Day 2 in the Big Easy

Upon reviewing some of the items on our list of things to see, we noted that there wasn’t much open on Sunday or Monday. Prioritizing that which would take the most time, we scheduled our tour for the 2 plantations for Monday and then set off with no particular plan for this day. We stopped off for a hearty brunch at Star Steak & Lobster (lunch menu was less elegant than the title of the restaurant sounds).
Wandering down Decatur Street we saw the horse and buggy rides for the cemetery. Since the cemetery is a local curiosity, we thought that sounded like a good way to spend some time. Unfortunately, the cemeteries close on Sundays at noon so we just missed our opportunity for that day. Bummer!
Wandering across the street we stopped in at Washington Artillery Park to check out the monument and view across the Mississippi River.

The view of St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square was pretty fabulous as well.
As we walked down the ramp from the park, lo and behold it was time for dessert at Cafe Du Monde! I was amazed to find out this place is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It doesn’t seem to matter when you go – this place is SO busy! We lucked out to find a table that someone was just leaving. Menus are posted on the napkin holder and are pretty straight forward – beignets, coffee, milk, or water. We decided that we could probably be satisfied with 2 beignets apiece and ordered. A short time later, the waitress showed up with our order hot from the kitchen and just enough powdered sugar to make them all the more delicious with a little extra for dipping if needed.
Leaving the cafe, we found ourselves walking past the horse and carriage rides once more. We made a quick decision to take the ride. We lucked out to have Clarence and his mule Sugar Daddy as our guides for a half hour ride. They pointed out plenty of places to listen to great music, eat wonderful food, or shop. Clarence also told us about the architecture and history of several buildings, pointed out Delta Burke’s home, etc. It was quite an entertaining and informational ride.
We walked along toward the Aquarium and thought to go in but decided against it. Instead we enjoyed a fresh squeezed lemonade, view of the Mississippi and a shaded bench. While we hadn’t done much with the day, we were all in agreement that it had been pleasant.
As we started back to the condo/hotel, we saw the Harrah’s Casino. Mom stopped in and hubby walked with me back to the room to pick up my Kindle so I would have something to do while they gambled a bit. I also picked up my Trader Joe’s canvas bag because I saw a convenience store placed in between the two and figured we could pick up some breakfast/snack items on our way back. Back to Harrah’s with hubby and I, where I settled in at a table in the Fuddruckers portion of the casino with my book for a little bit.
After the gambling bug was satiated for a little bit, we headed out to find some dinner. Fuddruckers would have been a convenient choice but Mom and I had hamburgers for lunch. A quick stop in the convenience store saw to some odds and ends that we dropped back at the room. Wandering down Decatur Street we stopped in for Bubba Gump’s for dinner.
By the time we were back to the room, we were all fairly exhausted from the walking and fine weather. Since we needed to get a fairly early start the next day, we turned in early and slept well.  

New Orleans – Good Food, French Market, New Orleans Mint, and Music in the streets!

Since we arrived late on Friday night, we spent the morning sleeping in and enjoying the general relaxation. When it got to be lunch time we realized we needed to head out for something to eat.
After meandering down the street just a bit we decided to stop into Jazz Cafe. Husband opted for the red beans and rice with shredded pork and sausage. Mom and I decided on the chicken tender and waffles. I was so glad that I opted for this southern favorite. The portions were VERY generous with 2 waffles and 3 chicken tenders, that appeared to be more akin to half of a chicken breast each than the skimpy sizes that we are used to seeing. The waffles featured just enough syrup to make them somewhat sweet and very delicious. The chicken was seasoned just right with a crispy exterior and juicy middle. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. We had such a lovely conversation with the waitress and she even indulged us to sit and chat for a while.

After that leisurely meal, we continued our wanderings toward the French Market. The streets have a European feel but are uniquely American at the same time. Lots of people crowded the streets today – several Bachelorette parties, tourists, and people just enjoying what the city has to offer.
  
We passed near Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral and stopped in to feel the peace and beauty of the park.
  
After sitting in the park for a brief rest, we continued on our way. Next stop the French Market! There was all kinds of beautiful art, jewelry, practical items, food and tourist baubles. I spent so much time ogling the beautiful things and thinking of what I might want to purchase that I failed to take any photos here. There was an entire booth that was just spices and spice mixes, booths selling a variety of foods, some booths selling jewelry of various types, and we stopped for a while at a booth that offered exquisite stone drink-ware – of particular interest to me was the one made with Tiger Eye and 2 other stones.

