New Orleans - What are haricots verts??

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New Orleans is a feast for the senses! That really sums it up. April and I have been in New Orleans for 2 full days and have already seen and done so much and yet sooooo much still remains unseen. There are many things I love about New Orleans. The history and overall "spooky" feeling. The buildings. The gas lamps and flicker lights. The French Quarter. Shop after shop. Restaurant after restaurant. Nightclub after nightclub. The beautiful homes that line St. Charles Ave in the Garden District. The Southern hospitality that greets you (just about) every where you go. The different kinds of food and, of course -- the music. New Orleans is also a photographers dream. Every building is worthy of a picture. There is something interesting about every tree. There are so many characters walking the streets. I have close to 500 pictures just of the French Quarter already! Wow!

New Orleans is so chock full of things to see and do that you literally need a day to walk each of the streets in the French Quarter. When April and I walked around we were in and out of shops constantly!! And the shops are so unique and fun. Yes, there are many touristy shops, but they are an experience in their own right. They have Mardi Gras beads for sale, and not just any kind -- I bought one with little reindeers on it for $1 -- you have to love that. There are Cajun spices to be purchased as well as Cajun/Zydeco music CD's, New Orlean postcards and silly little alligator trinkets -- you get the idea. They also decorate their stores to the nines! Whether it be humongous alligators or skeletons dressed in Mardi Gras beads -- it just fun!

I feel so overwhelmed writing this blog because we did and saw so much and everything is worthy of a mention. Let me start off with what everyone thinks of when they think of New Orleans -- Bourbon Street. I have one word for Bourbon Street -- YUCK! Bourbon Street is NOT New Orleans. Bourbon Street is just that -- ONE street in a very large city. If you really (REAAAAALLLY) like to drink, like strip clubs, sweaty (smelly) throngs of people, people flashing their private parts, men saying dirty things as you walk by, and the smell of garbage --- then Bourbon Street is paradise. For two young gals from New England it was an experience that we a.) never forget and b.) never do again. Ape and I went to Bourbon Street Saturday night. At the very beginning we thought it was cool because there was a dixie jazz band playing on the corner of Bourbon Street and people were dancing and singing -- fun! As we ventured further down the street we became sardined between hundreds and hundreds of sweaty people with drinks in their hands and vulgar actions. We walked past bar after bar after bar after bar. Every now and then there was a gift shop. We would sneak in to get some cool air, but because most of these places keep their doors open, cool air was very hard to find! We had already eaten so we didn't want to go in any restaurants, not that there are really any that great on Bourbon Street (two exceptions being The Cajun Cabin Restaurant & Dance Hall and It's Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar & Grille). The street was sticky. The garbage cans full and overflowing. There was a smell in the air of pure GROSENESS. We felt dirty...almost sinful as crazy as that sounds....for being there. It was so degrading to women. The collage frat boys and dirty old men would yell "show me something" and these stupid drunk girls would and they'd get a .5 bead necklace.....lovely...lol. April and I, almost at the end of Bourbon Street looked at each other and decided to get the hell out of there! The walk back to our car seemed like forever. It was so hot and humid out even though it was after 9pm. People were already drunk out of their minds. I couldn't imagine this street at 2am or during Mardi Gras. We found it to be absolutely discusting. Like you are just asking for trouble being there. I felt like I wanted to go to church after....seriously.....it may sound over exagerated but BOTH April and I felt this way and we saw many other folks running out of Bourbon Street as well...lol! With that said, during the day (until 4pm), you can drive up and down the street. This is a good way to check out the different bars and restaurants and take some pictures. After 4pm they close the street to cars. Also, at the southern end of the street is the gay & lesbian section. This area, in all honesty, looked MUCH cleaner, safer and less seedy then the other section. It had more of that Provincetown feel to it. Even if I wasn't gay I would've felt more comfortable and safe on this end. Bourbon Street should be experienced -- at least once. For as grosed out as we were it was still an EXPERIENCE we wouldn't change for the world. And in some sick, twisted, odd sort of way -- we had fun anyway. It also gave us a greater appreciation for the other streets of the French Quarter and New Orleans in general.

