Tulane University School of Medicine - T Wave Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

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THE CRESCENT CITY; NEW ORLEANS 10 An inseperable part of attending Tulane Medical School for the last four years has been the experience of living in New Orleans. When we were sick of the smell of formaldehyde, or tired of studying Micro, or freed after checkout rounds, it was to the city surrounding the school that we turned for entertainment and diversion. Much as learning medicine starts with anatomy, so too does learning a city start with learning its parts. We first became acquainted with the Downtown area, which surrounds the medical school. Like all of New Orleans, this is a diverse area; the Superdome, Charity Hospital, One Shell Square and Camp Street are all within its boundaries. A little further away is the French Quarter, full of bars, tourists, and occasionally staggering medical students. Still further is the Uptown area, where many of us have lived these four years and where, at the undergraduate campus, many of us started our association with Tulane. After learning the structure of the city, we moved on to the way it functions. New Orleans, like any organism, requires food to survive. However, food in New Orleans can vary from the ridiculous to the sublime. How many of us have ever tested our GI tracts with a Lucky Dog in the Quarter? Who will forget the traditional Red Beans and Rice on Monday, or the ubiquitous Popeye ' s Fried Chicken (guaranteed to make your rectum stand up and take notice)? On the other hand, there are Antoine ' s and Galatoire ' s and Commander ' s Palace, where we celebrated our continued success at passing tests. Another of New Orlean ' s ever present diversions is its music. Here again, the city displays its diversity. During the Symphony season, classical music could be heard in the Orpheum (or the pathology lab if Dr. Johnson ' s tape recorder was working). Alternatively, there is a lively popular music scene, with soul, rock and roll, and country and western - for instance, the famous Avogadro and the Moles. Jazz is to be heard thoughout the French Quarter and, in the Spring, at the Jazz and Heritage Festival. Speaking of Festivals, there is that ultimate Festival, Mardi Gras. This probably ranks as the most significant distraction and entertainment New Orleans has to offer. Following an ancient pagan tradition, the city and its inhabitants welcome the return of Spring with the largest outpouring of bacchanalian revelry since the lions met the Christians. Nowadays, of course, little human sacrifice goes on; but medical students can often be found sacrificing their studies for a good time. Furthermore, they will frequently be heard to call out to the local female deities to display their bountiful charms to the worshipful crowds below (cill in good fun, of course). For all the many problems New Orleans has. it has as many attractions, not the least of which is Tulane Medical School. For those of you who leave New Orleans to practice elsewhere, we hope you remember it well; and, if you can find the time, come back to visit The Big Easy . If not, a simple Throw me somthin ' Mister on Fat Tuesday will suffice.

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FRENCH QUARTER 12