Today, we visited the French Quarter or the Vieux Carre as it was originally called. And it was every thing we remembered. Music, raunchiness, great food, and interesting architecture. The only thing missing was the pee smell wafting up from the hot sidewalks. Once again, we had great weather, so no problems there. And to be fair, our visit was maybe too early in the day to experience that special smell.
Here are a few of the things we saw as we walked around the French Quarter before our visit to the New Orleans (NO) School of Cooking this morning.
The classic NO picture, St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.
Many of the buildings have a distinctive look, but are a blend of influences: Spanish, French, Creole, Victorian, and American. Most people say they look European.
A lot of the streets were barricaded to make them pedestrian malls. There, we saw three different groups playing Dixie Land Jazz...
We also saw dancers...
And painters/artists. And many other clever people trying in various ways to earn some money from tourists.
There were no shortages of weird and/or risque shops.
There were also restaurants galore of every shape and size, but we didn't visit any of those because we had signed up for a class at the NO School of Cooking. There were various options, but we went to the 2 1/2 hour demonstration class. We had been there a couple of times when we lived here and this was one of the things we wanted to revisit.
And it did not disappoint. Along with the cooking demo making crab and corn bisque, shrimp creole, pralines, and bananas foster, we got a very entertaining history of New Orleans and the surrounding area. And did I forget to mention that we got to eat everything that was cooked? They certainly know how to flavor their foods here.
There was a mirror above the stove so we could see what was going on in the pots.
After the cooking school lunch, we did a 2 hour riverboat cruise. It was interesting seeing the barges, ships, and wharves in and along the Mississippi River. BTW, the last time we were on a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi we learned that a hurricane had changed its path and was headed for New Orleans. We had to hurry home and start preparing. We got a lot of wind and rain, but not the devastation that could have happened.
We rode on the City of New Orleans. The boat can hold 1000 passengers, but I don't think we had quite that many.
New Orleans is an important port, and we saw barges...
and ships...
and working factories and wharves.
On the way home, we drove down the street we used to work on and saw more high rises than before. However, the building I worked in is still the highest one in the city with 51 stories.
Lake Pontchartrain's shoreline is nicely developed.
We had a leisurely morning at the Vrbo before we went exploring the lake area of New Orleans. New Orleans is bordered on the north by Lake Pontchartrain, a large body of water approximately 40 x 24 miles in size. (Actually, it is an estuary not a lake with a very small inlet to the ocean.) This is not an area we frequented much when we lived here, so Ward wanted to explore it. Exploring new places is one of his favorite activities, and I am happy to go along for the ride (well, most of the time).
We eventually made our way to our destination--New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park. We had a beautiful day with mild temperatures and a gentle breeze to stroll among the plants. Adjacent to the botanical gardens was the sculpture garden associated with the New Orleans Museum of Art where we saw some interesting sculptures nestled in beautiful gardens. We really enjoyed our visit to these gardens in City Park.
Later we met friends for dinner at Katie's Restaurant in Mid City for dinner.We had fun catching up and laughing about old times. The food was delicious and Ward said that he had the best steak he ever remembers.
Here are some of the many pictures I took today. I'm including more than usual, so feel free to scroll as quickly as your finger will take you.
Adam and Eve back when things were still good.
This bench was made by WPA workers in the 1930s. There are ones like it scattered throughout the park, and I was impressed that they were all still in good shape almost 100 years later.
One of the walls in the conservatory was filled plant fossils. I took a picture of this sign because we have some of these fossils in our basement.
Ward didn't get to ride a train today, but he did get to see a big model train set-up.
The train ran through models of different New Orleans neighborhood models with explanations of how trains affected them throughout time. It was the most interesting train display I've ever seen.
The gardens were getting ready for their Christmas display.
Sophia Loren as the Muse of Antiquity
Look closely to see monkeys turning into humans. Or is it humans turning into monkeys?
Our flight didn't leave until 3 pm, so we didn't have to leave the house until 11 am. What a luxury! No mad rush in the dark trying to make an early flight. And an unanticipated benefit was that we didn't have to wait in long lines at the airport. The flight left on time and had no problems. That was the way to go.
While waiting on our flight, we perused the airport shops where I found Berger cookies for $25! Berger Cookies are a handmade Baltimore cookie that is very rich and very delicious. In the grocery store, they sell for about $10. Airport prices!#!&
As we approached New Orleans, the land got swampier and swampier.
