N'awlins - Who Dat?
Okay who wants to go shares in a house down here in the New Orleans Garden district?? This place is astounding and I think I need to spend at least another two weeks here to appreciate it all.
What a chequered past this New Orleans has had, full of a vibrant, sordid, triumphant, tragic, intriguing and eclectic history I am not surprised that this is the birth place of jazz. The French Quarter is just amazing - you can spend hours just dawdling round these streets marvelling at the architecture, the sights and the smells (not all of them pleasantly interesting). On the three hour tour we did which took in many different places including the Garden district, the St Louis Cemetery No 3, the Warehouse and Arts district, the "American Sector" we also saw the Lower Ninth Ward and the work that is being done with Brad Pitt's financial backing to replace lost homes. There's some scepticism with our tour guides about the whole Katrina aftermath, the flood walls breaking and how there is much misinformation out there about how the flooding came to be - their levees held, the Army engineering flood walls didn't. Few of them feel that New Orleans will never reach the same status it had pre Katrina simply because of the numbers of relocation and how so many just haven't returned because of lack of work.
Following Miss lillaw 's advice we did Antoinne's Restaurant last night and what a fantastic place that is. Our waiter was an extremely genteel, softly spoken Louisiana native who gave us superb service and an excellent guided tour of all the dining rooms and what a place this restaurant turned out to be! Not to mention the food! We had the shrimp, the crab remoulade, I had the Chicken Rochambert and the three of us (and thank the lord there were three of us) shared the famed Baked Alaska for dessert. Holy cow that thing was huge and delicious and as soon as I've downloaded a decent photo editing program Imma gonna be posting the photos to y'all. *vbg*
We also did the Natchez paddleboat steamer dinner cruise up and down the great Mississippi and that was so pleasant I didn't want to get off. We were the last passengers off the boat - the weather here is soooo beautiful at night balmy and warm with a slight breeze that you can stay out on the water all night. The catfish was good and their frozen margaritas extremely smooth going down. Mmmmmm. I never really knew I'd like these sorts of drinks till I tried them here and boy are they good.
We've done the famous Cafe Du Monde and tried their beignets and yes indeed - don't wear dark colours whilst eating. That place must go through several truckloads of icing sugar a day. Those french donuts are absolutely yummy and go excellently well with cold chocolate milk....since I don't drink the coffee ;-)
The heat I have to say is a little stifling - I am not a fan of the sweating buckets brigade whilst standing still even! Cold showers in the hotel have been divine and the air conditioning is no luxury round here. I'm a cold weather person who is accustomed to the Aussie heat waves but the humidity alone is ten times worse than Houston. It's not surprising Bourbon street does so well - taking in more liquids has never been so much fun or cheap although I'm pretty sure alcohol has the opposite effect of re-hydrating a body! I do have to mention the New Orleans tribute to the customary Spanish event - the running of the bulls (I can't stand seeing that tradition happen on TV in Spain) however I like the way they do it here. Their 'bull' is a largish guy sitting on a broomstick wooden pony, wearing a bull's head on ROLLERBLADES. Dressed from head to toe in red and white. It's awesome and completely bull-cruelty free, I LIKES IT. Spain take note. By the way I'm backing the Netherlands tomorrow.
We're off to the Red Fish Grill restaurant tonight and then flying into Houston tomorrow - where we'll catch a shuttle to League City.
The people here have been friendly and helpful and interesting to talk to. I'm definitely coming back here. :)
What a chequered past this New Orleans has had, full of a vibrant, sordid, triumphant, tragic, intriguing and eclectic history I am not surprised that this is the birth place of jazz. The French Quarter is just amazing - you can spend hours just dawdling round these streets marvelling at the architecture, the sights and the smells (not all of them pleasantly interesting). On the three hour tour we did which took in many different places including the Garden district, the St Louis Cemetery No 3, the Warehouse and Arts district, the "American Sector" we also saw the Lower Ninth Ward and the work that is being done with Brad Pitt's financial backing to replace lost homes. There's some scepticism with our tour guides about the whole Katrina aftermath, the flood walls breaking and how there is much misinformation out there about how the flooding came to be - their levees held, the Army engineering flood walls didn't. Few of them feel that New Orleans will never reach the same status it had pre Katrina simply because of the numbers of relocation and how so many just haven't returned because of lack of work.
Following Miss lillaw 's advice we did Antoinne's Restaurant last night and what a fantastic place that is. Our waiter was an extremely genteel, softly spoken Louisiana native who gave us superb service and an excellent guided tour of all the dining rooms and what a place this restaurant turned out to be! Not to mention the food! We had the shrimp, the crab remoulade, I had the Chicken Rochambert and the three of us (and thank the lord there were three of us) shared the famed Baked Alaska for dessert. Holy cow that thing was huge and delicious and as soon as I've downloaded a decent photo editing program Imma gonna be posting the photos to y'all. *vbg*
We also did the Natchez paddleboat steamer dinner cruise up and down the great Mississippi and that was so pleasant I didn't want to get off. We were the last passengers off the boat - the weather here is soooo beautiful at night balmy and warm with a slight breeze that you can stay out on the water all night. The catfish was good and their frozen margaritas extremely smooth going down. Mmmmmm. I never really knew I'd like these sorts of drinks till I tried them here and boy are they good.
We've done the famous Cafe Du Monde and tried their beignets and yes indeed - don't wear dark colours whilst eating. That place must go through several truckloads of icing sugar a day. Those french donuts are absolutely yummy and go excellently well with cold chocolate milk....since I don't drink the coffee ;-)
The heat I have to say is a little stifling - I am not a fan of the sweating buckets brigade whilst standing still even! Cold showers in the hotel have been divine and the air conditioning is no luxury round here. I'm a cold weather person who is accustomed to the Aussie heat waves but the humidity alone is ten times worse than Houston. It's not surprising Bourbon street does so well - taking in more liquids has never been so much fun or cheap although I'm pretty sure alcohol has the opposite effect of re-hydrating a body! I do have to mention the New Orleans tribute to the customary Spanish event - the running of the bulls (I can't stand seeing that tradition happen on TV in Spain) however I like the way they do it here. Their 'bull' is a largish guy sitting on a broomstick wooden pony, wearing a bull's head on ROLLERBLADES. Dressed from head to toe in red and white. It's awesome and completely bull-cruelty free, I LIKES IT. Spain take note. By the way I'm backing the Netherlands tomorrow.
We're off to the Red Fish Grill restaurant tonight and then flying into Houston tomorrow - where we'll catch a shuttle to League City.
The people here have been friendly and helpful and interesting to talk to. I'm definitely coming back here. :)