The jewel of Americais great avenues, St. Charles Avenue is a five-mile journey through a century of architectural styles. Presented here are never-published interiors, with all the visual poetry and lyricism of this sultry southern city. Intricate Queen Anne houses and stately Italianate and Richardsonian mansions rise among the oaks and palms. Through it all, the worldis oldest working streetcar line runs like a silver ribbon connecting the eighteenth-century French colonial enclave at one end to fin de siEcle villas in the shadow of Audubon Park at the other. Once called Cours des NaOades by the French architect who designed the classical plan for the avenue and the surrounding streets, St. Charles follows the course of the Mississippi river. The grand homes evocative of New Orleansi unique, multi-layered history are truly a legacy of the river nymphs. Kerri McCaffety counts among her accolades the 1999 gold Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers and the 1998 Book of the Year award from the New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association. Ms. McCaffety studied at Tulane University, where she earned a degree in anthropology with a concentration in ethnographic documentary. Her writing and photojournalism have appeared in many publications, including Southern Accents, The Oxford American, Historic Traveler, Town and Country, and Travel & Leisure. Cynthia Reece McCaffetyis essays, humor, and general-interest features have appeared in The Houston Chronicle, Hemispheres, Womenis Sports and Fitness, Horseplay, and the Arkansas Times. A Texan by birth, she spent most of her life in Houston, but has called New Orleans her home-away-from-home since 1985. Her three children are all gifted writers and artists. This is her first collaborative project with her daughter, Kerri.