Warehouse District & Garden District

Sunday
We started the day heading west from our resort into the Warehouse District.  Since it was Sunday, not much was open, save for some restaurants that were scattered here and there.  We did eat lunch at a place where the food was okay but the service was poor.  Here is how Chris passed the time...

Just the front of the building remains ~ saw a couple of these in the Warehouse District

Eventually, we ended up back in the French Quarter.  We listened to music at this quaint courtyard on Bourbon Street.  It is Musical Legends Park (why didn't we get a photo of the metal arch that leads into this great little spot??!!), where there are small tables and a stage where either actual performers or a radio plays music 24/7.  You can get food & drinks toward the back of the courtyard.  One of the shops is Cafe Beignet.  So, I wanted to do a little comparison eating ~~ we already tried the famous Cafe du Monde beignets, why not give the competitor a try, right?!  OK...I just really wanted something sweet and fried!!  But, hey ~ I decided I liked Cafe Beignets beignets much more than Cafe du Monde.  So ... when you find yourself in the Crescent City, give both a try and let me know what you decide!

After heading west in the morning, we went east in the afternoon along Esplanade Avenue, that runs north & south, dividing the French Quarter from the Marigny.  Here we found some wonderful homes (not like the Garden District, but still very charming & old).

While strolling back thru the French Quarter, we arrived in front of an old theatre, One Eyed Jacks. 

We had a quick glimpse of the inside late one of the other nites and thought it would be very cool to get inside!!  (But we had no idea if we would ever find it again b/c we didn't know where we were when we first walked past and the streets look so much alike that it is hard to know where you have or have not yet been.)  A small vintage-looking advertisement displayed on one of the doors mentioned a revue by Fleur de Tease, with a Halloween twist, playing that nite at 8. 

We knew this was something we did NOT want to miss!!!  We arrived about half an hour before the show was to begin, really hoping we could get a seat.  The show was terrific!  The theatre is small and intimate.  The MC was funny and quirky!  Not only did we see very good burlesque performances (by women of many shapes and sizes!), but also some amazing aerialists!  We think they stole the show, for us.  Chris didn't take his camera, thinking that photography would not be allowed.  However, he could have ... but I think we both were able to just enjoy the show without Chris feeling the need to capture much of it to film.  Wish we had some pics to share, but this was something we just wanted to experience and be 100% a part of while it was happening.

Monday
Another busy day for sure!!  We decided to hop the St. Charles street car to the Garden District (Audobon Park, Tulane University, Lafayette Cemetery, beautiful homes, more shops).  We rode it all the way to the end, got off and onto another and rode it back to the Audobon Park stop and got off. 

We first went to the campus of Tulane University.  We actually entered one of the buildings to find bathrooms!!!  Then we hit a coffee shop for some much needed caffeine. 

Audobon Park also includes the Audobon Zoo.   We strolled the park, only, before making our way to Lafayette Cemetery.  I am a HUGE fan of live oaks with Spanish moss, so here are some gorgeous tree shots!

They just evoke the South, don't they?!

And here is a fun sign that I just had to ask Chris to capture for me!!!

I married a smart man!!!  He is also the creative force of the duo!

Would you believe as we were making our way to and through the Garden District, we came upon the Lafayette Cemetery ... I had almost forgotten about it ... a lapse in memory and I hadn't remembered to seek it out. 

From here we walked by many gorgeous homes in the Garden District.  We went up and down street after street in awe over the size of the homes, the cool fences, the harvest and sometimes Halloween decor, the courtyards and secret gardens.  All lovely ... and expensive!!!  It is in the Garden District where Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice once owned a home, as well as actor Nicholas Cage (until he lost it during his financial debacle). 

We then made our way to Magazine Street to find more interesting shops.  But we were STARVING by this time and knew we needed to find somewhere to eat, before either or both of us got real grouchy!!!  Enter:

Slim Goodies Diner ~ What a find!!!  We really loved this little hole-in-the-wall diner!!  Great food in a very laid-back atmosphere: both of which we craved right then!!!  The portion sizes were generous (the hashbrowns looked too good to be true ... so much so that we considered going back one morning for breakfast ... even tho they serve breakfast all day!!).  The only negative: cash only!!!  Whawha!  I like to use our credit card (for the points) whenever possible ... but this ended up being worth spending some of our cash supply.  We both had cheese burgers and fries and a drink ~~ I believe it was referred to as the post-Katrina combo b/c it was the only thing they served right after the storm.  :)

After filling up our bellies and recharging our systems, we were ready to tackle a few more shops and stroll past several more houses.  We eventually found a bus stop (our all-day pass we bought on the streetcar allows us to travel all public transportation the rest of the day) which would take us to the local Wal-mart.  We bought bagels, cream cheese, Boca chicken patties, bananas, apples, juice, Woodchuck Amber, baby carrots, cookies and a duffle bag (The zipper on our largest piece of luggage broke.  When we retrieved it from the conveyor belt at the airport, it was completely open and our items were spilling out!  Fortunately, nothing was lost!).  We then caught a second bus that dropped us about half a block from our resort!  Yeah, we rocked NOLA's public transit!!!