Quick and Easy in the "Big Easy"

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Being that this is my first entry on Travelblog, I thought it might be a good idea to say that my first few entries are going to be about places I have visited in the past. I am going to the Cayman Islands at the beginning of December and will certainly share what I hope to be an amazing experience, but at present I have decided to document destinations and adventures that have already taken place. This is mostly for my own benefit. I do not ever want to forget why I have chosen to skip expensive clothes, clip coupons like a mad woman, sometimes skimp on food, and be the frugal bitch that everyone knows I am when it comes to purchasing anything. I am the clearance queen and I do it because I want to travel! This would be impossible any other way. I make less than $20,000 a year (which is a fortune to some people) with two kids and am lucky we all have insurance. After a fairly serious health scare in 2006, "life is too short" became painstakingly apparent. I don't want to wait until I have the money to vacation around the world because A) That day may never come and 2😉 I could quite literally die tomorrow.
I'm not talking about lavish locations that are the lap of luxury either. I'm happy in a barrio in Mexico City if I am safe. Any place that is beyond the scope of my everyday life is wonderful (and I'm fortunate to enjoy my every day life). I usually prefer warm but have been caught on a snow hill with a ski up my ass! Don't get me wrong...I've stayed at the resorts, but for me the joy in most destinations is the locals. I have little desire to lay on a beach all day and have margarita's served to me. If I'm going to travel hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away from my comfort zone, I want to know how the residents feel about their home, their life, their comfort zone. That's the adventure in travel for me. I want to better understand what makes us culturally different, but more often discover the common connections of people everywhere: Family, peace, love, heartache, survival, laughter and joy. That's what I don't ever want to forget and that's why I've decided to start chronicling my travels. Hopefully those people I have met remember me with the same gratitude and fondness that I remember them.

That being said let's get to New Orleans!

For the life of me I can not figure out why I have not stayed in this city before. I've driven by it on my way to Texas like three times. I don't know what I was thinking by not stopping. My heart broke for the residents after Katrina but was probably a reason why it has been off of my travel radar. My husband had to drive a 1934 truck he had refurbished for a company his best friend worked for...none of that matters. Anyhow, because he brought it down from Illinois the company paid to fly me down for the weekend and what an amazing weekend it was.

Everyone has heard of The French Quarter, but unless you have been there explanation does it little justice. I've heard people say that it's dingy and dirty. That was not my experience at all. It is used and traveled upon and has been for decades. That's the way I see it and why I want to go back. It's filled with an energy that makes you want to be part of it's history! You can practically close your eyes in New Orleans and feel as though you are back in the plantation era of the south or even beyond. I think it's always been party central. I can see two primary reasons to visit the Quarter...to get stinkin' ass drunk, party with friends non-stop while dancing and jamming to some of the best music in the country OR...if you are a history buff and into a bit of superstition than you will be in awe of this place! If you like to do all of the above you must go to New Orleans.

We stayed at the Sheraton on Canal Street which is a block from the Quarter and pretty convenient. Nice place but I have to say that staying right in the French Quarter would be amazing especially if you didnt' care about getting much sleep. The old hotels and apartments are so quaint and have historical narratives dripping from their lobby walls. I would have preferred that to the big hotel down town. I didn't pay for it though, so I'm not complaining. All of the hotels on Canal are nice and newer. As it was, we were close to everything in a more modern setting...beware though, some of the hotel bars are expensive. There is a drug store on nearly every corner and we stocked up on some alcohol and snacks for the room to save on time and money.

If food is a big motivator for you then you've struck gold in this city. Tujague's is to die for and Dickie Brennan's Steak House is good too. At Tujaques on Decator Street the bar was built in 1766 and likely the oldest in the country. How many people do you think have been liquored up there? If you are trying to stay on a budget, the little bars and restaurants throughout the Quarter can keep you drunk and fed for days on a couple hundred bucks! Whatever you do, don't miss out on some of the architecture of the restaurants just because you don't eat there. That's what it's all about! I loved the history of the city and was fortunate to take a horse and carriage ride with a great tour guide that gave us the background on ALL points of interest! I went back to the ones I wanted to see up close.

