New Orleans

We had a great time in New Orleans. Not a place I would rush back too, but it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of GREAT food...it is the place to go if you want to eat and drink. We walked the town (french quarter) for several days...basically the same spot over and over, took a tour of where Katrina hit. That was very emotional. Seeing it on TV versus seeing it in person 3 1/2 years later is just awful. When the National Guard came in, they had them make "x's" on the houses. The top of the x they put the date, the right side, the state they were from, the bottom of the x had how many dead inside and the left side had the number of animals dead and alive in the house. To hear stories, to see it first hand was really quite astonishing. I wanted to go on the tour to see this, but a few minutes in I had had enough. They have 7.5 billion dollars to rebuild with, but no one wants to live there and rebuild. Like the tour guide said, "We have a people problem, not a money problem!" I wish them ALL well.

St. Louis Cathedral...very pretty!!

A classic place to eat biegnets. BY FAR the cheapest meal. If you ever go to New Orleans, bring your wallet...food is NOT CHEAP!!! Delicious, but not cheap. We were walking the streets the first day when this guy came up to us and said, "oh, I need to make you something!" So he proceeds to make us these lovely balloon hats, then offers to take our picture. All I could think was this man is going to steal my camera. So he took our picture and said, "OK, that will be $10...I get $5 a piece for the hats!" What??? We had $5 total...which was $5 to much if you ask me!!!

At Preservation Hall (Jimmy can not take a good picture to save his life!). Listening to bluesy jazz. WONDERFUL!!! Jimmy was not a fan. I thought it was pretty cool and bought their CD...he loves that we brought this GREAT music home with us!!! I wanted to buy another CD when we were at the cafe, but Jimmy told me no. Can you believe it...no to a silly CD. I pouted and still didn't get my way...what is the world coming to????

Outside out hotel. BEAUTIFUL hotel, would recommend it to anyone. It is a haunted hotel. I learned all about it on our hotel tour. Yes, Shelly and I took a tour of the hotel. We looked like absolute fools wearing these "i-pod things" going from place to place and staring at different things. We stood in the lobby for a good 5 minutes just staring at the grand father clock...people thought we were crazy. After that we took the elevator up to the 15 floor where the Ernest Hemingway suite was. I was listening to the "tour guide" trying to find my hotel key (thinking it would get us in to see the suite), looking at the name plate on the door, when the "tour guide" had us go to the next penthouse suite. Yes, that was it, we got to look at the name plate on the door. We really were crazy...best part was, we did it 2 more times. What can you do? We had limited funds and this (AND ONLY THIS!!!) was free. Good news, we ended up seeing Jeff (he skipped out on a meeting...and ended up skipping out rest of the day) and I just kept texting Jimmy (per Jeff's idea) until he got fed up and left his meeting. Yeah...I won!!!

Jimmy holding our drinks in the above picture. There was a lot of really good drinks. I am not a big fan of alcohol, but they had some good stuff. Several bars on Bourbon Street had slushy machine...like at Target, only they were alcoholic...good stuff!!! BUT, beware of Bourbon Street, just walking down it, I felt dirty. Nakedness EVERYWHERE!!!!!

Outside the hotel

On a ferry boat ride to Alger's Island...a slave place.

Jimmy looking thrilled...it was out last day...the only day that was actually warm...look at the pretty blus sky!!! On Wednesday it was a high of 48 degrees. On Thursday we went swimming in the roof top pool at night (the water was like bath water...almost as warm as a hot tub), it was windy and my hair was frozen. Way to cold for this far south!!!

There was a lot of antique shops and art galleries. I don't do antiques unless I know who's they were and heaven knows not to let me into an art gallery...I would so break/hurt something. So that left me taking pictures of the architecture. I am not a picture taker of scenery...I like people or at least people and scenery, but I had no people...so building it was...I only took about 30 pictures total the whole week. Not good!!!

favorite picture I took. Actually ate at this restaurant. Yummy!!

Got beads thrown at me from this building (at night, Bourbon Street, enough said...and no, I did not show them anything:)!)

They have a lot of carriage rides everywhere, but no horses, instead they use donkeys. Why? I have no idea!!!!