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.