It was a lovely afternoon to take off as we could clearly see the Fraser Delta as the Fraser slowly goes into the sea.
And soon we were over the clouds…mind you both our flights turned out to be rough and we were kind of relieved to finally get to New Orleans and of course excited!
We didn't get into New Orleans until midnight but we were not ready to go to bed so checked out the bar next door which was entertaining and the food was fine.
Here's a look down the block of Conti where our hotel was located between crazy Bourbon Street and elegant Rue Royale. It was so exciting to be back in New Orleans. I hadn't been for probably 18 years. Both times I was there was to attend the International Reading Association and here I was once again.
We didn't get to sleep until about 2:00 so I hadn't really checked out our hotel too thoroughly so I tried looking out our window.
We went down to have breakfast which was delicious and plentiful and included at the amazing Hotel Le Marais. I loved the patio area.
As my traveling companion said it was an oasis with the nicest, most helpful staff imaginable!
Our first day had to begin with a bit of exploring of the French quarter beginning with right around the corner, Rue Royale
But both Donna and I love to explore quaint shops. I loved this window
And had to go inside Roux Royale to explore
We loved the displays and I liked calorie free macaroons (bath bombs-these ones are actually cases below.
And we even found the Butter cookbook (by Vancouver tearoom and cafe owner Rosie Daykin).
We even found Redneks!
Another beautiful shop
And for a cat lover like me this window was appealing!
I loved these soaps and soap dishes
The architecture is so neat-I couldn't help but think of my recent trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico...
I like this neat display beckoning you into the courtyard!
We eventually made it to Jackson Square
Here is the cathedral!!!
I love this picture!!! What a great statue of Jackson!
And finally we reach a place I have been yearning for for years Cafe du Monde, famous for chicory flavoured cafe au laid and beignets (air filled doughnuts)
This was our view!
Funny, it seemed busier and noisier than I remembered and it was hard to hear jazz floating in the air...
But the beignets were still delicious! Fortunately Donna and I shared (okay, I had two and she had one)
We discovered an Dutch Alley Artists' Coop nearby. Voodoo dolls, anyone?
There were many interesting things here!
Interesting safes...
We loved these hotplate holders designed to replicate New Orleans' water meter covers you see on all the streets!
I loved this statue of a woman with her basket of fruits and vegetables near the French Market
On our way to the market we had a bit of entertainment. One of the best things about New Orleans is that you always hear music as you walk along the streets!
Here we are...
The first part of the market is food…
I liked this picture I took after we left the market and we were on our way along the Mississippi to the convention centre to pick up registration materials for the International Reading Association convention.
One time I was here I went cruising on one of these!
Nearby is the New Orleans Musical Legends Park
We were able to register at the gigantic convention centre and then caught a shuttle bus back to Canal Street and had a short walk back to our hotel
I used the Waterlogue app to create this picture just near our hotel on Rue Royale
We finally had our welcoming drink by the pool (can't say I ever did swim in it…)
Dinner was just down Conti
At the Oceania Restaurant (I can tell you the next night you wouldn't have been eating outside).
And then after a short wander on Bourbon we called it a night!
Bourbon Street is a sharp contrast to Royale but popular with many if not with me!!! A little too crazy...
No comments:
Post a Comment