Exploring New Orleans last night and today has been fun, and Weather says we get at least another day! Here then are some pix. Lots of pix. A few picks of our many pix since arriving. 🙂
0292 Bourbon St.
Didn’t see any bourbon here, but lots of those sweet mixed drink glasses with some fluorescent green substance possibly called a “hand grenade.” Fun 360, even for the few old folks like us who were completely sober. Though we fit in like two fire trucks in a lush jungle, everyone was friendly or at least respectful and many absolutely thrived on the slightest bit of attention.
0294 Look At Me, Mom
The mounted patrol officers’ mere presence brings an air of dignity and cool that somehow corrals the fun. One horse in particular looked into our souls, apparently drawn to our sobriety in that mayhem.
0302 Horse Sense
The spectrum of people is boundless, including families getting group photos at the zoo.
0317 Family Time
Inside every door is a diverse crush of people laughing, absorbing the particular variety of music in that bar, dancing, and drinking.
0328 Happy Faces
For reasons we can’t determine, some places just don’t seem to hold any appeal for more than a solitary drunk.
0338 Contrast
I liked this one named New Orleans Heat in particular, because it was quite far from the hot spot next door. Nearby I was fascinated by this man leaning against the wall nodding in and out of a stupor in the thriving Life.
0318 Swamp Spell
We entered a spell of our own walking out of the crowds toward our hotel, as the song of a solo blues man emanating from Lafitte’s captured our attention to pause back a century in a moonbeam through the clouds haunting the bare trees outside. Another listener observed solemnly, “This is the Soul of New Orleans.”
0343 Soul
When we finally moved on, even further from the crowds this lucky but lonely vendor struggled to stay awake under a streetlamp.
0340 Slow Night
This morning we moved downtown, saving quite a bit of money to be in a vastly nicer hotel on the trolley line so we can explore other parts of the city and still be within minutes of the French Quarter. Walking to said trolley down Esplanade we saw some well-kept old mansions like this.
1042 Mansions
We passed this interesting character we greeted respectfully, yet shamefully refer to between us in shorthand as “Lawn Gnome Guy.”
1045 Wise Man
Reaching the trolley stop so we could ride to the new hotel and leave all our Stuff, my free will was lost when Anne innocently asked if I’d like to buy her a pair of earrings in the French Market.
1046 Marketplace
Guys, learn from my mistake. Sure we found her some great earrings, but it was several hours of me dragging that luggage as she shopped before we reached the next trolley stop. Oscar the earring guy was a treat to meet though, and I did manage to have a great time looking at baubles for my babe and munching exotic goodies.
1048 Oscar
We enjoyed a tasty and affordable jazz lunch in the Gazebo Cafe resting our feet near Jackson Square.
1059 Refreshing Lunch
The donkey carts bring a tiny sample of another era when the city though quite different in pace, had that distinctive Big Easy feel.
1062 Equine Era
While she stood in line for donuts at Café Du Monde, I listened to the really cool (and loud!) steam calliope atop the Natchez.
1066 Music Afloat
Music and life overflow everywhere in New Orleans, and now that we’re checked into hotel #2 we’re off to explore Night #2. 🙂
John & Anne Wiley 
I missed saying Bon Voyage to you, but am happily (though enviously) sharing your wonderful adventure! Your pal, Steven
Comment by Anonymous — 2013/03/23 @ 01:17