Canal Laussat, dug in 1777 and named for an early-19th-century governor, runs roughly through the middle of central Cayenne and gives its name to the surrounding La Crique quarter. Originally engineered to drain the swampy ground that hemmed in the colonial town, the canal is now a narrow waterway lined with weathered Creole houses on stilts.
La Crique is one of the liveliest parts of Cayenne, with a strong Surinamese and Haitian flavour and a string of small bars, hairdressers and corner shops. The neighbourhood has a reputation for petty crime — wander it in the day, take a taxi home after dark.