In New Orleans ships tie up alongside wharves, parallel to the river, and invariably facing upstream. Lykes had an office building in downtown New Orleans, from which all the company's ships could be seen passing by on their way uptown to tie up at the company's wharf. As a result, so it was said, Lykes captains were always scrupulous about making sure the starboard sides of their ships were always well painted when they arrived at New Orleans. However, they weren't so fussy about the port side, because they knew the company execs wouldn't get a look at that until the ship was leaving!
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