need to get this post written... finally!
First time I have visited New Orleans, Louisiana. When walking around the city I can’t help thinking about what it must have been like when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.
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| New Orleans - railings and flowers |
Day 1 I set out to visit the Arthur Roger Art Gallery just up the street from my hotel. They have an exhibition of Chihuly glass on display and that was the reason I decided to come to New Orleans this month. I was not disappointed. The glass pieces are beautiful. I had the gallery to myself for most of the time when I was there and the lady at the reception desk happily agreed that I could photograph the glass chandeliers and the other pieces.
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| Chihuly |
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| Chihuly chandelier |
After seeing the Chihuly I walked around the nearby area of the city and located the National World War II Museum. They have lots planned for the 70th anniversary of D-Day which is June 6, 2014 and happens to coincide with my visit. I visited the gift shop to get something cold to drink - it was a very hot day.
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| World War II Museum |
I went for a second walk in the other direction from my hotel before supper just to give myself a sense of how to get around so I can be efficient on Day 2. The map app on my iPhone was a very helpful resource. I was feeling much more confident when I got back to my room. I had been a little concerned about the neighborhood, but I think it looked worse than it was because they were doing a lot of road work.
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| MUSAP loves segway tours |
I went on a really fun City Segway Tour. There were just 5 of us and our guide Jason. We explored the French Quarter with it’s narrow one-way streets. Lots of interesting architecture to see in the historic buildings.
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| segway tour |
We stopped at Jackson Square. Jason was very knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans. He shared lots of facts about Jackson and the St. Louis Cathedral.
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| me with MUSAP in Jackson Square |
I enjoyed Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square. It was nice seeing some greenery after the cramped feeling in the French Quarter.
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| segway |
We went to the Treme Neighborhood and learned it was the first neighborhood for ‘free people of color’ and was developed hundreds of years ago. We stopped for a snack break at the Treme Coffee Shop. The 2 other couples on the tour were very nice - sisters and their husbands all visiting from Florida. We sat together and chatted while we rested.
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| Backstreet Cultural Museum - didn't visit, just rolled past |
We went past the French Market and then up to a walkway along the Mississippi River. Great views and nice to catch a breeze. It was a hot day and we appreciated the fact that there were clouds. This was a great last stop on our tour.
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| Mississippi River |
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| Joan of Arc |
After touring on the segway I switched to touring the city on a Hop On Hop Off bus. It runs a 2 hour loop around the city with 12 stops. I was happy to ride for the complete loop without hopping on and off - just wanted to get an overview so I could plan my stops for the next day. Randy was our guide and I enjoyed his presentation - funny and informative. Not too many pix because my camera battery faded.
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| Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour |
Day 1 was hot, Day 2 was hotter and more humid, Day 3 was a scorcher! It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity was truer than true. Even the locals were commenting about it. In the north we have wind chill factor in the winter that makes it feel colder, in the south they have the heat index that adjusts for the humidity.
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| mules pull tourist carriages, they handle the heat much better than horses |
There is a Hop On Hop Off Bus Stop right outside my hotel because the art galleries are just up the street. So I was able to easily catch a bus to do more sightseeing. The buses come by about every 30 minutes, waiting 15 minutes made me hot and my camera steamed up as soon as I went outside. Because I had ridden the route I knew where I wanted to hop on and off this time.
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| Bourbon Street area |
First Hop Off was at the French Market. There are lots of little shops and restaurants. Part of the space is a flea market with every tacky souvenir you could ever want.
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| French Market |
When I got on the next bus I was happy to see that it was Randy’s bus… and he recognized me from the day before. I rode 4 different buses and he was my favorite guide. Alas I only rode with him for one stop because I wanted to visit Saint Louis Cemetery Number One and that was the next stop.
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| St Louis Cemetery Number 1 |
The cemetery is an intriguing maze of crypts, the final resting place for hundreds of New Orleans citizens since 1789. The tombs and vaults are above ground in the tradition of the French and Spanish... not really because of the water table. I really enjoyed my time there and took lots of photos.
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| final resting place of Marie Laveau |
The crypt of a famous voodoo priestess has the most ornamentation. Her name was Marie Laveau and she lived in New Orleans in the 1800’s.
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| St Louis Cemetery Number One |
After the stop at the cemetery I wasn’t sure how much more sightseeing I wanted to do because it was so hot and humid. It had rained a little bit so I was hoping it would feel a little better. When we got to the Garden District I hopped off again still debating what I would do next. My bus tour ticket included a Walking Tour of the Garden District that was going to start in half an hour.
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| NOLA Garden District tour |
I hadn’t eaten much so I went in search of somewhere airconditioned with food that I would like. I discovered District Donut Sliders Brew so I went there - after all it was National Donut Day. After cooling down and adding some sugar I decided to take the tour.
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| snack stop |
Turned out I was the only person for the tour when I got back to the meeting place. Another person caught up with us a few blocks later. Tour guide was Steve and he was happy to tell us about the history of many of the houses in the neighborhood. I quickly got hot again and perhaps wasn’t paying as much attention as I could have!
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| Garden District |
We passed the Manning’s house - parents of NFL stars Eli and Peyton. Steve had heard that Eli is visiting this week.
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| Manning home |
We saw one of the homes that writer Anne Rice owned in New Orleans. Also the home that Nicholas Cage once owned, but later lost to the IRS. Another famous homeowner in the neighborhood is Sandra Bullock.
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| Anne Rice home |
After walking for 45 minutes I was happy to get back to the bus stop and wait for the next bus and head back to my hotel.
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| NOLA Mardi Gras beads |
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| Wyland Whales |
Day 4 was just as hot and humid. I had a few options and chose to walk down the street to Riverwalk. It’s a newly opened Outlet Center situated right next to the Mississippi River. The best part was being in the air conditioning. Back to the Courtyard Convention Center in time for noon check out and Airport Shuttle.
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| NOLA Riverwalk |
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| carriage rides |
visited 06/04/14 ~ 06/07/14
October 2014
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