Blogs from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North America - page 45

The pictures from New Orleans / Louisiana were so plentiful and special I wanted them to have their own blog space. -Des... read more

Having flown from LA via Atlanta to New Orleans, we finally arrived to the sounds of the blues. We didn't know what to expect. Three years ago the whole area was completely devastated when hurricane "Katrina" hit. Very quickly we learned that 3 years on, there is still lots of work yet to do. Extensive work is being carried out all across the area, to repair the damage. And there are still homes, that are yet to be cleared and rebuilt. We heard many stories of how people who survived coped during this terrible time and how they are now rebuilding their lives. The residents having experienced this awful tragedy, couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly. We throughly enjoyed our time there, before heading off on our road trip to Orlando to meet up ... read more

Welcome to the city of New Orleans.............Willie Nelson would not be proud of my lack of recollection, but hum the tune while you read this and it might paint a better picture. NOLA, The Crescent City, The Big Easy, and The City that Care Forgot, the list goes on. We all have a special place in our hearts for this city, anyway you refer to it, at least I do. This was my 4th Mardi Gras, I think, and definitely one of the best. Although I was not under the guise of collegiate maitre d's from Tulane as in years past it was still a great trip. We started off from H -Town with the ol' Nugent mobile choickerd full of the greats. Myself, Francis, Brett, Sam, Sara and some Norwegian guy. The trip up was ... read more

The Taxi driver takes me to the India House hostel.....Well what can I say about it? Well it's basically a hippy hangout...there are murals of Budha on the wall, people who have stayed there for decades, free condoms in the bathroom and alcohol allowed everywhere.....It only cost me £10 per night so I wasn't expecting too much. The French Quarter is easy to get to as the old trolley stops one block away from the hostel. New Orleans is contradictory in nature...On one hand the French Quarter has high class antique shops, resturants and a multitude of tourists pouring in. On the other not very far away people live in tents under flyovers and search bins for food. Whether they are displaced people due to Katrina I do not know....they are sufficiently out of the way ... read more

Since today was our last day in New Orleans, we decided to set out on our already exhausted feet and do one last historical walk around the city. After a lot of miles and a few new blisters, this is a summary of what we saw today... St. Louis Cemetery #1- This is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, built in 1789 to replace the St. Peter Cemetery. Many of the tombs from St. Peter's were moved to the St. Louis Cemetery and can easily be identified by their appearance (stacks of odd red bricks piled up haphazardly). St. Louis Cemetery #1 is also famous as the burial place of legendary Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. If you visit the cemetery, don't be fooled by those who will tell you that she is buried in the family ... read more