NOLA! (3-27-11)



Alane enjoying the serenade at brunch



   NOLA is one of the local nicknames for New Orleans (LouisianA). It's our second time visiting this city, and I can already say I am sure we'll be back again.   This time around has been made more fun by the fact that our friends drove up from Florida to spend a few days here with us.  Neither of them have been here before, so we're having them do more of the "steering" and decision making on what to see.  We have actually managed to cram a lot in during the last few days, and tonight we finally started dragging a bit, so we broke off the sight seeing and we all spent this evening relaxing at our house, eating Paul's Jambalaya.

Steamboat Natchez

     A lot of what we've been doing is related to food, of course.  On their first day here we got reservations at Arnaud's Restaurant for their Jazz Brunch.  The food was great and we enjoyed a relaxing 4 course meal while listening to a "jazz" trio ( it sounded more like Ragtime).  Last night dinner was at Brennan's, one of the premiere restaurants in the city.  There are so many choices of places to eat here, its difficult to decide where to go. Part of the decision is a wallet one though.  Many of the restaurants are quite pricey, but the food  and the ambiance make it worth it.  

strolling through Audubon Park



At midnight last night we headed to Cafe Du Monde to get some beignets, which are French doughnuts.  None of us is used to staying up until 1 AM any more, so I'm pretty sure that's why we were all dragging today!   This afternoon we had Po Boy sandwiches  at Johnny's (like a sub/hero etc).  Paul and Les split a Muffaleta sandwich, one of the popular New Orleans concoctions that includes cold cuts, cheeses, and an olive based salad.  Quite unique. 

Between bouts of eating, we have managed to see a fair amount of the city as well. We took a two hour ride on the steamboat Natchez down the Mississippi River on a day that the weather was perfect for relaxing aboard ship while having the highlights of what we were seeing pointed out to us along the way. We took the trolley (after figuring out how it works) down Canal Street and along St. Charles Avenue, admiring the beautiful homes and gorgeous oak trees of the Garden District. We stopped at Audubon Park near Tulane and Loyola Universities and strolled through the park for a while.



Jackson Sq. street performers



      Of course we have spent some time wandering up and down Bourbon Street and Jackson Square. There are so many street musicians and performers that entertain passersby day and night, it would be difficult to get bored.

Today Alane finally ordered a "walking" drink- a Daiquiri in a plastic cup that she could drink while meandering down the street- just because she could.

    The last time Paul and I were here I debated whether I wanted to go on a "Katrina" tour or not. We decided then not to do the tour, and repeated that decision this time around, but we did go to a museum that houses a Katrina  exhibit as well as a terrific Mardi Gras display.  It was really very chilling to hear the first hand stories from people who lived through the storm, but also incredible to hear the tales of rescue and survival.  The boat on display is one that was used by locals to rescue over 400 people from their homes. At one point there were 39 people in this small boat.

  Right now I am not sure exactly how Paul is managing to sleep.  It's very stormy tonight- in fact there's been a tornado watch most of the evening.  Right now the rain is pelting down creating quite a racket, and the sky is continually lit up with (usually) distant lightning.  Me, I have my camera ready, looking out the back window, just in case I might be able to get a shot of a bolt coming down from the sky.