Upon arriving in New Orleans, there was a different feel in the airport--one of fun with jazz music playing in the background. The icing on the cake was that all of our bags arrived and were some of the first ones on the carousel.
The New Orleans airport is named after jazz legend, Louis Armstrong.
Leaving the terminal, the first thing we noticed was that we weren't bowled over by stifling air as we had so many times in the past upon returning to New Orleans when we lived here. It was a comfortable 70 F with moderate humidity.
Then began the rental car odyssey (she says with a bit of exaggeration.) We waited in a very long line for the shuttle to the rental car area. Luckily, we got on the second bus, but it took 20 minutes to get to the rental car place. It was adjacent to the airport, but we had to travel the entire perimeter to get there.
After retrieving our car, we figured out the downside to having an afternoon flight. It was now dark, and we had to try to maneuver in an unfamiliar place. That would have been much easier to do if we had daylight.
However, we eventually found our Vrbo. We're staying in the Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans in a new apartment building. Security is very good in that we had to punch in a code 5 times to get from our car to our apartment. However, the apartment is very sparsely equipped. Not one lamp in the place. No pot holders. No cutting board. No baking pans. But I guess that's what Walmart's for. We found our way to Walmart and got some basic food and supplies for the week.
Main room of the Vrbo.
Then it was to settle down to a restless night of sleep that always happens in a new place.
We woke this morning to rain, but should be clearing up soon before we make our way to City Park.
We saw rain on the bayou outside our window this morning. Bayous are ubiquitous in the area to help deal with drainage.
Not the best picture. I took it through a window because I didn't want to brave the cold to get a better one.
We had a colorful sunrise this morning. And when I saw it, I immediately thought of the Peter, Paul, and Mary song*, "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane".
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn Taxi's waiting, he's blowin' his horn Already I'm so lonesome I could cry
So kiss me and smile for me Tell me that you'll wait for me Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leavin' on a jet plane I don't know when I'll be back again Oh babe, I hate to go
And I started singing because that's what I do. Many/most things trigger a song in my head, and I start singing whenever it's socially acceptable (and maybe a few times when it's not 😀).
Besides the "breaking dawn", I will probably be singing the chorus with the line, "I'm leaving on a jet plane" throughout the day. That is because tomorrow, we will be leaving on a jet plane to visit New Orleans. It's an anniversary trip of sorts. When we were first married, we lived in New Orleans, but haven't been back in 30 years. We're looking forward to seeing old friends and doing some of the many fun things that are available in the Crescent City.
This might be the last rose of the season.
In the meantime, we have a full day with a couple of appointments, drainage work in the yard, and hopefully some exercise classes. And you know, all of that getting-ready stuff you have to do to prepare for a trip. If all the planets align and the Wi-Fi cooperates, I'll try to do some blog posts while we're on the trip.
I'd better get to it.
Until next time..
*The song was written by John Denver, who also sings it. But I love the harmonies of Peter, Paul, and Mary.
(Unrelated to the post subject, I've included a couple of pictures from the yard.)
The view out the kitchen window of the neighbor's maple.
When Wally was a boy, he told me that we could tell him something all we wanted, but he wouldn't really learn it until he experienced it for himself. Never were truer words spoken.
However, I think a few things can be learned from others' experiences. And here is one of them I hope you can learn from me.
When my sisters and I were sorting through old papers, we found my uncle's graduation announcement. I texted my cousin to see if she would like it, and she was thrilled because she didn't have one. So I promptly got it ready for mailing. I used a small padded envelope with a piece of cardboard inside to prevent bending.
The camellia has started to bloom.
When it was weighed at the post office, the light package would cost $1.11 to mail first-class. HOWEVER, since the package was stiff from the cardboard, it had to go as a parcel, and then the cheapest price was $8.65! I almost ripped the envelope open at the window to take the cardboard out, but then I thought that the announcement couldn't be replaced and it was better if it arrived undamaged. And it did.
Another view out of a kitchen window.
I have many times added a piece of cardboard to an envelope to prevent accidental bending, and it was never classified as a package. I don't know when this new policy took effect or why. Maybe they have new sorting machines? Maybe it's another way to earn revenue in the never-ending deficit they seem to have?
Anyway, if you do any snail-mailing these days, pay attention to how stiff your envelope is.
