Dear Julia,

When I was a child in the early 1950s, my grandfather used to take me and my younger brother to the Coliseum Arena to see pro wrestling. I can remember there was a booth built of two-by-fours where Mel Leavitt would sit to broadcast the matches on local television. There was even a place for Poydras to perch, had he been around back then.

We had a wonderful time and got to meet many of the pro wrestlers. My question is, where was the Coliseum Arena? What is its history? And what happened to it?

Ronald S. Paulin
Kenner

Built in 1922, the Coliseum Arena was located at 401 North Roman St. at the intersection of Conti Street. It closed on January 28, 1960. Stripped of its ring and seats soon thereafter, the building was converted to industrial use. It appears to have fared well in Katrina and is still standing.

Over the years, champions such as Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis boxed at the arena, as did local favorites Willie Pastrano and Jimmy Perrin. It was also at the Coliseum Arena that, in 1933, Battling Shaw captured the junior welterweight title. In so doing, he became the first Mexican to win a world boxing title.

In June 1929, the Coliseum introduced white gloves in a bout between Jack Britton and Billy Brown. Dick Burke and Bill Coker, both local boxing commissioners, had come up with the idea of having boxers use white gloves. Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but clean white gloves are hard to see when bright area lights shine upon them. Boxers had trouble seeing the gloves before the punches landed, so the white gloves were a short-lived phenomenon.

Dear Julia,

Your recent questions about the Chalmette Laundry electric trucks brings back fond memories of my days growing up in the Carrollton area. This may be telling our age, but Poydras and I don’t mind. I remember a horse-drawn laundry cart. We used to jump on the cart and pretend we were driving a covered wagon across Indian country. Needless to say, the horse knew every stop on the route, so all we needed to do was take care of the Indians. This was great fun until the electric truck replaced our horse. The Indians didn’t like the electric truck, so our adventures ended.

And now for my question. The laundry company I remember was G.H.W. Was it part of the Chalmette Laundry Company or has my memory been affected by all those Peace Pipes Poydras and I smoked?

Thomas J. Roberts
Metairie

Great story Thomas. I am just glad you didn’t scare off the Mardi Gras Indians.

I have not found any indication of a connection between G.H.W. and the Chalmette Laundry. G.H.W. Cleaners and Dyers went into business in the late 1920s. Charles M. Lepow started the company, which was located at 4526 Magazine St. and remained in operation until the late 1960s. Later, used as an antique store, a law firm and a textile company, the building is now home to the bakery shop, La Boulangerie.

Dear Julia,

Before Katrina, there were many monk parrots around town, including in the palm trees alongside the City Park tennis courts. Have any returned? Where did they go? Did Poydras provide care for his relatives?

Felix Flynn
New Orleans

I recently visited City Park and, although I did not see the parrots, I did hear their distinctive sounds, which more resemble bar fighting than bird song.

I do not know where the non-native monk parakeets (technically they are not parrots) or the many indigenous bird species went after the storm. It is hard to convey to anyone who didn’t experience it, just how alien and unsettling the New Orleans area became after the storm and the levee failures. There was so little color, besides a muddy tan, that it sometimes seemed we were living inside a black-and-white film. Moreover, in this barren landscape there were no birds, only a penetrating silence.

On my recent visit, I found the park still reeling from flooding, wind damage and inadequate funding but, as I sat by the Peristyle, signs of recovery and nature’s resilience were all around me. The plants were putting out new growth. The birds had returned and were rebuilding their lives.

A family of mallards paddled by with a batch of new chicks while a large crow agitated a group of geese that had gathered on the shore to snooze in the oppressive heat. Ignoring the geese, the crow concentrated on selecting little stones for its nest. Hopping to the lagoon’s edge, the bird washed its prize, only to change its mind and discard the pebble. The crow’s home-decorating mission continued for a long time, highly agitating the ducks but yielding no other obvious results.

The park seems a bit wilder now, but its life continues. Knowing nothing of insurance or FEMA, its flora and fauna have gone on with their lives. As I sat by the lagoon, a young raccoon peeped out from an island, standing on its hind legs to get a better look at me. Meanwhile, I saw a number of blue herons of all ages, even though I cannot recall ever having before seen blue herons in the park.

I’m not really sure what I was seeking that day, besides the elusive and noisy monk parakeets. However, by the time I got up to leave, I felt the unsuccessful parrot hunt was time well-spent. Even though the park has suffered significant damage, nature is fixing those things that lie within its power to repair. The park, however, still needs human help to be able to clean up, restore, reopen and maintain some of its most cherished man-made attractions.

Dear Julia,

When will the shiny red streetcars return to Canal Street?

Margaret White
New Orleans

It will be a while, Margaret. The streetcars which serve the Canal Street line were damaged when the Regional Transit Authority’s Canal Street barn flooded. Like much of the rest of MidCity, the barn and the streetcars fared well in the hurricane only to fall victim, in the following days, to flood waters.

The RTA has been waiting for FEMA to respond to damage reports the transit authority has submitted. Once monetary assistance actually arrives, I have been told it will take about two months for the first of the damaged streetcars to be fixed and return to service. Once the first car resumes operation along Canal Street, the RTA plans to repair and roll out the remaining cars at a rate of one every six weeks.

Dear Julia,

I am a part-time resident of the French Quarter. For the past three months, I have noticed occasional placement of sandwich bags filled with water hanging from the Royal Street or St. Philip street signs. They come and go and I have never seen the person or persons responsible to ask what they are for. The establishments at those corners have no idea. Any suggestions?

Jim Caridi
New Orleans

I have been told the water-filled plastic bags are a non-toxic way to repel house flies. The water acts as a lens, magnifying and distorting the view of whatever surrounds it. Houseflies are said to perceive the reflections as predators, so they avoid flying nearby.