Across the street from the exit of the market was the end goal for the day – the New Orleans Mint. This mint was one of 3 taken over by the Confederates during the American Civil War. It was the only mint that produced a specific design for the Confederate minted coins.
  
While the first floor of the mint was about the mint itself, its operations and its eventual close; the second floor featured a New Orleans’ Musicians exhibit. Several of the musicians instruments were damaged extensively during Katrina but are being lovingly restored so they can be appreciated for generations to come.

  Fats Domino’s Piano was among the items damaged, restored, and displayed.




Unfortunately, some items may never be repaired. This fiddle belonged to Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Mr. Brown left New Orleans just before Katrina hit but left his fiddle behind in its case. The fiddle was found near where Mr. Brown’s home used to be in the condition seen below to the right. Mr. Brown passed away 2 weeks after Katrina in Texas.
 
In a special exhibit celebrating Louis Armstrong there were many artifacts including his first cornet and his last trumpet.
  
Once we concluded our time at the Mint, we ventured back to home for the week. Since we were passing by St. Louis Cathedral again, we decided to see if we could get inside for a look around. Before we reached the doors, the square had the most amazing musician. The music was beautiful and I could have stayed to listen for hours. The instrument is of an African design over 800 years old, although this version he made himself. The instrument is fashioned from a gourd at the base, covered with calf skin. The strings go up both the left and right side of the neck of the instrument and he strums them simultaneously with thumb and forefinger of each hand. After we watched for just a brief time, we continued on to the Cathedral.
 

Alas, they were having evening mass which we did not wish to disturb. Looking at the list of Rectors, the church was established in 1720. Wow…I can’t even imagine. I’m hoping we can get near there again to look around inside.
Since we couldn’t tour in the church we grabbed a bench seat to listen to more of the wonderful music. CD’s were purchased and then we wandered back to the condo to rest a bit before dinner time.


We headed back out around 7 toward Bourbon Street to see what food sounded good. There were  lots of people having a wonderful time and entire portions of the street were closed off to traffic allowing plenty of room to walk.  Eventually, we found ourselves at Pat O’Briens. Such wonderful food. Hubby opted for Jambalaya (he’s working his way through all his New Orleans favorites) and we opted for the special which was a grilled chicken breast with a creamy mushroom sauce, asparagus, and crispy potatoes. It was delicious and my plate was empty when I pushed it away. We stayed for dessert with hubby opting for Pecan Pie,  Mom opted for Bread Pudding and I chose the hurricane cheesecake. We were stuffed but so pleased with our entire meal.



Making the trek back to our “home away from home”, we passed several street singers doing a wonderful job and wandered down Royal Street where we did a lot of window shopping in the antique stores. It didn’t take too long before we decided we would definitely need to go back when the stores were open.

All in all, a very relaxing and enjoyable first day in this amazing city.

D.C. on Shutdown

Now that we’ve found ourselves in the fine state of Virginia we thought it might be a good idea to explore. Of course the Government was on shutdown at this point, being unable to reach a resolution on budget and healthcare, but we thought it would be nice to get a look around D.C. anyway. Besides, we needed to escape the hotel room for a bit and there were beautiful fall colors to enjoy.

I had previously visited D.C. in 2003 with a friend for half a day and the streets were packed with cars and spectators. I remember driving and finding a place to park being more frustrating than Chicago ever thought about being. I was in for a surprise this day though…

The streets were surprisingly empty. There were a few tourists wandering the sidewalks but nothing was open. As I heard a few talk among themselves, some in other languages, I felt badly for them. Here they had planned their vacation around seeing America’s Capital, experiencing the Memorials and visiting the Museums and none of it was open to them.

 

 

Of course, there was the extra difficulty of all the government employees who were not working at the time and therefore not being paid either. Having just moved cross country, we found ourselves in this situation. Overall the shutdown seemed like playground shenanigans to me, “I can’t have my way so I’m going to pick up my toys and go home”. How irresponsible for an elected government but they didn’t suffer for it, The People did. I have no doubt that the polls will be well attended in the near future.