29/30 January ‘09
What can you say about New Orleans that hasn’t already been said ??? If it involves having a great time, then New Orleans is the place…if its Mardi Gras time, then you are really going to have a blast. Guess what…ITS MARDI GRAS time and we’re really having a blast!!! We are camped on the opposite side of Lake Pontchartrain as New Orleans so that means we either take I-12 to Slidell and then I-10 into New Orleans or make the 24 mile drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. That causeway is amazing. Like I just wrote, it is 24 miles long, 4 lanes wide (2 & 2 with water dividing), 65 MPH (and everyone does it…), and a toll of $3 total. It also saves us about 15-20 minutes travel time vs. I-10/I-12. Our first drive into N.O. was no big deal. We just plugged our destination into our GPS and drove directly into our parking lot. For $16 we had a full day enjoying the town. Our first destination was to the “French Quarter”, but especially to Café du Monde. You all know how much I enjoy coffee, and you also know how much I enjoy my pastries,
What can you say about New Orleans that hasn’t already been said ??? If it involves having a great time, then New Orleans is the place…if its Mardi Gras time, then you are really going to have a blast. Guess what…ITS MARDI GRAS time and we’re really having a blast!!! We are camped on the opposite side of Lake Pontchartrain as New Orleans so that means we either take I-12 to Slidell and then I-10 into New Orleans or make the 24 mile drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. That causeway is amazing. Like I just wrote, it is 24 miles long, 4 lanes wide (2 & 2 with water dividing), 65 MPH (and everyone does it…), and a toll of $3 total. It also saves us about 15-20 minutes travel time vs. I-10/I-12. Our first drive into N.O. was no big deal. We just plugged our destination into our GPS and drove directly into our parking lot. For $16 we had a full day enjoying the town. Our first destination was to the “French Quarter”, but especially to Café du Monde. You all know how much I enjoy coffee, and you also know how much I enjoy my pastries,
well with Café du Monde specializes in both… The trademark coffee with chicory and the delicious beignets are just more than I could ask for. Fact is, we did this for two mornings in a row !!! New Orleans also has something else that I’ve never seen in other cities. They have two National Parks and they both are located in the French Quarter. One of these is the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park. We just happened to walk in just prior to some Jazz musicians holding a jam session. Not only did they play their music, they explained the many different types of New Orleans jazz and how it developed. It was very entertaining and interesting. Over the last two days that we went into New Orleans we walked the French Quarter from one end to the other at least 3 times.
In 1962 Louise and I passed through New Orleans just after I was discharged from the Navy. One of the restaurants that we enjoyed is still here...The Court of Two Sisters.
Its amazing, it hasn't changed much. We also took in an amazing IMAX presentation on New Orleans prior to and after Hurricane Katrina. That was a terrible disaster to this area, and there is still a lot of evidence from the storm showing up constantly as we travel through the area. Well we also found another “Free Ferry” to ride. This one would take us across the Mississippi River to Algiers Point and back in about 10 minutes total…well, it’s free. We just had two things we wanted…1) Take another Free Ferry. 2) Take a ride on the Mississippi.
Whenever you go to New Orleans, you’ve got to make it to Bourbon Street, and that’s what we did. We haven’t been there at night yet, but the afternoon that we were there, we had a great time.
We did a little people watching, stepping inside to listen to some music at different places, and enjoying the architecture of the old buildings (especially the wrought iron balconies). One afternoon, with the sun warming us comfortably, we took a walk around Jackson Square
to listen to a “sidewalk jazz group” playing to the crowd. It’s amazing just how good these kids are…they have great technique, and great sound, and they work the masses to perfection.
The one disappointment was the French Market. I don’t know, maybe it was the economy, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Pikes Place Market in Seattle.
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