NOLA Day 2

On Saturday, our first full day in New Orleans, we left our resort about 10 and didn't return until 7!  It was a long, full day of walking around the city.  We made our first of many visits to the French Market, where we enjoyed our first taste of cajun food and lunched on fried shrimp po' boys and red beans & rice...YUM! 

We enjoyed a cold beer at Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar, the oldest bar in the Crescent City. 

We visited the famed St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: resting place of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.  We walked over to the Louis Armstrong Park, but it was closed for some renovations.  We only got to walk across Congo Square.

We believe this is the actor, Nicholas Cage's, future resting place (overheard a cemetery tour guide)



Alleged final resting place of Marie Laveau

 We walked along the Mississippi River and hopped onto the free ferry.  We thought we were just going across the river to Algiers Point, but ended up going down aways to Gretna, where a music festival was happening...we didn't get off the ferry, however, so we just rode it back. 

Heralding one & all to come see Mardi Gras World!

We walked thru the Riverwalk shopping center, where we found an off-site Cafe du Monde!!  Rather than having to wait in the long lines at the original, we stopped here for beignets and cafe au laits. 

We happened upon a Mardi Gras parade, being held by one of the hotels for their high rollers!  Scored some beads, we did!

And the nite found us back on Bourbon Street with the other revelers!  We drank Abita Ambers from The Dungeon, where Chris also tried a "Cherry Bomb"~ a maraschino cherry soaked in at least 100 proof liquor (I can't recall the proof of the kind of alcohol).  There were impromptu line dances breaking out in the middle of the street ~~ yep, the Electric Slide (Chris's favorite) played loudly from a bar to be heard on the street and someone got the dance started and others just joined right in!  There were more actual street performers to be seen, plus the "gentlemens" clubs had their almost naked chicks out to wrangle any willing customers.  One handwritten signed, taped to the outside of some establishment was scrawled with "Titties and Whiskey" ~~ really, folks, it's that simple! 

What a full, full day!  Can't wait to share more with you...