New Orleans

When Kris told me he had a meeting in New Orleans, I tried to remember how many times I'd been there before.  Definitely three, maybe four.  However, I didn't see near as much those times as I did now!

First of all, my friend Sharon goes to the Jazz Festival every year, so I asked her what to do.  She texted me a wonderful list.  Here's the best of New Orleans!

World War II Museum

I was iffy about going here.  I didn't hear a lot about it beforehand, and I don't generally love books or movies about war.  However, I was surprised.  This was my favorite part of New Orleans.  

I blanched at the price, too - $28 for a ticket and $7 for a movie on top of that?  I wasn't sure if it was worth it.  Kris said, "Well, we'll never be here again.  We should see the 4-D movie."  Yes!  We all saw it, and it was immersive and impressive.

The use of real film footage is what really made this museum work for me.  As you enter each room, there was a little 2-minute film showing what was going on at the time.  It was so incredibly moving to see the actual film - tons of which I hadn't seen before.  I learned so much about parts of the war I didn't know much about before, like the Battle of the Bulge.  Even though I thought I knew a lot about Normandy, the information and video on it taught me even more.

Go here!  Go here!  The entire rest of the trip everyone was talking about it and it got rave reviews.

Bourbon Street

This is the opposite of the museum.  However, I love the feeling of when you walk up to Bourbon Street and everything is buzzing with excitement.  People!  Music!  Lights!  We met up with our friends here two nights and had a great time listening to the bands in many different places.  It reminds me of Austin, but it just goes on and on and on!

I've been to Bourbon Street on New Year's Eve, I've been on weekend nights, I've been on weeknights.  It's all generally the same, depending on the weather and amount of people.  But I've never been there for Mardi Gras ... 

Cafe du Monde

Another huge tourist activity to do in New Orleans is to eat beignets.  I don't like donuts, and the last time I ate one was at least 15 years ago.  (That's how much I don't like them.)  I took one bite of this and asked Kris, "Is this what donuts taste like?!"  He said, "No, this is way better."  I loved it.  It was warm, tasty, and I was covered with powdered sugar afterward.  We were walking with it, instead of sitting, and we figured locals must laugh at people who don't know how to eat it neatly!  Seriously, there was powdered sugar all over the streets.

We waited in the takeout line at the side of the restaurant, which really sped up our service.    

Jackson Square, French Quarter, St Louis Cathedral

Right across from Cafe du Monde - I liked walking around here seeing the horses, the street performers, the bands playing, and the tourists.  We checked out the inside of the pretty cathedral as well.  What's different from other city centers is the amount of voodoo stores and palm readers.  

This was my favorite sculpture in the sculpture park.

New Orleans Museum of Art

Since the Hard Rock Cafe collapsed during construction, Canal Street was closed for a large portion, which meant that only one streetcar was running.  We took it to the New Orleans Museum of Art.  It's in such a beautiful place, surrounded by the ponds and walking trails of City Park.  Jerry and I saw the art inside - totally worth it, with some great pieces - and Kris and I went to the sculpture park, which I absolutely loved as well!  This is a museum where you really feel you can see everything with enough time. 

Pretty day, pretty river.

Mississippi River
I honestly don't remember ever going to the river before, but this time I ran there every morning.  There were giant cargo boats, it was wide and pretty, and I thought about my old thesis-subject, Mark Twain.  

Mother's Restaurant

This place is obviously very popular, but we didn't know about it and just happened upon it.  It was so, so good.  The biscuit I ate was so fantastic.  I was talking about it with Jerry, and a lovely server walked by and asked if we would like another one.  OF COURSE was our answer, and she set two more down on our table.  She said they used to serve two biscuits to everyone, but most people couldn't finish two.  Mine was half gone before she finished this sentence.

Garden District

Kris and I took an Uber here to see a different part of the city.  We both really liked walking around here.  There were lots of places to eat and drink, the houses were interesting, and it just had a good vibe.  We wandered into The Bulldog, and everyone was really friendly.  We sat outside with a beautiful view of the fountain and the street.

Royal Street & Magazine Street

There were shops on these streets and sights to see that you don't see just anywhere.  There was a shop full of amazing, giant, expensive light fixtures.  My favorite was $4000 - and it was half off!  There were shops with confederate money and old guns.  There were lots of vintage-type stores.  I bought nothing - but I liked looking.   

Napoleon House
This place reminded me of home.  Literally, my home.  It was old, it had electrical fixtures that looked like they were a hazard, and the walls were falling apart.  We loved it.  Great atmosphere.  The specialty here is a Pimm's Cup.  I came here with Annie and Jerry and sat right between them at the bar.  Who doesn't love a third wheel along?! 

Roosevelt Hotel - just walked through a few times to admire it.

You can't not take a picture of a building this pretty! Well, I can't.

This was also a picture in our hotel room.  I just loved these.  It wasn't that long ago when people used them!