Chapter 15. French Quarter and NBA Game

We decided we would spend our last day in New Orleans in the French Quarter and take a ride on the Streetcar. So we strolled the 2 blocks to the streetcar stop and only had to wait a few minutes until it arrived. We rode the car all the way up St Charles to Canal St. We wondered along Canal St in and out of the various tourist shops then headed to Jackson square and listened to a jazz band for a bit and walked up and down some of the old streets. We found ourselves at Bourbon St! HAHAHA Bourbon St is a bit like Surfers but on steroids! So many bars so much to see some stuff you shouldn’t see … if you get my drift. Alcohol is everywhere and can be taken anywhere. “TO GO” cups are huge in New Orleans everything is TO GO you can get them everywhere, they even set up bars in doorways. we headed up back towards Canal St and decided it was time for lunch. We had been told about a great place called Pat O’Brien’s. The famed Hurricane drink originated at Pat O’Brien’s in the early 1940’s. the name was chosen because the drink was, and still is, served in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp (not to mention the ‘kick’ the potent drink has). We enjoyed a huge lunch (well by our standards … but the norm in America) and some equally huge drinks. I had a purple people eater and mum had a fuzzy leprechaun … and that was the end of us. Mum in true trooper fashion also ordered a TO GO Hurricane. We caught the streetcar back to the hotel to get ready for the NBA with Robert that night.

Robert met us at the hotel after yet another training session. We were a little bit stressed because we had heard that the game was supposed to start at 6.30 instead of 7.30, but our worries were eased when we arrived at the stadium and what seemed like millions of people were milling around outside and trying to find a park. We stopped to ask a policeman where we should park and he said here take this and you can park for free in section 5! Oh yeah $15 saving!!! Our seats were great behind the backboard at the Hornets end, a few rows back but still close enough to see. We had picked this particular game because the New Orleans Hornets were playing Milwaukee Bucks with Aussie star Bougart. But he was injured and didn’t play…not that it stopped mum taking in her Aussie flag and trying to get his attention at the other end of the court during the national anthem! The game was great! The Hornets got out to a massive lead but the Bucks fought back and were in front with only a minute to go, the 19,000 fans all went crazy and the Hornets got home by 5.

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