Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

The next monday, we woke up early to be packed and ready by 7:30.  We were headed to New Orleans and wanted the evening to explore.  We drove all day again, a 10 hour trip at the end of it.  There was a huge part of the trip that was on a highway through the Louisiana bayou.  It was such an interesting trip.  We got stuck in traffic for over an hour, so our 8-9 hour trip turned into a 10 hour trip.  It was rough!

We got to the hotel which was a block away from Canal street.  Our luggage was dropped off in the hotel and then we went to hit the town!

A friend of mine told me a few places to go in the French Quarter, so after asking the hotel, we followed their directions to these places.  Turns out, their directions were wrong and we ended up in the wrong place, but it worked out.

For dinner, I had a muffaletta which was a huge sandwich with olive salad on it.  It was amazing.  We each tried an authentic Nawlins dish for dinner.  Then we decided to walk.  Julia had to get souvenirs for her family, so we walked along Bourbon street for a bit.

 The street names in the French Quarter are inlaid in the sidewalk

Classic New Orleans Architecture...so cool.

Julia got all of her souvenirs, and we continued to walk down Bourbon street.  We went about 3 blocks, and mom and I would distract Julia from the strippers on the sidewalks.  We would see one and say "OOOH!  Jule!  Look at that (insert clean, wholesome, distraction here)!"  My mother had been suggesting we leave Bourbon Street, and when I saw a woman with almost no clothes on in a doorway, I agreed.  We walked around the French Quarter a little and made our way to Cafe Du Monde.  Both my friend and my brother-in-law told me that we MUST go to Cafe Du Monde for beignets.  Since we had free breakfast in the hotel, we decided to check it out for dessert.  I thought they were yummy and amazing, but Julia and mom thought it was just like funnel cake, so no big deal.  At least one of us could appreciate the good things in life!

Well, I liked them!

We were lucky to get to New Orleans in the middle of a ridiculous heat wave.  It was 85 degrees outside, but  with the humidity, the heat index was around 115.  Just leisurely walking made us sweat buckets.  It was awful.  Mom was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel.  I wanted to take my time and walk around a little bit.  Reluctantly, she "allowed" me to go off on my own.

I fell in love with New Orleans.  Strolling back to the hotel, I stopped at a little park and saw the river.  I strolled along and saw beautiful Spanish style architecture.  I saw an old advertisement painted on the side of a building near the fire house.  The ad was for a Ginger Mint Julep. I took a picture but because it was night, it didn't come out.  I walked up Canal Street, and there, at the corner of Canal and Bourbon was a Zydeco band playing.  People were all around them, clapping and dancing along.

We had been advised to go up St. Charles Street so we drove that way the next day.  This is the street where all of the huge, southern homes are located.  There is a trolley line running up and down the middle of the street.  I LOVED the trolleys here.  They're so cute!  While driving, my mother was marveling at the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.  When we stopped, she realized that it wasn't Spanish moss, but Mardi Gras beads!  We all laughed about that one.

Beautiful Homes!

"Spanish Moss" Mardi Gras Beads...

I would love to go back to New Orleans and explore a bit, sometime when the city isn't in an "extreme heat warning" and I'm not traveling through....it's definitely a fun city and I feel like I could spend weeks exploring and learning the history.