Now, with Bourbon Street out of the way, lets start on my deep love for this city. I will never forget driving down Decatur Street in the French Quarter for the first time. There was a vibe, a buzz, unlike anywhere else I had ever been. There were all different types of people walking around, dancing, singing, smiling.....just having a good time. The architecture is out of this world. The wroth iron balconies and colorful paint that is used is pure New Orleans. I love the plants that hang over them. I love the trees that line the streets. I loved looking out the left window and seeing beautiful Jackson Square and tons of street vendors. I loved looking out my right window and seeing River Walk and street performers. I loved the sound of the horse & buggy's walking by (although I do feel bad for the horses). I loved the sounds of Cajun music blaring out of the gift shops and restaurants. I loved the smell of beignets being cooked at Cafe Dumond. I loved the fact that their outside French Market is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week! I love their flea market on Decatur Street. I love the mix of 100% pure Cajun restaurants mixed with the fun, touristy theme restaurants such as: Margaritaville, Hard Rock Cafe, House Of Blues, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Pat O'Briens, Voodoo Cafe Bar & Grille and so on and so forth. I loved driving down the narrow streets of The French Quarter and seeing all these old buildings, some with gaslamps and some with flicker lights. I loved seeing the sightseeing groups on most corners. I loved the length of the streets that seem to go on forever lined with shops, cafes, bars and more. I love the mix of young and old people. The smiles that seem to glow from everybody's face. How could you NOT have fun in this city???? I love the breeze that blew through the ally ways from the Mississippi river across from The French Quarter as you walk in 90+ degree weather, and for as hot as it is, it ADDS to the authenticity of the area. People don't seem to care that much about the heat. It is just another excuse to stop at one of the many cafes for an ice cold drink and snack or stop in an ice cold gift shop.

The French Quarter takes on a whole other GLOW at night. The only way I can describe it is it's like being in an Anne Rice novel and the streets of London in the late 1800's. Have I ever read an Anne Rice novel? No. Have I ever been to London? No. But you just KNOW. There is a reason why New Orleans is the most haunted city in America. Do I know the exact reason? No. Can I FEEL it? YES! I once heard that many old things, such as antiques, carry on the persona or spirit of the person that once owned them, especially if it is an important artifact or something dear to the person. That is how I feel about the buildings in The French Quarter. I feel that the people who once waked the streets in the 1700's are still with us. Some good -- some bad. You just FEEL it. On the flip side, nighttime in the French Quarter is also quite romantic. You have some cobble stone street areas. The glow of candles and gas lamps. The romance of the horse & buggy's.....and the sense that most people have some where important to be. It looks like people are rushing to get to that special place.

April and I ventured out to The French Quarter Saturday afternoon. Our first destination was to head down Canal street and visit one of the famous "above ground" cemeteries...allow me to explain....The water-logged, swampy soil which New Orleans is built makes digging more that a couple of feet impossible. The solution is to avoid burial altogether and house the deceased in above ground tombs. In the late 1700's/1800's the area became home to hundreds of little marble, granite or stone "houses" which led to the term -- "cities of the dead." New Orleans still must practice this today as the soil is the same, if not worse. We went to the Masonic Cemetery at the very end of Canal Street. We had never seen anything like it. It was truly surreal and yet, oddly beautiful. The street leading to the cemetery's is lined with beautiful, majestic oak trees and an overall sense of peace and quiet. We were the only ones at this particular cemetery Saturday afternoon. The tombs were SO old. Many from the 1800's. There were statues and monuments around every corner. It reminded me of the Disney movie Hocus Pocus. It almost looked like a movie set, that's how "haunted house" scary it looked. The wroth iron fence squeaked as we push it open to walk inside. There were birds sitting on angel statues and chirping away. I will tell you this.....I felt SAFE in this particular cemetery. It felt GOOD...peaceful....we weren't scared here. This wasn't the case with another cemetery we drove by.....the most haunted in the united states.....St. Louis Cemetery # 1. More on that later. Notice how I said DROVE by...lol....not WENT IT...Whoa...lol. You have to see one, if not all, of these cemeteries when you come to New Orleans. It is a sight you will not soon forget.

Next on our agenda was, of course, Margaritaville on Decatur Street in The French Quarter. Being huge parrotheads this is to be expected. We got lucky with parking in the main parking lot area and simply walked across the street to the restaurant. We were seated instantly. This Margaritaville is HUGE. Not only is there the main dining area there is a separate room/bar called "The Story Teller's Lounge". This is where live acts perform and Jimmy has been known to make an appearance or two. This Margaritaville reminded us a great deal of the one on Key West. Since it was Jimmy's second restaurant that is understandable. You just feel good when you eat here. Jimmy's music is playing, his videos are being shown, the decor is Caribbean inspired and the food is good. I had the Cheeseburger in Paradise and a virgin pina colada and April had fajitas and since she had a 2-for-1 drink coupon...lol....a margarita and New Orleans famous hurricane....whoa. April sure was pink during/after dinner.....she was a glow! LOL! April's dinner came with the most delicious sweet potato thingy's I ever had. They weren't fries, but "like" fries. They were soft and had a coconut taste....almost like the stuff my mother makes at home. MMM...MMM....they were so good I stole most of them on her. I couldn't even finish my burger, fries and drink because I was SO taken by these sweet potato's! LOL! I even got an order to go. You KNOW they had to be good my friends...lol.

