All That Jazz

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Geo: 29.9537, -90.0778

A blissful morning dawned today. A lie-in - the first for a long time - was on the cards and very much appreciated. However, there was a rather rude awakening for me, since my lovely friend Ali had challenged me to the MNDA ice-bucket challenge. So, off to the ice machine it was for me, and then a very cold, wet start to the day! I was grateful of it once we got out into the steaming streets of the city though as the mercury was hitting the mid thirties by the time we reached our first destination - the alleyways of the French Quarter, which we meandered down on our way to get to the trolley that would take us to the Garden District. On our way through the town, we stopped off at St Louis Cathedral to enjoy the coolness inside the oldest church in America. It was deliciously shady inside and we were able to enjoy the architecture, which was a mixture of colonial and neo classical. Two rows of columns lined the aisle, with flags from around the world suspended from the balcony above; it was a stark contrast to grander, more ornate cathedrals of European cities.

We decided to pop into the car hire place where we were due to collect our rental car for the next keg of our journey. We wanted to clarify a few details with them, and headed floor the hotel we were supposed to pick the car up from. Sadly, this hotel did not have a car rental place. Nor had it ever. The rental company, who I won't name, but suffice to say who will be receiving a strongly worded letter from me, just won't update their website, despite numerous requests from the hotel!

However, we received excellent directions from the concierge, who we then went on the have a long chat with. This is another thing we have noticed about the Deep South. The people here are incredibly interested in your stories and on sharing theirs with you too. We learned about his travels in the UK and the hotspots of our forthcoming destinations. He was a true southern gent! By this point, we realised that the Garden District was going to be off the agenda – there was no way we were going to have time to make our way all the way across town on the traditional trolley and enjoy it before returning on time to collect our car. Therefore, we decided that lunch was in order.

And that order was a pair of Po Boys – traditional N'Awlins sandwiches –thick soft baguettes topped with a variety of meats, cheeses, relish and salads. There was a huge array of the different styles you could enjoy – BLT, meatball, bacon, catfish, southern chicken, shrimp, burger, beef, crawfish, sausage – for such a simple menu (sandwiches and chips!) there was a great choice. The po boys were made right in front of us and so we were able to witness the efficient production line as they catered for the large number of customers who came through the door. Without realising it, we had managed to happen upon one of the best local places to eat in the city. Later in the evening, we were told that this was a hangout of Lee Harvey Oswald, and as such it receives a fair amount of macabre tourist footfall.

We then decided to visit the number one attraction in the city according to Trip Advisor. Being a huge enthusiast of WW2, I was not able to pass up on the opportunity to visit the National World War Two museum. We began with an incredibly moving and powerful exhibit created by Tom Hanks. This 4D experience explained the background to the war, focusing much on the war in the Pacific – particularly pertinent to the USA – and the reasoning behind the US entry into the war in 1941. Huge engines thrust out of the stage set, the seats vibrated as the bullets cracked and the tanks roared around us, snow fell from the ceiling and planes appeared to fly straight out of the screen towards us. It was not just a spectacle, however. Tom Hanks and a team of actors and voice-over artists told the story of the attacks on Pearl Harbour right through the VJ day in 1945. It was an excellent introduction to the entire museum and gave information from a US perspective that we simply do not normally hear about when talking about the British and European experience of the war.

It was then onto the main exhibits of the museum, carefully and thoughtfully curated to give a chronological experience of key events in the war. We learned of the American involvements in major European campaigns, as well as the Pacific and Japanese war that the Marines, pilots and soldiers were so heavily involved in. Exhibits were interactive and included eye-witness and personal accounts which really brought the facts to life. Letters, diaries, photographs and recordings were used to great effect to tell the terrible tragedies that unfolded throughout the war.

Once the museum closed, it was back to the car-hire place to grab the car ready for our departure tomorrow and then a quick change and ready for some jazz and Creole food! On a recommendation from the concierge (and our gut feeling after last night) we decided to ditch Bourbon Street and head on out to Frenchmen Street – a more upcoming area reminiscent of how Bourbon used to be. Once here, we popped into a bar where two men were playing in the corner of the room. While we enjoyed a couple of beers, the two men unassumingly sang and played the euphonium. The man singing had the gravelly tone of Louis Armstrong. There was no showiness, no razzamatazz – the two men were simply playing good old fashioned jazz and really enjoying themselves.

After this enjoyable experience, we went in search of a bar that would serve some delicious dinner delights and found ourselves in a much bigger establishment. Here, a female singer, a guitarist/horn player and a man on the washboard (and a whole host of other percussion instruments) were playing popular songs, given a jazz twist. Their stage name was Dana and the Boneshakers and they really were excellent. Dana's voice had elements of Amy Winehouse and when they belted out one of my favourite songs – Cry to Me by Solomon Burke, I was enraptured. We ordered food to accompany the wonderful music and oh, the food. We ordered a pulled pork/Cajun chicken/bbq chicken combo and it was melt-in-the-mouth incredible! The food was moist, tender and packed with flavour. We could not have asked for more from our final meal in New Orleans.

We then decided to give Bourbon Street one final try and did manage to find a bar where excellent music was being played, and fabulous cocktails were being served. A final hurricane and beer was enjoyed in the city of jazz, while a four piece played double-bass, horn, drums and lead guitar and simply wowed us. It was an upbeat and fun performance and it was an excellent end to our time here. However, it was early to bed ready for the loooooooong drive to Memphis in time for Sun Studios tomorrow.

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