We took a lot of pictures. Actually this isn't ALL of them, but this is all I have the energy to put on here!! If there are duplicates, oh well. I will post a few videos later. (click on pictures to enlarge)
We spent 3 days in New Orleans. First off, they were having an unusual cold spell. It was ridiculously COLD! The first couple of days we were freezing, all bundled up with coats, hats, scarves, gloves!! The third day it warmed up to a whopping 68 degrees! It was so nice to finally have some warmth that we went to the pool they had on the roof and did some sun bathing... and we both ended up getting very burnt. Mine was so bad that Darryl almost took me to the hospital because I had chills and I got nauseous (sun poisoning). The last night we spent there was pretty awful because I was in so much pain, but my wonderful husband went out and got me some aloe. I just didn't realize how intense the sun is down there!!
Well, aside from freezing and burning up, we had a great time. It is really a strange town, I hardly know where to begin. One thing is, we had no idea how touristy the place is. We thought we were just going to some cool place to try the food and see the different culture, hear some jazz, enjoy nice weather. Boy were we surprised to find that it is totally geared for tourists... And we ended up doing touristy things... we took a bus tour around the city. And actually we liked it. We got to see a lot that we wouldn't have seen because we didn't have a car down there. We also did a dinner jazz cruise, which was a waste of money.
We only spent a few minutes walking down Bourbon Street before we realized we did not want to be there. It is a nasty place. But most of the streets are just fine and we did enjoy the architecture, and the crazy, busy life of city. It's almost like it has a pulse. In the morning it is pretty quiet. But as the day goes on everything comes to life. It becomes crowded with people, cars, horses, voices, jazz music and singers on every corner... all coming together in a chorus of sounds, becoming a roar. It is like a cross between New York City and Ocean Grove, if you can imagine that.
I am so glad we went, even with the terrible weather. I'm glad we didn't stay any longer. We were done with the noise, done with the cajun food, done with jazz!! Had a great experience, but glad to be home!
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| Our Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter |
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| Bourbon Street |
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| Bourbon Street |
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| Beignets |
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| Air Raid Shelter |
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| Katrina damage |
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| The main drag |
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| Mississippi River |
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| Where they keep all the Mardi Gras stuff |
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| Memorial to those who lost their homes in Katrina |
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| Flea Market |
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| Voodoo Dolls |
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| The French Quarter |
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| atop the tour bus |
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| Home of the Beignets |
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| Joan of Arc |
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| Awful gumbo |
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| Fried chicken and rabbit jambalaya |
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| at the pool |
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| Our Hotel |
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| Shrimp and grits for breakfast |
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| Hotel lobby |
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| Our last dinner |
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| on the dinner cruise |
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| The Creole Queen |
