Day 3
New Orleans, Louisiana
Drive time: 2 1/2 hours each way
We got up at the butt crack of early, sent my brother and his wife home to Detroit and we jumped in the van and drove to New Orleans, a three hour drive. I had never been there and I couldn't WAIT to see what was so intriguing and exciting about this great locale.
Not much.
We parked in a hotel parking garage, then walked down to the Riverfront where we hopped aboard the Natchez Riverboat. It took us on a 90 minute cruise of the riverfront, which was mostly industrial. Most of the damage caused here was during Hurricane Katrina was water damage, which was obvious in a lot of places, but all in all, it didn't look too bad. There were a lot of big cargo ships and tugboats on the river as well.
We had lunch on the boat, which was
Red beans and rice
Jambalaya
Catfish
Coleslaw
and bread pudding.
I loved it all.
The infamous 9th ward that was flooded quite badly in the hurricane.
I called this one the "Mary Kay" boat...
For obvious reasons...
After the boat tour, we walked through the French Quarter. It looks just like it does on TV. Lots of people, voodoo, and beautiful architecture. Street painters, creepers wanting to read your palm, and tourists.
The St. Louis Catholic Cathedral - what a beautiful building. The paintings and stained glass were stunning. I could have even lit a prayer candle for the low low price of just $3. No thanks.
Mules giving tours of the city via carriage were everywhere.
We hit the flea market so I could bring home a few souvenirs for the kidlets. There were signs everywhere telling us not to take pictures, or pay a dollar for a picture. I don't think we were violating anything here, though.
Of course a trip to New Orleans wouldn't be complete without a walk down Bourbon Street. Yeah, BTDT, and I don't care to do it again. I might appreciate it more if I was a drinker or was into loud music. Alas, I am not. A couple of blocks and I was ready to get back to the more quiet side of the French Quarter.
Another requirement is a Beignet from Cafe Du Monde. Delicious!
All the streets were the same, it seemed. Very few looked different from any other. This part of town wasn't flooded during the hurricane.
After we left the French Quarter, we drove to the Garden District to the Lafayette cemetery. I have this phobia of dead bodies, can't hardly make myself go to a funeral, but there is just something about a really neat looking cemetery. I so wanted to see one when I was down there. Unfortunately, it was closed, but we could stand at the gate and peer in. It was kind of creepy, but fascinating. My sister told us the bodies are placed in the crypts one at a time, always at least a year and a day apart.
We drove back to Hattiesburg, picked up my sisters husband and went to
Leatha's BBQ for dinner. My oh my, now this was the place to go and eat. The food, the atmosphere, the service. True southern eating, folks. The only problem was that Bonnie, Leatha's daughter, who served us, refused to share her secret potato salad recipe. Come on, baby, I won't tell nobody. Nope.
All in all, the trip to New Orleans was a once in a lifetime experience, meaning, I've been there done that, don't really care to go again. But it's a place you have to see at least once to know that. The riverboat ride, though, I would definitely do again.
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