A Streetcar Named Desire.

A $1.25 time machine.

New Orleans, LA – The wooden car clatters over the tracks like a toy you find under the tree on Christmas morning.

Its gaping windows frame the stately heritage homes of the Garden District, which have been dressed in their holiday fineries: intricate iron fences, wraparound porches and carved doors have been festooned with ribbons and lights signalling the time of year.

Stepping onto the olive green St. Charles line streetcar, in other words, is like taking a step into history, which, in many ways it is. In operation since 1835, it’s the longest continuously operating streetcar line in the world.

A stroll down memory lane.

The cars continue to roll down a grass-lined median, hugged by gnarled southern live oaks and dotted by a splash of colour from a smattering of citrus trees. Aromas of jasmine and sweet olive hang in the humidity.

Stepping out through the louvered doors, we’re reminded of a more modern New Orleans: large tangles of beads hang from the branches – a metallic glint offering a wink to the stories that have been told here.

This is the New Orleans I wanted to see.