New Orleans - The French Quarter

I'd always wanted to visit New Orleans, and finally had the opportunity while in coastal Mississippi for my son's wedding. One day we drove into the Big Easy and enjoyed lunch in the French Quarter.

Cafe Amelie's shrimp and grits was my favorite part of the trip. Yummy goodness tucked away on Rue Royale!

Some scenes in The French Quarter. (Are all the skulls and skeletons related to voodoo, or to Halloween?)

Having seen the streets in many European cities, the French Quarter scenes perhaps didn't have as much 'oomph' to me as they might have in the past (of course we were not there in the evening, nor during Mardi Gras.) Also, the French Quarter seemed a bit tired and dirty - possibly due to the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina. In counterpoint, Jackson Square was very clean and bright. Artists with their wares rimmed the fence around the square.

Jace made friends wherever we went - just as his daddy had done as a toddler. In New Orleans he won this scary character over, and a female street musician loved him too. Two of three derelicts who strolled by toward dusk appreciated his friendly, "Hi!" and let us know that the third one of them wasn't trustworthy. Whiskey bottles in the streets were becoming frequent sightings. That's when we decided to head back to Ocean Springs.

We did not have time to ride in the carriages for a better overview of the city. We didn't do any of the de riguer touristy things such as have a beignet nor Breakfast at Brennan's. We didn't have time to visit the zoo or the aquarium, both of which had been recommended highly by the clerk in the nice toy store. We did walk along the levee overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. There was lots of construction in that area. I'm sure there is much more to New Orleans to see and do, but I have at least marked it off my bucket list. Krispy Kreme doughnuts will suffice for beignets for me. At least I had those great shrimp and grits!