(Jackson Square / St. Louis Cathedral - French Quarter)


Just got back from a short trip to the 'Big Easy'.  When planning the trip, I decided to try and cash in my Delta frequent flyer miles...since who knows how much longer those programs will be worth anything.  The only route we could find was a trip to New Orleans...a Tuesday returning Saturday.  With the balance on hand, it covered my whole round trip flight, so why not.

I've heard a lot of negative things about New Orleans post Katrina.  Basically, if you stick to the French Quarter and the Riverfront area...you should be fine.  We stayed one block off of Bourbon Street so we were close to everything.  We didn't rent a car and walked everywhere...from our hotel to Harrah's Casino...to almost every street in the 'Quarter'.  We didn't do any of the 'Katrina' tours...didn't really want to see it.  We stuck to our own schedule which was great. 

One thing I was surprised of was the old history in this town.  Some of the buildings date back to the 1700's.  I guess as I get older...I find History more interesting than I did back in school.  Who would have thought.  We hit the museums and got to go into the building where the Louisiana Purchase was signed.  Cool.

I've read how people say Bourbon is stinky and loud and sleazy.  I have to agree...but so are parts of New York City.  The 'smells' on the street were just like walking through NYC in the summer.  Another true statement is the 'anything goes'.  There are LOTS of strip clubs around...so if you don't want to explain to your kids what they are...you might want to stick to the other streets in the Quarter. 

I was kind of disappointed with the food.  You hear how great the food is so maybe my expectations were a big high.  The food really was not that big of a deal.  Although, most restaurants gave HUGE portions and the seafood was a LOT less expensive than here in South Florida. 

With all the history and culture there, I really hope they can continue to rebuild.  The downtown area had a lot of construction going on and you really can't tell a huge storm hit there only a few years ago.  I was happy to see the city and to pump some money into the economy there. 

Oh...and YES Cafe du Monde IS THAT GOOD.  The biegnets (fried French doughnuts) are the best I've had hands down...it's a must stop.

 
(Cafe Du Monde - left   ;   More of Jackson Square - right)