New Orleans - 2016
I took a short mini vacation to New Orleans in May. I have always been interested in visiting New Orleans, and I was not disappointed. The weather was just perfect. It was not hot or humid and it never rained. I persuaded a co-worker to go with me. It was the first time I travelled with someone else. It was nice, but I could not just do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted - I had to discuss everything with her first - but it was nice to have someone to talk to.
We took an early morning flight from LA and reached there around 11:00 AM. We took a taxi to our hotel in the French Quarter. The hotel, La Richelieu, was a nice boutique style hotel, with large well-decorated rooms. My room was ready, but my friend's was not, so we left our bags in my room and went out for lunch. We were both starving, since we had missed breakfast. We ate at Belle's Diner, across from the French Market. I had a breakfast Po Boy sandwich. I loved it. The bread was probably the best I have ever had, so light and flaky!. After lunch, we walked to Jackson Square. The view from Artillery Park, was the perfect postcard of our vacation. We then wandered through the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. At about 3:00, my friend went back to the hotel to rest, and I continued exploring, soaking in the atmosphere of the French Quarter. My friend and I had made plans to meet back at our hotel, at 6:00, so I bought some souvenirs at the French Market, then got back to the hotel by 6:00. She wanted to get a tattoo, and had found a place near the hotel. We walked there and she made an appointment for the next evening. We then walked to Cafe Du Monde, where we had beignets, a New Orleans tradition. We took a carriage ride through the French Quarter. The carriages are now pulled by donkeys, not horses. We walked around some more, then had dinner at a restaurant on Bourbon Street. Our table was on a balcony overlooking the revelers on Bourbon Street. After a tasty Jambalaya, we walked back to our hotel, tired after a long day.
The next morning, we walked a couple of blocks to the start of the Riverfront Streetcar line. We bought a day pass that gave us unlimited rides on all streetcars, for $3 ( a single ride was $1.25). We took the Riverfront Streetcar to Canal Street, then took the Canal Streetcar to St Charles Ave, where we took the St Charles Streetcar to Lafayette Cemetery. Along the way, we passed through the Garden District, and saw a lot of really nice houses and a lot of beautiful landscaping. The whole area was lush and green. We wandered through the cemetery on our own. It was not till we came back out, that we saw someone at the entrance, offering guided tours of the cemetery and the Garden District. I would have liked to take that tour, but my friend was not interested, so we took the streetcar and continued on to the end of the line. We saw a lot more nice houses along the way. We took the next streetcar back to Canal Street. My friend wanted to go souvenir shopping at the French Market before getting her tattoo, so we split up. I had lunch at the Crazy Lobster, where I had a crab cake Po Boy. The sandwich was so huge I could not bite into it. It was delicious. I walked along the waterfront a little, then took the ferry to Algiers Point. I then went back to Bourbon Street and had a Hand Grenade at one of the bars. Instead of a toothpick with a cherry, the drink came with a plastic alligator across the rim of the glass!. I sat in Jackson Square, and listened to the jazz music for a little. I had made plans to meet up with a former co-worker who now lives close to New Orleans, for dinner. I met her and her sister for dinner, at Desire Oyster Bar. The food was again, delicious. At about 11:00, they went back to their hotel, and I took the streetcar back to my hotel.
The next morning, we took the streetcar to where the steamboat Natchez docks, and the little lighthouse where all the bus tours start. We had booked a Plantation Tour of Laura Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation. Both were very interesting and very different. The interior of Oak Alley was very ornate, while the interior of Laura was much simpler. The line of oaks at Oak Alley were beautiful. Lunch was not included, so I grabbed some snacks at Laura and some Alligator Bites at Oak Alley. This was probably my least favorite meal of the vacation. When we got back, we sat by the waterfront for a little, then took a dinner cruise on the Mississippi, on the steamboat Natchez. Dinner was good, but soda cost extra!
Our return flight was in the evening, so we checked out of our hotel, had them hold our bags, then went for some last minute sight-seeing. This time we took the Riverfront Streetcar to the Canal Streetcar, and got off at the very end, at City Park. This route was through The city, so it was not as interesting as the St Charles route. We didn't have a lot of time, so we wandered through the sculpture garden and came back. We just had time for a quick lunch, then it was a taxi to the airport, and the flight back.
Click on the picture below and you can view the photos.
New Orleans
