleans. In fact, there are old San Francisco cable cars and trolleys on display all over the world, even in Japan. Some say that we got the short end of the stick. At least the streetcar we sent them was usable.

Hey Blake,

I found out about a cookbook by Lena Richard. Is this book in reprint or do you know how to get a copy?

Thomas Phillips
Thurmont, Md.

Dear Thomas,

There are about 150 Louisiana cookbooks, and the one you are referring to -- New Orleans Cook Book -- is available online. The quickest way to find a paperback copy is to go to www.amazon.com and make your request. But with a little searching, you also might find a first edition of this wonderful book, which was first printed in 1940.

Lena Richard, the author of the cookbook, was an African American from New Roads who grew up in New Orleans and became a legend among Creole cooks of her day. She learned the craft from her mother, who was employed as a cook. Most of the early cooks in New Orleans were African Americans who worked in private homes, boarding houses and cafes. They created the magnificent Creole dishes and passed the recipes on to the next generation. Her famous New Orleans Cook Book was composed of 350 recipes Lena had created and traditional household recipes that had not previously been written down. Compiling these recipes took her daughter, Marie, more than two years.

Lena so impressed one of her employers -- Mrs. Nugent B. Viarin -- that she was sent to several cooking schools. After she returned to New Orleans, Lena started her own business and before she died at age 51 in 1950, she had operated four restaurants, a catering company, taught cooking classes and appeared on a cooking show on WDSU-TV, probably the first African-American woman to do so.

A few years ago, the University of Mississippi Museum and Tulane University featured Lena Richard along with Mary Land, author of Louisiana Cookery, in a special exhibit titled "Two Women and their Cookbooks."

It has been said that Lena Richard and Mary Land defined New Orleans cooking and Louisiana cuisine in the 20th century.