3 -- Fun Time in New Orleans

May 20-25, 2018

We walked through the doors of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport and the sultry late spring air hit us like a smack to the face.  Ahhh NOLA, it's good to see you again!
We'd been planning this trip for MONTHS.  Our friends Joe and Theresa were meeting us there.  Joe and David served together in the USMC years ago; last year we visited with them in New Jersey and began making our plans for New Orleans then.



We checked into Bienville House, in the French Quarter.  Recently renovated, it was a lovely place to stay -- and within an easy walk to just about anything we wanted to do.

Our plans included lots of the sights, sounds, and tastes that New Orleans is famous for. The Katrina Museum, the steamboat Natchez, Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, St. Louis Cathedral -- just a few of the things on our "NOLA Bucket List" -- all just waiting for us!



You can't talk about New Orleans without mentioning FOOD.  David is a "foodie" -- and enjoys tasting different foods, as well as experimenting with cooking.  He had pored over reviews, selected a few specific places for us to try -- Like Acme Oyster House, Oceana Grill, Bayona, and my personal favorite, The Court of Two Sisters.





Each restaurant had it's own specialty, it's own flair with food -- and it was all DELICIOUS.   Hey, don't worry though -- calories don't count in New Orleans, right?  

Of course, you can't go to NOLA and miss the coffee and beignets -- Cafe du Monde always has a line wrapped around the building.  We waited our turn for some strong hot coffee and the warm sugar-coated fried treat.
 (Word of advice:  Don't try eating beignets wearing black.  You will get white powdered sugar ALL OVER you!)

The Steamboat Natchez rolled down the Mississippi River, and as we rode along we heard stories of the history of New Orleans.

Plus -- we got a nice reminder:  "You Are Beautiful." 

We rode in pedicabs...


David fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing guitar & singing on Bourbon Street...
He sang Amos Lee's "Arms of a Woman" and got a big round of applause from folks who were listening.  (From me, especially!)

When you go to New Orleans, don't miss the Katrina Museum.  It is a sobering reminder of the pain that city endured (and continues to endure).

We visited the Laura Plantation -- which was a Creole plantation run mainly by the women of the family.  Quite unusual for women to run a business at that time.

Whether or not you actually believe in Ghosts and Spirits, a Ghost Story Tour is a fun outing.  Our tour guide was a young man named "Toast" -- and along with the "tall tales" he shared  a good bit of history as well.  
I think the spookiest part of that tour was the Sisters of Charity Hospital that has been closed since Katrina.  

Then there's the MUSIC!  Street performers singing or playing instruments, Dixieland jazz bands in impromptu parades, and folks just belting out songs at random.  (More on that later!)

We even found our favorite street performer that we remembered from our last visit, Tanya Huang -- just listen:


In New Orleans, there's truly "something for everyone" -- 
even us grammar nazis!

I think my favorite memory of the week involved random music.  The four of us, walking down the street, just sort of burst out singing "Afternoon Delight" at the tops of our lungs -- much to the amusement of other folks around. I could just see my own kids cringing and rolling their eyes if they'd seen and heard us!  :)  
Hey, I thought we harmonized quite well!  

All in all, it was a great trip, making fun memories of friendship that will remain with us all for years to come. 

And as for me -- I enjoyed it TWICE as much as everyone else because I saw it through double vision. 
Yep.  The whole trip, I saw two of everything.  And I was stone-cold sober!



  


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