St. Louis Cathedral is in the middle of the Quarter and the oldest Catholic Church in the United States. It's busy with services for special events all the time. I'm not Catholic but that church was beautiful. I was by myself when I walked by it in the morning and saw a sign that said "Funeral at 1pm and Wedding at 5pm." I wanted to go back and catch the wedding later that day..I'm a sap for that sort of stuff and it's in the center of everything so it wasn't a big deal. Well, in the mean time I went and had a couple of drinks at the bar in the video I have attached to this blog. Cool place...maybe I had one too many. Later when I went back with my husband I was congratulating people as they were walking out of the funeral. Ooops! I shut up quickly and got the heck out of there, but they must deal with that all of the time. There are tourists everywhere and I got the two church events mixed up. I really don't drink that much...just a stupid mistake. I felt like a dumbass and my husband kept reminding me so. He thought it only appropriate that we go back and give our condolences to the poor bastard that got married later on in the day. Funny guy, my husband!

My absolute favorite part of the whole trip (which was most of my long weekend) was when we rented scooters for Saturday until Sunday. The place to rent them is way out on Canal Street towards Lake Pontchartrain and a bus will get you there. It's the only place in the city to get them so look it up. They were only $50 a piece and I went everywhere on the thing. The French Quarter is scaled down from larger cities and even from the rest of New Orleans. With a scooter you can pull right up to a place and lock it up on the sidewalk. Very convenient. I would never recommend driving a car in The Quarter though people do. I wanted to also go to the Garden and Warehouse districts, the museums, the Universities (Xavier, Tulane, New Orleans), and the cemetaries. This wouldn't have been possible in one day with any other form of transportation. There is a trolley system that goes through most of the city and fairly often, but you are still at the mercy of it's scheduled times and locations. The scooter was much easier with the little amount of time I had. However, if I was there for longer than three days...the trolley and bus system would be the way to do it. It's under $2 for most trips and a fun way to see the attractions. The homes in the Garden District are outstanding if you are in to old colonial architecture. I went up and down the main artery of homes (Magazine & Charles Streets) twice to see them all. Superb! I can't say enough about this awesome Mississippi Delta city. At every turn of the river there was something breathtaking and utterly magnificent.

I have to admit that the scooter was very convenient but the main reason I wanted it was to go see the lower ninth ward before I left. There was no way I could have gone to this great city without seeing the residual effects of Katrina. It was completely ironic (if there is such a thing) that it happened to be exactly the four year anniversary of the hurricane...TO THE DAY! I couldn't have forgiven myself if I was that close and didn't see it with my own eyes. I talked to a lot of the locals about the resurrection of the city and EVERY single one was optimistic about it's future. It was a strong testament to the tenacity of the people of that region. I hopped on my scooter at about noon and drug my husband with me. I wasn't sure how to prepare myself, but it wouldn't have mattered...there's no way to prepare for that. It quite honestly still looks like a war zone for many miles. What I would have never imagined were the hundreds of virtually brand new homes that sit uninhabited. For some reason I had envisioned only poor, down-trodden neighborhoods as the ones affected. This is not the case. It was very powerful and deeply disturbing to see how much still remains damaged and untouched from the storm. I'm glad that I went though. I wouldn't recommend nor discourage anyone from doing the same thing. I did ask some local residents how they felt about me wanting to go see for myself and they said I should. Many seemed more disappointed by the bus tours and money making scams that some people now partake in as a result of the devastation. I have to say that if I had to watch air-conditioned bus tours drive through my neighborhood and gawk at me in a sea of emptiness and destitution I wouldn't handle it as well as the locals do. They believe in the rebirth of their city though, and tourism will help build it back up. When we dropped off the scooters we met this super cool guy from the area that had rented a Harley for the weekend and was dropping it off. He talked to us for about an hour about the city and it's history while we wrapped up some paper work. After that he and his wife offered us a lift back to our hotel. The benevolence of strangers never ceases to amaze me.

Overall, I am so excited to go back to New Orleans. I have already talked to some friends about renting an apartment in the French Quarter for a few days, buying groceries from the French Market and having one helluva' time with good food, music, and friends. Get ready Adam, Jill, Chad, and Tina...it's time for another family vacation. If you get the chance to go, don't hesitate. I'll never drive by this city again!! I can only imagine making marvelous new memories all the while submerged in the electric atmosphere of the Big Easy! Singin' and dancin' in a Delta daze...and you can put that at the end of your rainbow!

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Photos

Fun Lovin'
Is that a soda pop?

WINO
Wine Institute of New Orleans...Sign me up!

Fun Bar
One of the one-stop daiquiri shops all throughout the Quarter

St. Louis Cathedral
This church was beautiful and right in the center of everything!

Outside the church
This is the oldest Catholic church in the United States

Inside the church
Right before the funeral began

Scooter Heaven
Best way to see all the attractions in the shortest amount of time!

Tweedle dee and Tweedle dumb
That would be Greg and John!

On the roof
On top of the Sheraton is a swimming pool. The weather was great hot and muggy...just like I like it!