After dinner we checked out the Story Teller's Cafe for a bit, but there was no seating available so we ventured outside to the Margaritaville store (where we encountered our first RUDE southerner -- EVER...lol) and then to Decatur Street. Instantly we were in a fun tourist shop. I stocked up on silly goodies for my mom, Elizabeth, dad and Fred...heheheehehe. Goodies you could ONLY get in N'awlens! 😉 We went in shop after shop all the way up Decatur Street. It was so much fun. The time flew by and before we new it......we were overheated...lol.....we needed coolant.....OH YEAH.....we were VERY, VERY, VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY HOT. Poor April, feeling a little buzzed from her drinks was EXTRA hot (even if she deny's it she ain't fooling me). We decided to cross the street and go near the water. There was an amazing breeze coming off the water and it felt WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got nice and situated and were looking at the riverboats in the water, when all of a sudden a middle age African American man sat down next to April. I was in my "gotta take a picture" mode so I thought nothing of it at first. April was in her "man I am buzzed" mode so neither did she. The man, who sounded gay, asked April about her SHOES. April innocently said they were from Fashion Bug. He then started talking about the thickness of them and her feet. He told her he was a REFLEXOLIGIST?????????? He then started massaging her foot and telling her all the different areas it was for. I then started to get a little nervous. I turned over and there was this man, hunched over rubbing APRIL'S FEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UMMMMMM.......April's face was the color of the rainbow.....she didn't know what to do. I was getting ready to say something when THANK HEAVENS, the phone rang! I picked it up, it was Elizabeth, but I pretended it was "April's husband".....I said we had to pick him up......the guy looked disappointed and got up to leave! OH MY GOD.....WE WERE SOOOO NERVOUS and DISTURBED BY THIS! April's foot was molested by a strange man on the New Orleans Riverfront...lol!! He either a.) had a foot fetish or b.) was a manic killer that stalks unsuspecting women.....hmmmm??? I am sure April will forever be traumatized by this ordeal and to think, I didn't even get a picture of it! Jeez....lol.

After this incident we drove around trying to find a walgreens to pick up some stuff we needed (mace anyone? lol). We drove and drove and drove some more until we decided to give up! LOL! We couldn't find one with a convenient parking lot. I was also on the phone with every one back home for almost 2 hours! It was now dark outside and the streets took on a new glow. Very spooky beautiful. I was "oohing and ahhing" past every street. It was THAT beautiful. We found an excellent parking spot on St. Charles ave and decided to walk to (gulp) Bourbon Street. I won't get into it since I already described our experience above, but...wow...what an experience thank yoooou veeeery much!

After Bourbon Street we were DONE...lol....we wanted the comfort of our A/C hotel room! When we got back to the room we cleaned up because were felt so dirty after Bourbon Street and then went to bed.

Sunday we decided we wanted an AUTHENTIC New Orleans dining experience, so we chose to dine at MULATE'S for lunch (pronounce as you will...lol). Mulate's is a legendary restaurant that is recognized throughout the WORLD as the "King of Cajun Dining and Dance Halls." They feature live Cajun music and dancing along with DELICIOUS (authentic) Cajun food 7 days a week! This is the restaurant where Cajuns come to eat and celebrate.

I ordered something called the Hamburger Steak Lafayette. It came with a twice baked potato and seasoned haricots verts (green beans). OH MY GOSH, this was thee most delicious thing I have ever eaten -- seriously. The Cajun seasonings were out of this world. The dinner melted in your mouth. Pure Cajun and totally delicious.

April got the Spicy Smoked Sausage Po-Boy...made of spicy smoked sausage served on french bread. Not the healthiest of meals for us, but by far the most delicious and A GREAT experience. Not to mention the dessert. WOW....WOW......Mulate's is know for their bread pudding so we ordered one and shared it. It was INCREDIBLE. I never had anything like it. I won't even try to explain it because the taste can't be explained. It was just amazing. If I was on death row, I would request the food we ate here as my last meal....now THAT'S saying a lot! You can check out their web site at http://www.mulates.com.

