New Orleans

I don’t think any city was higher on my US Cities bucket list than New Orleans (or “Nawlins” – I like to say that just to annoy Jett). I finally got to remove it from the list on Saturday. Jett and I drove the 55 miles to the French Quarter with the intent of walking around, having dinner and just seeing what the city has to offer.

It almost didn’t happen.

New Orleans is not a friendly place for a large pickup truck. Following the GPS we got stuck in near-gridlock traffic as we entered the French Quarter. We found a way around that jam just to find another. After 30 minutes of frustration – and bypassing our intended parking lot because it looked too small – we had decided to head back home. But as we headed back up Rampart St we spotted a parking lot that looked like we could get into. We did and for a $10 fee we got the opportunity to walk around for 3 hours.

We used those 3 hours to get a good idea of what goes on in the French Quarter early on a Saturday. Crazy. Wall-to-wall bars and partying. A wedding, a street band, street fairs. A lively place, to say the least. I can only imagine what it is like later on a Saturday night or on Mardi Gras.

Jett got some beads. No, not by showing her boobs; by buying them.

We used one of our hours to dine at Café Soule. I had the “New Orleans Trio” – a cup each of shrimp gumbo, crawfish etouffee and chicken and sausage jambalaya. Delicious! We were also entertained, while dining, by a wedding reception just across the street.

The rest of our time was spent walking around the French Quarter. Yes, we walked a portion of Bourbon Street, but that wasn’t very pleasant because it was ripped up with construction. I learned that this construction – to update the sewer system – had been going on for nearly 2 years and had encountered all kinds of engineering problems.

We made it down to Jackson Square and the St Louis Cathedral just as the sun was setting, which made for some beautiful photos. Then we wandered our way back to the truck amidst the revelry which was just ramping up. We escaped the city before it got too crazy for old people like us.