Long weekend in New Orleans
 

We planned a long weekend in New Orleans, flights were cheap and it was somewhere I hadn't traveled to before. We picked the weekend before Labor Day figuring that it would not be as crowded. This was true, but it was hot and humid (not a surprise). We did happen to visit on the 10th anniversary of the flood from Hurricane Katrina, which was not planned but made for a compelling visit. The city (most that we saw) is bouncing back.

Did you eat anywhere good? Where did you stay?

Day 1

We checked into the hotel, we had a great view of the Mississippi river. We went directly to Cafe du Monde and had coffee and beignets. These were really good, piled with powdered sugar. We then walked through Jackson Square to the Cathedral and the Presbytere. The museum was usually the Mardi Gras museum, but there was a special exhibit on Hurricane Katrina. There were videos of the flood, artifacts that people used to save themselves, and stories of what happened to people. There was a timeline of events, showing where the levees broke and when, as well as what areas flooded. It was quite something to experience. We didn’t feel much like Mardi Gras after that.

We stayed at the Hilton Riverside, one of the largest in the city.

Our first dinner was at Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House. We had charbroiled oysters, an Alligator rice ball, salad and the fried oyster platter.

Day 2

We were up early to have breakfast and go to the Cemetery tour at 10:00. We quickly walked through part of the French Quarter walking tour. The tour started in the Basin St. Station visitor center. Because of all the desecration of the tombs, you can only visit with a guided tour. We really got a good overview of the history of the city, there is a lot more to it. I didn’t know much about the early maneuvering between the British, French, Spanish and later the Americans for control of New Orleans (coming soon to a theater near you). We saw some of the more famous tombs and heard some of the more interesting stories of the people buried there.

We walked back through the French Quarter to the Central Grocery for Muffaletta sandwiches. These were good, but really big! We walked back through the French Market, then took a taxi back to the hotel, being out in the sun all day, we were pretty wiped out.

After a nap, we went back to the French Quarter to the Chart Room, a local pub. We caught the end of the Saints game (they lost). We caught a taxi over to the Garden District for dinner at Shaya, one of the recommended new restaurants. We started with the Curried roasted cauliflower hummus, the avocado and whitefish toast and a roasted cabbage. Our main course was the lamb shank. We had way too much food, someone we were just talking to at the bar was complaining of not enough food! We called for a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 3

We decided to rent a car for the day to see some of the outlying areas. We started at St. Roch’s market, newly reopened. Some very nice stands, but it was too early for lunch. We continued over the Industrial Canal (which flooded on both sides during Katrina) into the Lower 9th Ward. We passed many boarded up houses and some empty lots. We found Fats Domino’s house which was reconstructed and drove by Tennessee St. where the new houses built by Brad Pitt’s foundation are located. Then we drove back over the canal, over the rail yards and all the way across to the Garden District.

Lafayette Cemetery #1 was open, so we could walk through without a guide. Then we did a walking tour of the Garden District. The houses are quite something. We drove over to Magazine St. and found a local place, Ignatius Eatery (from the Confederacy of Dunces) for lunch. We turned the car in.

One place we missed walking though the French Quarter was Preservation Hall so we went back there. Though on a Monday afternoon there was nothing going on. On the way back to the hotel we walked through Harrah’s casino (the air conditioning was nice).

For our last dinner there, we were going to go to R’evolution, but changed to Peche Seafood Grill. We had the raw oysters, grilled whole redfish and green beans with harissa. We shared the caramel cake with the couple next to us.

Last day
We had breakfast in the hotel. Our server told us stories of what happened during Hurricane Katrina, she lived right by the lake. Several of her neighbors died in the flood. Many people didn’t have transportation to get out before the storm, the flood destroyed all the school buses which could have been used to take people out of town.

All in all a memorable trip.

New Orleans is truly one of the great cultural destinations of the United States. A quote from Tennessee Williams 'America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.'

Very nice report. One of the activities that I liked most while visitng last winter was a bike tour of the Lower 9th.

Nice report with a wide variety of activities.

I always considered a muff from Central Grocery to be just about right for one. My wife could never finish hers, so I would have that later.