While we were in the restaurant it started to down pour and thunder. It was so cool to be in this old Cajun restaurant listening to a thunderstorm outside! By the time we left the sun was shining and everything had that wet/glowing look. It was so pretty. We decided to drive down St. Charles ave past the historic GARDEN DISTRICT. The Garden District which runs along St. Charles avenue is lined with the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the South -- if not the entire country. The mansions stand in the center of large grounds and are surrounded by roses and beautiful flowers. The area is home to some of the most elite New Orleans residents including Anne Rice, Trent Reznor (from Nine Inch Nails) and previously Elton John. A lot of movies were shot along this road including Anne Rice's "Interview With a Vampire" starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The street is also lined by majestic oaks and several cafes and shops. It reminds me of a southern version of Newport, RI's Bellevue Avenue -- only these homes are LIVED in, not museums. We had so much fun driving up and down the road (which I believe is 6 miles). We could've taken the St. Charles Cable Car but they aren't air conditioned so we will have to save that for when we visit in a cooler month. The finger I use to snap pictures was actually tired by the time we were done on this road. April and I said we will have to go up and down a few more times before we leave to see everything.

After the Garden District we headed back to the French Quarter. We wanted to find the most famous haunted cemetery in North America --- St. Louis Cemetery # 1. After a couple of mishaps we finally found the street where it was located. The area was VERY run down and scary in itself. Definitely not a place for two young ladies (tourist none the less) to be by themselves. The cemetery was gated and you could only catch glimpses inside. Boy was it old. Older than the one we visited Saturday and this one definitely projected a BAD vibe. A scary, un-easy, unrestful vibe. It was only 4pm and completely sunny out and I still didn't want to go in (we later found out this cemetery closes at 3pm....hmmm..I wonder why)? Now I know why people take TOURS to this particular cemetery. It is THAT scary. It is THAT weird. Some of the graves are from the late 1600's I believe....VERY OLD! St. Louis Cemetery # 1 has been featured on the History and Travel Channel as one of America's most haunted places. I believe it. Does this mean April and I don't want to visit? NOPE! We are just going to wait for early morning when all the tour groups are there.

After that we drove by the gay district of New Orleans. There were SO many pride flags and gay inns, cafes, bars and shops. It was like Provincetown. It is nice to be in such a gay friendly city. Every one can be themselves and not feel judged. We soon found ourselves near Talouse Ave near the historic and quite beautiful Napolean House. We got lucky with a parking spot and ventured out for a bit. We walked by lots of VERY old buildings and shops and before long we were once again -- OVER HEATED...lol! We headed back to our car and decided the best time to explore The French Quarter's streets would be between 9am-1pm or 8pm-midnight. It is just TOO hot during the afternoon. I know we'll end up back there one of these afternoons because we can't help ourselves, but LORDY....it's WARMY!

We drove to The Shops at Canal Place near RiverWalk for hopes of finding a movie that started soon. We were greeted by ice cold A/C but missed all the shows. We walked around a bit and around 6pm decided to head back to our hotel room to rent a movie and do some work. All night we were entertained by amazing thunderstorms. We even saw sideways lightning. It was SOO cool. We had our curtains pulled open and were snuggled up with the teddy bears we made at the Build-A-Bear Workshop in Destin. It was so much fun!

That brings us to now....9:47am Monday morning. Ape is already working and I will start soon. Our plans for today are to visit Mardi Gras World, RiverWalk, and another authentic Cajun restaurant/music hall. If we get out early enough maybe St. Louis Cemetery # 1.
No matter what we do I am sure it will be crazy and fun! It's time to introduce stained sock puppet, naked sally strutters torso doll, trash talking terry, tootin tootie and les the lez to New Orleans! Stay tuned! ;-)

Til then...

Happy Travels!

Des & Ape

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Photos

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Entrance to Masonic Cemetary.

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Old gate leading into cemetery...very spooky.

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Beautiful statue in Masonic Cemetery.

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Sold old tombs - Masonic Cemetery.

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Tombs at Masonic Cemetery.

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Old stone tomb at Masonic Cemetery.

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Masonic Cemetery.

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Masonic Cemetery.

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Road leading to Masonic Cemetery.

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Masonic Cemetery

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Masonic Cemetery

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Masonic Cemetery

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Our car on the road near Masonic Cemetery.

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A tomb in some other cemetery close to Masonic.

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Another view of Masonic Cemetery. It was just so beautiful we thought. So surreal.

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Cool picture of French Quarter street sign.

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Cool French Quarter building.

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Horse & Buggy and Street Art.

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I just love these French Quarter buildings!

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Poor thirsty little horsey!

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Typical French Quarter Shop!