I spent four days in New Orleans this April. What an adventure! What a different place! From the moment I boarded the plane in Portland, Oregon on Friday morning to when I landed in Dallas, Texas for a short layover and then onto New Orleans Louisiana I knew this was going to be a great trip, a great adventure, a time of discover and just plain old fashion fun. Why? Because I love to travel and I love to explore new places.My flight was great; I sat with a pilot from New York who was heading home. We talked about life and love and how fast things can change in ones life. His New York accent still makes me smile; I love the many different accents in our world.
I was amazed as our flight descended and Louisiana came into sight from my little window. Flat! The whole state was flat. The water seeps up to the shore line and they are like one. There is no defined line of where one starts and one ends. This coast line was nothing like the Oregon coast with its high cliffs and sharp rock ledges. Louisiana is green and almost tropical looking.
I was amazed as our flight descended and Louisiana came into sight from my little window. Flat! The whole state was flat. The water seeps up to the shore line and they are like one. There is no defined line of where one starts and one ends. This coast line was nothing like the Oregon coast with its high cliffs and sharp rock ledges. Louisiana is green and almost tropical looking.
The fun began almost immediately as I got off the plane to find a bathroom. I was met with signs in the airport that were in French, English and Spanish. (This really is an inside joke between my two humorous uncles and myself and as I am trying to right about this misunderstanding of bathroom signs I am finding there is no way to describe it without being politically incorrect. As it is not my intention to offend anyone I’ll just let this one stay an inside joke – except to say “Hommes”) enough said!! (~sheepish grin~)
With so much to see and learn about this place I hit the ground running. After a taxi ride from the airport to my hotel in the French Quarters I was off to see the sights. Bourbon Street here I come. Bourbon Street is legendary and full of history and so much. (More than I ever expected)
I quickly found that it doesn’t have to be Mardi Gras to be handed beads, the expectation is still there. As full of history as this place is it is shadowed by a human-filth. Each morning when I would get up and walk to a corner market for breakfast, I would step over vomit, empty beer cups, used condoms and garbage everywhere. The streets are cleaned each morning when the people have long gone back to the dark places they came out from the night before. One truck drives slowly down the streets spraying a bleachy soapy solution on the streets. A second sweeper comes after that and sucks up the vial remains of the night life that this area is so known for. (Yes, I really did have fun, but this surprised me.) So a few times up and down Burban Street was enough for me. Maybe if I were 24, with a group of gals that party scene, anything goes mentality would appeal to me.
So I was set to discover a different part of New Orleans and I did. The rest of my trip was filled with a trolley ride out to the garden district. The homes were amazing you can see the French and Spanish influences in every building. Plantations are in a league all there own, they are breathtaking.
I walked along the banks of Mississippi River. I jumped on a bus and headed to a rickety little dock and boarded a swamp boat and took a tour of the swamps and Bayous. I held a baby alligator and I think he even smiled at me. After years of watching animal planet with my daughter and even watching the Crocodile Hunter, I’ve always envisioned alligators as monsters that lay in wait on the sides of the streets in the south ready to snap family pets up or grab children out of their backyards. Prehistoric beast that terrorize the poor people of the swampy southlands. How wrong I was. When you see them in their natural habitat and the way they gracefully move through the water you find a deep respect for them. They are amazing animals and I have a whole new view of them.
The food of New Orleans belongs in it own category. AMAZING!! I started each evening off with oysters on a half shell. I enjoyed crawfish etouffee, gumbo, crawfish tails aka ‘mudbugs’, catfish, grits, and po-boys, hushpuppies, soft-shell crabs. Everything tasted great! I always ended my evening at Ralph & Kacoo’s Restaurant. I sat at the bar and visited with Allen (the cute bartender) each night. I learned a lot about the local life and what it is really like to be a native of this area.
What an amazing trip. As I sit hear and search for the words to describe it I feel I’ve fallen very short as it a place to experience for yourself.
With so much to see and learn about this place I hit the ground running. After a taxi ride from the airport to my hotel in the French Quarters I was off to see the sights. Bourbon Street here I come. Bourbon Street is legendary and full of history and so much. (More than I ever expected)
I quickly found that it doesn’t have to be Mardi Gras to be handed beads, the expectation is still there. As full of history as this place is it is shadowed by a human-filth. Each morning when I would get up and walk to a corner market for breakfast, I would step over vomit, empty beer cups, used condoms and garbage everywhere. The streets are cleaned each morning when the people have long gone back to the dark places they came out from the night before. One truck drives slowly down the streets spraying a bleachy soapy solution on the streets. A second sweeper comes after that and sucks up the vial remains of the night life that this area is so known for. (Yes, I really did have fun, but this surprised me.) So a few times up and down Burban Street was enough for me. Maybe if I were 24, with a group of gals that party scene, anything goes mentality would appeal to me.
So I was set to discover a different part of New Orleans and I did. The rest of my trip was filled with a trolley ride out to the garden district. The homes were amazing you can see the French and Spanish influences in every building. Plantations are in a league all there own, they are breathtaking.
I walked along the banks of Mississippi River. I jumped on a bus and headed to a rickety little dock and boarded a swamp boat and took a tour of the swamps and Bayous. I held a baby alligator and I think he even smiled at me. After years of watching animal planet with my daughter and even watching the Crocodile Hunter, I’ve always envisioned alligators as monsters that lay in wait on the sides of the streets in the south ready to snap family pets up or grab children out of their backyards. Prehistoric beast that terrorize the poor people of the swampy southlands. How wrong I was. When you see them in their natural habitat and the way they gracefully move through the water you find a deep respect for them. They are amazing animals and I have a whole new view of them.
The food of New Orleans belongs in it own category. AMAZING!! I started each evening off with oysters on a half shell. I enjoyed crawfish etouffee, gumbo, crawfish tails aka ‘mudbugs’, catfish, grits, and po-boys, hushpuppies, soft-shell crabs. Everything tasted great! I always ended my evening at Ralph & Kacoo’s Restaurant. I sat at the bar and visited with Allen (the cute bartender) each night. I learned a lot about the local life and what it is really like to be a native of this area.
What an amazing trip. As I sit hear and search for the words to describe it I feel I’ve fallen very short as it a place to experience for yourself.
~Sweet Nothings~ set up right on the streets. The music (Jazz) is almost as good as the food.
Crawfish Tails
A bathroom I chose not to use. YIKE!
Mardi Gras mask shops are everywhere. They are all beautiful and uniquely made.
One of about six alligators I saw while out in the Bayous.
2 comments:
What a wonderful tour, I have never been there, so I have learnt a lot, what an amazing experience to hold a baby alligator in your hands - I know what you mean about their reputation as whenever you see them on TV they are causing trouble in one way or another!
Your photos are great, what a reminder - did you come away with one of the beautiful masks?
You did have an amazing trip! What fun experiences for you. I love how you illustrated everything with pictures. It helped me to feel like I was there too.
Oh the food of the south. Gosh I miss it. It has been ages since I have had the likes of fried okra, collard greens, an hushpuppies. Yumm!
No picture of you holding the 'baby' though?
Post a Comment