One final day in New Orleans (04-01-11)

        Our last day in New Orleans the weather finally played a role in our plans.  It was cool and drizzly but we knew in advance that it would be that way so we had saved the museum for last.  Last but not least, as they say.  It was a World War II museum that displayed a chronological timeline of the war in a way that was interesting and kept my attention. In fact, we ran out of time and didn't see all the exhibits.  We started by watching the movie to get an overview, and it was awesome.  More than a movie actually, it was a "4-D" experience that started with a spotlight on an old fashioned console radio (like the one we had when we were kids) and the broadcast of a football game.  Then, of course, came the interruption announcing that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. It was mesmerizing.
     I got a better understanding of the absolute enormity of this war and it's impact on everyone. I had heard stories from my parents, but they were both teenagers at the time, so they had a young persons perspective. 
I knew that Japan obviously played a key role in the war but I learned more details about how what they did as a country "pushed" the U.S. into reacting the way it did, both at the beginning of the war and at the end. In 1945 the Japanese people had made clear by their actions that they were all willing to fight to the death to protect their country and their emperor.  They had both sustained  and inflicted incredible losses to that point and American casualties were likely to be in the millions if we proceeded with the planned land invasion.  So, we dropped the atomic bomb instead.  Whether it was right or wrong, it did end the war that had already cost the lives of over 50 million people.
   We couldn't leave New Orleans without a trip down Frenchmen Street.  Unlike the Bourbon Street music venues that loudly compete for your attention, Frenchmen Street is full of smaller jazz clubs quietly inviting you in for a listen. We obliged and listened to Saxophonist Jerry Jumonville and the Jump City Band at La Maison before heading to dinner at the Praline Connection. There were also many street performers here, creating a casual, fun atmosphere.
    So, now we have left New Orleans and headed across Texas towards Oklahoma.  We have about 2 weeks to get to Muncie IN and we've decided to do it by way of OK and Kansas.

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.

New Orleans/Hammond, LA

There were thousands of people walking the streets of the French Quarter on Halloween. I am sure there were parties galore as well, but it seemed like the main idea was to walk up and down the streets, to see and to be seen. Most people were in costume, although we weren't, much to Paul's disappointment. Anyone who knows him knows he LOVES to dress up for halloween. We saw two parades, one of which just kept winding around the streets. There was another one later, nearer to midnight, that was a wedding celebration. At the very last minute we accomplished one of my goals in New Orleans. We found Cafe Du Monde, THE place to get beignets, which are a doughnut, unique to New Orleans. They were very good, similar to Navajo fry bread or fried dough. We also ate dinner at Bubba Gumps, because it sounded like fun. The food was great, which kind of surprised us. The people of New Orleans definately discuss things in terms of "pre Katrina" and "Post Katrina". We didn't see that much of the city outside the French Quarter, which essentially sustained very little damage from the hurricane because its on high ground. The most damaged part, the ninth ward, is where some of the poorest live, which is the part that is below sea level. We drove by parts of it, and it still looks like about every 3rd or 4 th house is abandoned or destroyed and has not been fixed. We have heard that people would love to come back, but can't afford to get back here. The last two days have been pretty stressful. Last week we noticed several problems with the trailer, and we made an appointment for Monday, at a dealership in Hammond, LA, to get them fixed. A couple of the problems were minor and easily taken care of, but two were more serious. We had an issue with water coming in, onto the carpet, when we drove in the rain. Luckily no major damage, and they were able to find the cause and fix it. The other problem is the one that has kept us here . The outside fibreglass, where the front panel meets the side panel, has shifted, breaking the caulking seal that keeps the water out. They thought they had it fixed yesterday by pulling off the outer skin and putting more screws in, to hold everything in place. We didn't make it out of the parking lot before the seal gave way again. There shouldn't be any flexing, especially enough to keep breaking the caulking. There is a possibility that the interior frame is broken, causing everything to shift. Tomorrow they will open it up again and put longer screws in. If it doesn't work, we will have to head to Goshen Indiana to the factory and have them look at it. We would rather do that now, while we are reasonably close, rather than later, when we are in Texas or California. Hopefully the new screws will do the trick- Paul thinks they might. Meantime, the RV dealer has a great setup- sort of a mini campground, with 4 spots that including electric, for new customer orientations. They have let us spend the last two nights here, so they have access to the Everest first thing in the morning, and we don't have to drive anywhere. On the plus side, it saves us a little money on campgrounds! One way or another we should be back on the road to somewhere tomorrow.

New Orleans, LA

The Natchez Trace Pkwy was an easy ride, and probably would have been fun for us to explore, if it hadn’t rained all day the day we were driving it. We did stop at one museum along the way, but that was about it. We also took one wrong turn which was a big mistake. Most of the museums, trails, and scenic views require you to turn into a parking area that isn’t totally visible from the main road. No problem, except, after we made this particular turn into the road to the parking lot there was a sign that said “No RV Turn around”. It would have been more effective if the sign had been visible before the turn off. 30 minutes and many frayed nerves later, Paul finished his 20 point turn and we got out of there. That pretty much soured us on taking any more turns off the main road. We did spend the night at the free campground on the Pkwy and it worked out awesome for us. It was our first FREE night, with no fee! Once we arrived at New Orleans, we were immediately happy with our decision to pay more to stay within walking distance of the French Quarter. The RV Park is the nicest one we’ve been in, with great sites for parking, a great hot tub and pool, and we were greeted by a guy wearing a SUIT! Hahaha. More upscale than we needed but it served our purpose well. Our first night we decided to walk to the French Quarter, just to check it out. Many hours later we staggered back home. We tried a “Hurricane” which is one of the strongest drinks around. Bourbon Street is one of my new favorite places. Similar in spirit to Duval Street in Key West. So much music coming from so many venues! People everywhere, walking down the street with drinks in their hands, wandering from one club to the next. Its so Alive! The weather was perfect for it- in the high 70s. The next day, during the daylight hours we walked to the river front- almost took the ferry over to Algiers, but decided at the last minute to not do it. We walked Canal street, ate lunch at a restaurant in the French Quarter, and headed home to rest up for night time. This time our plan was to walk down to Frenchman Street where most of the Jazz music is played. I don’t know, maybe we were just in the wrong mood, but it was so quiet there, we lost interest after a while, and headed back to Bourbon Street, for another lively evening. Halloween in New Orleans is similar to Mardi Gras, but on a smaller scale. The buildings are decorated, the bars are decorated, there are parades, music, you name it. Eminem performed last night and tonight KISS is performing live downtown. Yesterday we moved to our new park, just outside the city- we’ll take their shuttle into town, then have to take a cab back. We washed the Everest yesterday- took us a loooong time. I have no idea how it got so dirty! Most RV parks won’t let you wash the RV, so we took advantage of the fact that this one does. Today is Halloween so we are headed into town for an early dinner, hopefully we’ll be in time to see the parade…..