#atozchallenge20...N-New Orleans Road Trip

Ah, the Big Easy. What can I say other than it was a most interesting experience. One that one needs to see at least once, maybe more than once, depending...

The Super Dome

We had gotten up very early, got ourselves ready, fed and walked the dogs, secured them for the day and left in the dark to head to New Orleans. Good thing Christie was driving. We had made reservations for the Haunted Cemetery tour at 9:00 a.m. but learned they had just left and our tour didn't start until 1:00 p.m. Well darn! So we had time on our hands. 

We were hungry so we decided to head to head to a place called Oceana Grill,upon a tourists recommendation. It was at the corner of  Bourbon Street and Conti Street. We were seated in the courtyard and it was a treat for us. This was about the time I had found out I was gluten sensitive and anything with wheat was a no-no.  The head Chef came out and talked with me and we decided on a lovely dish of 
Eggs Melanzana  
fried eggplant rounds topped with shaved grilled ham, grilled tomato, poached eggs, hollandaise and a touch of parmesan. so good you'll wanna move to New Orleans to have it everyday

Eggs Melanzana

for me, but instead of a hollandaise sauce he put together another sauce for me without wheat that was spectacular! Don't know what it was, but it was wonderful!

Christie had the:

Eggs St. Louis

English muffin, grilled tomato, Louisiana crabmeat, poached eggs, homemade hollandaise and topped with cheddar cheese.

Our waiter was wonderful and funny and made our breakfast so enjoyable.

After breakfast we wandered the area and picked up some souvenirs. It was interesting to watch the shopkeepers washing down the sidewalks in front of their shops and the street sweeper cleaning the streets of the beer, piss and other bodily fluids from the night before, a rather interesting odor I must say but they do take the pains to Clorox it all down. They do try to make it smell somewhat decent. Ever so often you will get a whiff that makes you wrinkle your nose.  After awhile you don't notice it. 

Wonderful Coffee at PJ's Coffee and Tea Co.

I had made the mistake of walking to Bourbon Street without my back brace and was beginning to suffer the consequences and was in need of my brace and medication if I was to continue.  Christie and I headed back to the car, but instead she deposited me in a wonderful little coffee shop, PJ's Coffee and Tea Co.,  where we got a coffee and she went to the car to put more money in the meter and got my brace and meds.  The coffee was so wonderful we got J, my Son-n-Law, a pound. I picked up a pound to take home as well. I am a sucker for good coffee.  We did some more window shopping until it was time for our tour of the Haunted Cemetery. 

Me with my gre gre bag at
 the crypt of Marie Laveau

This is a interesting tour and we learned lots. We saw the tomb of Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. The to be tomb of Nicolas Cage and the story behind it. Why the all the tombs

Nicolas Cage's Crypt

are above ground. So much history there.  We all came away with a gre gre bag.  Our tour guide Mary was wonderful explaining things and answered all our questions.  We also went to the tourist center and saw where the areas of New Orleans were flooded when the levees

All the red is where the flooding
 occurred in the city

broke.

After the tour we ventured over to the Cafe Du Monde French Market Coffee Stand,  for a coffee and a benoit, Well Christie did since I couldn't have any   :(   I did however

Oh Yum!, says Christie

watch how they were made and it is fascinating! They have a big window in the kitchen so you can watch them fry and powder them!

From there we wandered down to a small shop that had gluten free pastries and picked up a drink of spirits and brownies. From there we decided to go up through the Old French market as they would be

closing soon. How fun that was.  There was so much to see. We circled back and got some T-shirts and a dress for our little Miss Maggie. Christie made another run to put more money in the car meter. 

We decided we were getting hungry again so off we went to fine a Mexican Restaurant my other daughter had found that offered a gluten free menu, El Gato Negro, To our surprise it was across from the French Market. HA!

We order drinks and dinner and it was wonderful! We got the Mixed Grilled Michoacan. A little bit of everything. Again our waiter was so attentive to our needs and made our dining on the cafe sidewalk so pleasurable. 

Oh so good! and so much food!

Afterwards, we slowly made our way back to where the car was parked going into all the different shops seeing what they had, picking up this souvenir or that souvenir for people. I love aprons, so of course I had to have another apron!  

We had so much fun that day in New Orleans with the shopping, tour, eating, and visiting the Garden District after dark. We did get lost trying to get out of the city after dark, but we did finally find our way out and got headed home.  We would do it all over again. 

If you have the chance to go to the Big Easy, don't pass it up, GO! Enjoy yourself, eat, drink, sight-see, drink the coffee, listen to the music and if you by chance see Scott Bakula, say Hi!

Here are some of the fun and interesting things we saw.