New Orleans

After leaving the Everglades we spent three days ‘escaping’ Florida. It’s not that we were not enjoying Florida - it had been spectacular - but rather that Florida is just SO BIG that it takes a long time to drive its length. We stayed in two campgrounds and one hotel, and enjoyed two magnificent beaches on our way north and then west. We left Topsail Hills State Park in Florida on Tuesday morning, drove through the southern parts of Alabama and Mississippi, and arrived in New Orleans around 3:30 PM.

We stayed at a hotel in the French Quarter and were struck right away by the narrow streets and beautiful buildings and railings. It felt very European. We unpacked a bit then went out walking, checking out the neat shops (like Foot Candy - Miriam’s favourite) and taking in music from buskers. We tried to get in line for the 6PM show at Preservation Hall but the line was so long that we would have had to wait until the 8PM show and we were not in the mood for a 2h line! We went out to grab a bite to eat instead, and shared some appetizers...fried green tomatoes, grilled shrimp, fried alligator, duck empanadas, and crawfish cakes.

For dessert we headed to Cafe du Monde for some cafe au lait with chicory, hot chocolate, and beignets. The business model there is perfect. Only coffee, hot chocolate, milk, and beignet on the menu; the beignets come in orders of 3...Voych asked for a knife to cut one and we were told to cut it with a spoon (no knives). The open air atmosphere was fun and we really enjoyed this treat.

Later that evening we went on a ghost tour. The tour was great; our guide was funny and knowledgeable, and seemed to have an honest interest in the history. He also wasn’t dressed up in costume like some of the others, which was nice as it let the stories shine on their own. The tour was very creepy. Some others on the tour caught ghostly blue lights in their photos of a haunted house. The creepiest story was about the La Laurie mansion, where serial killer Madame La Laurie did unspeakable things to her slaves in her attic. Our guide was also kind enough to inform us that our hotel - Hotel Provincial - was haunted as well. It had been used as a hospital during the Civil War, and limbs from amputations were burned in piles in the courtyard. On that note, we returned to the hotel for some much needed sleep in a bed. We slept...mostly.

The next morning we executed Lucy’s plan for New Orleans, and caught the Canal St trolley to City Park, a huge park that is even bigger than Central Park in New York. The trolley ride was fun, though slow, and it brought us to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). The museum was excellent. It wasn’t huge but it had a wonderful selection of art from a wide variety of time periods and regions of the world. The contemporary art was the most fun, but we saw paintings by many artists we recognized - like Picasso, Pollock, Degas and Miro and many we didn’t know. One piece that was fun to check out was a house covered in everyday objects and coated in gold called America by Will Ryman. The floor is lined with chains and shackles and the walls were covered with more modern items that have been crucial to America’s growth.

Outside of NOMA is the Sydney and Waldo Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which covered a pretty big area and contains lots of interesting and whimsical sculptures. We enjoyed wandering around and checking them out.

After the trolley ride back to the French Quarter, we took the opportunity to check out some of the shops. We took a closer look at Foot Candy, I bought some yarn at Quarter Stitch, and we spent some time in a Voodoo Shop where the girls each bought necklaces. Reverend Zombie’s House of Voodoo was across the street from Preservation Hall, and we watched carefully while we shopped, joining the line at about 3:45 that was forming for the 5PM show. We were excited to know that we were close enough to the front to get into the show (you can buy tickets ahead of time for more $$, but standing in line was totally worth it). At 5PM we were let into the hall, which was really just a small shabby room (that the band told us was ‘recently’ renovated in 1816). Some people sat on benches and the rest of us stood for the 45 minute set. The set was great; the band played 5 songs, three of their own and two requests. Both requests were for Louis Armstrong songs...Hello Dolly and What a Wonderful World...the crowd clearly weren’t huge New Orleans Jazz aficionados! (We were no better...I should have asked mom and dad for an idea!) Each of the 7 players had solos for most of the songs, and each song ran several minutes. The clarinet was my favourite, Lucy and Miriam loved the trombone, and Voych loved the saxophone.

After the set we went to dinner at Evangelines. Voych had crawfish and grits (which the proprietor told us had been features on the Food Network), I had jambalaya, Lucy had a shrimp po boy, and Miriam had an alligator po boy. Everything was very yummy. After supper we wandered the streets a bit before heading back to the hotel. We were surprised at our hotel by a bunch of people walking down the street as part of some celebration, accompanied by their own jazz band that was playing ‘When the Saints go Marching In.’ We quickly realized that it was a wedding party and that the guests were headed to our hotel for a reception. The bride and groom had white and black parasols, and everyone was clearly having a blast!

In the morning we packed up, then snuck over to Cafe du Monde from one last coffee/hot chocolate/beignet treat before hitting the road. It was a perfect way to end our short but bust visit.

We drove from New Orleans to Galveston, where, after many days of busy schedules , long drives, and tight timelines we relaxed completely. We camped for three nights, spent our days on little hikes and relaxing on the beach, and simply enjoyed staying still. The beach was beautiful, the campground (Galveston Island State Park) clean and friendly, and the weather was perfect. We left Galveston this morning and are currently spending two nights in Palmetto State Park, after which we will be visiting San Antonio.

Preservation Hall (cozy like the Mountbatten Music Hall!)