Liam & Lindsay in the "Land of Liberty": The Big Easy

We were in New Orleans from the afternoon of Sunday 24th June to the morning of Thursday the 28th. In that time we sampled enough to fall a little in love with the place and definitely want to go back for a longer stay. People talk about the place having a particular feel and atmosphere and it is totally true - it was hot and humid but the people were friendly, the music was kickin' and the food was INCREDIBLE!

However, our visit didn't get off to such a great start. After a 2 week road trip we had to say goodbye to the car and take our first domestic flight. And when we arrived in NO we went to claim our bags - mine was actually right there next to baggage carousel so we found it immediately. Then we waited for Liam's bag. And waited. And then we noticed a few other people were also still waiting. Turns out they put some of the bags on the next flight. So we went to the hotel and were told the bag would be delivered. It didn't turn up until over 24 hours later. All I can say is, fuck United Airlines. Their food is shit, they play shitty movies on their international flights and they lose people's bags.

But anywho, we didn't let this one setback ruin our trip. On Monday we decided to take a bus tour so we could see the city and get more of an idea of the lay of the land. We were by far the youngest people on the tour, but it was really great as the tour guide gave us a lot of info on where to go after the tour while we were in town.

First up we were shown around the famous French Quarter. The buildings here really are beautiful, and so unlike those in any other city in the US that we've visited.

We went briefly through Treme, where there were these pillars that had been painted as part of an art project. There is a lot of street art and public art throughout the city and it's left alone and not vandalised (something that Perth could learn a bit about).

Past a few more houses, including one owned by the artist Degas, before we visited one of the above ground cemeteries.

We were also taken to see some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina. It is shocking how much of the city is still in need of repair. It felt a bit weird going around in a tour bus and gawking at their misfortune, and it felt doubly weird taking photos of it. I did take a few, but I had to stop because it felt exploitative. You could actually see water marks on the sides of houses where the water had risen almost to the roof, and there were still houses that were boarded up and abandoned. You could also see houses that had been rebuilt and modified so they were basically on stilts now so if it flooded again the house would be safe.

Finally we went to the Garden District, where the older mansions are. Some truly beautiful architecture here.

At night we decided we wanted to see some music. Everyone told us to hit Frenchman Street, so we went there. We also had a dinner of soul food at a place called The Praline Connection. I had my first collared greens and cornbread (its kinda like cake), along with some damn fine fried chicken.

Then we went to a place called d.b.a. and saw a funk band, then hopped across the road to The Spotted Cat for some more traditional jazz. There are quite a few music venues up and down the street that have live music every night of the week. The spaces are quite small so they fill up quickly and everyone really gets into it. This is the main reason to come to New Orleans.

TUESDAY

We stopped at Cafe du Monde to try some famous New Orleans beignets. They are like donuts covered in icing sugar. Divine. After that we strolled through the French Market and Jackson Square.

We spent the afternoon at the World War 2 Museum, which included seeing a film called Beyond All Boundaries. Its a "4D" film that incorporated multiple screens, objects on stage, lighting and at one point it even 'snowed' on us. It was very well done, although it did descend into shmaltz and patriotism at the end.

Dinner was seafood at Deanie's. I had the most heavenly dish - crawfish etouffe. It was probably the favourite thing that I've eaten on this whole trip.

We wanted to see more music, but knew we couldn't leave New Orleans without going to Bourbon Street. We got there and it was drunks on parade. Given that we're more interested in good music than binge drinking, we took a few pictures before beating a hasty retreat to Frenchman Street.

So here is Bourbon Street:

Back on Frenchman Street we went to d.b.a. again in order to see The Treme Brass Band. This was New Orleans. I tried to take a few photos but short of using the flash I couldn't really get anything good.

Our last day: we went on a short ferry trip on the Mississippi, had po-boys at Mother's Restaurant (another place we heard about from Man vs. Food) and then spent the afternoon at the New Orleans Museum of Art.