New Orleans, Louisiana - February 2010

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New Orleans - February 2010

We absolutely loved New Orleans and could easily have spent a few extra months there. We arrived just before Mardi Gras and got the chance to see some parades and join the celebrations on Bourbon Street, in the old French Quarter. People had the most amazing costumes and beads were flying everywhere. We met the friendliest people, heard the best music, made new friends and had a truly fantastic time. Everyone needs to check out New Orleans!!!!

Highlights

- Watching the Mardi Gras parades with Steve's parents and catching loads of beads, coins and stuffed toys.
- Wonderful music: jazz, blues, rock, cajun, zydeco ... everywhere you go this city is alive with music
- Spending Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on Bourbon Street, partying and catching beads
- Irish Day parade (any excuse for a parade!) - throwing not only beads but also vegetables! Cabbages!!
- Second line parades: so hard to find but so worth the effort. They are a traditional New Orleans custom. The first line is the brass band, the second line is the hundreds of locals (and a handful of tourists) who follow, dancing in the streets.
- "Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat Think They Can Beat Dem Saints!" chanted everywhere after the Saints won the Super Bowl a few weeks before
- Our wonderful flat 15 minutes walk from downtown

Lowlights

- Seeing the devastation still left from 2005's Hurricane Katrina - though many reconstruction projects are still going on. 85%!o(MISSING)f the city was flooded.
- The wonderful food (seafood and Creole & Cajun meat dishes), which being veggies we couldn't try!
- Having to leave!

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Photos

Mardi Gras Parade
People on the floats throw beads, coins and stuffed toys to the crowd.

Hurricane Katrina Devastation
Some houses still stand abandoned. Some residents have never come back. The worst hit neighborhood was the Lower 9th Ward.

Fats Domino - 50's Rock & Roll star
In the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood, heavily hit by Katrina, Fats Domino's house is still intact.

A Rebuilt Levee
When these broke down or overflowed, whole neigborhoods were flooded.

St. Louis Cathedral
St. Louis Cathedral (1850) in Jackson Square looks like something out of Walt Disney.

Beautiful French Quarter Streets
The old historic French Quarter was luckily not affected by the flooding.

French Quarter
I just love the balconies.

Mardi Gras
Everyone made such an effort dressing up - it was amazing.

Mardi Gras
Imaginative costumes. Residents work the whole year on their Mardi Gras costumes.

Mardi Gras
Everyone's on the same wavelength.

Mardi Gras
The streets of the French Quarter packed with revelers.

Mardi Gras
Incredible atmosphere in the streets.

Mardi Gras
Please Mister! Throw us some beads!

Mardi Gras Beads
You get better beads for flashing!

Mardi Gras
Who did invite that guy?

Mardi Gras Monkeys
Naughty monkeys!!

Mardi Gras Evening
We made some friends...and tried an extremely potent Hurricane cocktail. Not entirely sure how we made it home!!

Mardi Gras Evening
What an unforgettable day.

Our Spoils
Everything we collected during Mardi Gras and St Patrick's Day parade: 67 beads, 1 pair of lace undies, 2 cabbages, 3 lemons, potato, pickle, carrots, Irish Spring soap and the Who's Dat potato!

Our Cajun Cottage
We spent a few days in Lafayette with our friend Mikelle.

Mikelle
Mikelle trying to decide whether or not to go for the local Cajun delicacy: boudin sausage.

Boudin Anyone?
The dubious item in question. Actually it's only the red boudin sausage that is made with blood, this one's just pork & rice (probably).

The Bayou
Looking over a bayou in Lafayette.

Comments

[Chris and Nikki]

Awesome blog & pictures.