Noshing in New Orleans

Campsite at Bayou Segnette State Park, Westwego, LA
Westwego is just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.




















Nicolas Cage's tomb in the St. Louis cemetery in New Orleans.

Finally the weather has cleared up and sort of warmed up here in New Orleans. It's great to get out and see the city. The state park that were staying at is a 6 mile drive to the Algiers Point ferry that takes you for free to the French Quarter. What more can you ask for, free ride, and free all day parking. So, we took the ferry and spent the day walking around the French Quarter. What a crazy place. The first thing that we did upon landing in the French Quarter was to have coffee and beignets at the Cafe du Monde. On trick that I read about on the Internet is don't wait in line (the line is out the door) at the Cafe du Monde, just walk right in and scout out a table. It took us maybe a minute to get a table. The coffee and beignets were both tasty with enough calories to power us for the rest of the day. It was about 40 degrees out with a good wind making it chilly to walk around.
We toured around the French Quarter, taking in St. Louis cemetery, St Louis cathedral, Bourbon St, etc. It is nuts how at 11 am people are walking down Bourbon St drinks in hand going from bar to bar. We we looking for some jazz music but did not find any. What's up with that? New Orleans the center of the jazz world and on place had a jazz band playing. We hiked around town, stopped for oysters at Le Bayou Restaurant on Bourbon St. Walked in and out of the fancy Jewelry stores on Royal street then had an ok dinner at some restaurant not the best of food. But not bad. Jack had a chicken dish covered in a creole sauce, I had crab cakes just ok. But we need to get back to the dog so the meal had to do. That evening at the State park we enjoyed the howling of a pack of coyotes. Not what I expected from a park so close to a big city.




Saint Louis cathedral



Interior of St Louis cathedral .
Second day in New Orleans we took the ferry into town. It was actually a nice day sunny and 60 degrees. It nice to be warm.
The decided to take the St. Charles St trolly to the Garden district to tour the beautiful homes.



Waiting for the trolly- not my bottle, Jack thought that it was funny. Also bad hair day...time to get a hair cut.




Bourbon St



Historic St. Charles Ave Trolly




Archie Mannings house



Ann rice's house



We walked around the garden district, if you have a walking tour map you can walk pass houses belonging to Ann Rice, Archie Manning, Nick Cage, Sandra Bulock, and the house that Jefferson Davis died in. We didn't pick up a map-I would suggest stopping at the tourist info desk located at the start of the Garden District to get a map, even if you don't pick up a map, the houses are beautiful and walking through district is fun. We decided to have a late lunch, or an early dinner, we couldn't get into the Jazz brunch at the Commander's Palace Restaurant in the Garden District but instead found a local Restaurant that was fabulous . Actually, my IPad app found the Restaurant it was great. Glad that I brought my iPad. If ever in New Orleans have a meal at Coquette, for $25.00 per person we had a three course meal. Jack had roasted oysters, pork belly wraps, and beignets for desert. The beignets came with mocha pot du cream and a caramel sauce tomdip them in. God, the beignets were sooooooo good. Better than the beignets at cafe du Monde.

I had Bibb lettuce salad with fried pig ear, gulf shrimp with grits and fennel, for desert blood orange panna cotta. Everything was to die for. The best meal we have had in months.
After such a huge meal, we were done for and headed home to watch the Super Bowl. Great day, great meal, what else can you ask for?



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