En route to New Orleans, I caught the boys in this great moment. Best friends and still little boys, stuffed animals and all!
We are staying at a resort just about 5 miles from the French Quarter on Lake Pontchartrain. The nice part is that they have their own shuttle that drops you right in the French Quarter for a nominal fee. Scout held down the fort and we didn't need to worry about a rental car or parking. Traveling in an RV without a tow vehicle does limit us, but we seem to manage most of the time just fine and rent a car when we really need it.
Truman Capote once described New Orleans as, "of all secret cities, the most secretive, the most unlike, in reality, what an outsider is permitted to observe." New Orleans' French Quarter may be its most secretive neighborhood. Here, in an area famous for its raucous nightlife and hedonistic abandon, there lives a community in love with the area's timelessness, its beautiful buildings and handcrafted details, its proximity to the river, and its quality as a great, walkable neighborhood of world-class restaurants and vibrant street life.
Since 1862, Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans landmark, has been the original French Market coffee stand serving cafe au lait and beignets. We waited in a long and patient line for about a half an hour. The beignets are dropped into a bag full of xxx sugar and the boys shook them extra long to make sure every nook and cranny was filled with the sugar! We found a great spot to listen to some street music and people watch while we indulged.
Founded in 1791, New Orleans’ French Market is the oldest public market in the country and has played a historic role in the development of the city’s economy. From the Native Americans who brought herbs and spices to African-Americans who brought coffee and pralines, the market has always been a popular trading post. Spanish, French, Italian, German and Caribbean immigrants have all mixed and mingled here to give birth to New Orleans’ unique culture. I bought another hat and Jack and Scott bought some beads. Tyler wanted lamb beads and they didn't have them so he took a pass. Lets just say the beads are "very creative" and and much more evolved from the traditional yellow/green/purple beads that you typically see.
After the market, we went over to Oceana Grill for some lunch. We ordered some typical New Orleans fair like Jambalaya, red beans and rice, sausage and crab cakes.
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And, right out the door of the restaurant was Bourbon Street. We had to check it out and we thought it would be pretty tame in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, and it was. Although, from the picture of Tyler he did see something most likely inappropriate but entertaining. Oh boy...they are getting quite the education on the road! I kept thinking...yup...Mother of the Year! hahaha
Hey, we’re in Nawlins Louisiana. That’s to say New Orleans. We watched a film on Hurricane Katrina. It gave me a pretty good idea what it was like there, it was a jazzy area. It was also the same as Las Vegas on the inside, but totally different on the outside. We took a shuttle bus into the French Quarter. The roads were crazy! I couldn’t tell how they worked it out. People were crossing the streets like crazy, bikes, horse drawn carriages, and Pedi cabs were in the same lane as the cars. I was glad the RV wasn’t in there because I would have myself a mad Dad. We started roaming the streets and there was just so much! There was so much art, street performers, and tarot card readers. We stopped when we saw a beignet line coming from a café our Mom had been talking to us about. We didn’t care what they served as long as they had beignets. We immediately got in the line. Beignets are basically fried dough covered with powdered sugar. They weren’t completely covered when we got them so we shook them up in the bag. They were so good! We ate to the sound of two street performers drumming. Then, we were in search of a restaurant. As we wandered, we saw some things that I would not like to tell you because, like I said, it was like Las Vegas in a way. There was coffin on the ground with a dog in it. There was a sign that said “NEEDS MONEY FOR A PROPER FUNERAL” I felt sad but my Mom said it was fake. The dog was just sleeping. She said she would be crying if it was real. When we found the restaurant the host took us to our seats and the Winter Olympics was on and they were skiing. I ordered the Taste of New Orleans. My Dad decided to get that too. When we got our food, it was delicious! I was starting to get achy on my legs and down. We bought some pralines and then we took the shuttle bus home.
~Jack
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We wrapped up the day up back at Jackson Square to watch the street performers and view the church up close. Few cities in the world are so identified by a building as is New Orleans. The city is instantly recognized by the cathedral and its position overlooking Jackson Square. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in continual use in the United States.
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| We had to try some pralines... |
This dog was alive and well, but, jeez what people will do for a buck! They have a note there saying how they tire him out in the dog park first and the owner was quite affectionate towards the dog...it's just that first sight that gets you! I made sure the kids knew it was alive and well…
Making breakfast was a bit challenging this morning for Scott. As you can see, Scout was literally underfoot praying that he would drop some bacon into his watering mouth. On a side note, the pungent aroma really does fill the RV up and there is nothing like getting out of the shower and wrapping yourself in a nice warm piece of bacon because that is what my towel smelled like!
~Linda
