Trip rpt - Pt II

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Trip rpt - Pt II
1
Fri, 04-10-2009 - 10:45am

On previous trips to New Orleans, we stayed in old hotels in French Quarter. They have beautiful courtyards and lovely decor, but small rooms and thin construction. This time I chose a chain hotel which had remodeled a solid concrete telephone company building in the Central Business District. Excellent stay, quiet room, nice amenities & views.

First evening was perfect Spring weather in high 60s, so we headed to Bourbon St. The scene is still a mix of bars with live music, restaurants and a few racy shops. The mix of people on a Sunday evening looked like middle America conventioneers. The local pirate gathering was winding down, but there plenty of couples in costume. We ate on the balcony of our favorite local place, then went back dancing to some good blues.

As to restaurants, we avoid the big-named $$ places. It's a waste of $$ on us - LOL. DH likes food he can recognize. I vowed that this trip I would not eat rich foods I'm not used to and upset my tummy. We seek out small businesses and have always had excellent food.

We visited the WWII museum - very impressive, much better than we'd expected. Next stop was an afternoon cruise on an authentic steam paddle boat. Weather was a little cooler, but the sun was out. After enduring the long Winter in IL, we stayed on the outside deck the whole trip. The Southerners with thinner blood stayed in the dining room/bar.

A whole day was devoted to riding the various streetcars with 3 day passes. It's a great way to see the gardens and cemeteries without joining a tour. The further we got from the Quarter, it was clear that rebuilding in tourist area was done first to generate $$ for the city. The passes allow you to get off, tour an area, stop for coffee at an outdoor cafe, etc. I got my fill of gumbo and shrimp creole, DH ate PoBoy sandwiches. Also shopped for food requests the DSs had sent.

Lastly, we spent our 51st anniversary at a restaurant with live Cajun music and a dance floor. Food was wonderful and reasonably priced. Place was authentic - a gathering of a local Cajun family took up a huge area and were a joy to watch. BTW - we noticed there were no young children in this party. We speculated that they may allow children in public when they have learned how to behave properly - like WE were raised :) We waltzed to a fiddle until we had to catch the last streetcar back to the hotel.

Now it's back to the piles of laundry and downloading pictures. If I have anything good, I'll post it later.

Jacquie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2003
Fri, 04-10-2009 - 9:08pm

I'm enjoying your travelog. Happy Anniversary. 51 years is quite an accomplishment.


HUgs,