NOLA over Easter
It's taken me a while to post on our trip. Which was super excellent.
We stayed in a nice hotel, the Saint Marie, just off Bourbon Street. Pool, little balcony for the afternoon apertif, and very close to everything. Or everything that we did. Which was only really wandering around, shopping, eating, drinking. As well as visiting the Voodoo Cultural Centre. Or at least the gift shop. (We would have gone inside the temple, but Priestess Myriam was doing a reading for someone over the phone in there.)
We did also go to the Saint Louis Cemetery no. 1, the oldest existing cemetery where voodoo queens and musicians (as well as old french families) are buried.
I had aspirations of going on a swamp tour, or going to the 9th ward, or the aquarium or contemporary art gallery, even, but I was pretty happy to just follow Kirsten and Sue and Kathy around. Kathy took about 600 photos while we were there. Seriously.
We did leave the French Quarter and go to the Garden District (good shopping on Magazine Street) to gawk at houses. It's amazing to think that so many of those were under water. Still much renovation to be seen in that area. Also, you take a streetcar!
We also hung out at the bars on Frenchman Street; John Boutte played Saturday night and did a lovely a cappella version of Leonard Cohen's "Halleleujah." Kirsten, Kathy, and Sue met some nice southerners who said next year they should come to their place for a BBQ.
I had also hoped to eat some good pulled pork but did not. Favourite meal was probably beans, rice, and a very greasy pork chop at Coop's Place.
Although Bourbon Street has some novelty factor to it, it's generally creepy. Even if you can purchase Huge Ass Beers.
And Easter Sunday we saw two parades: one of Southern ladies, and the second of gay Southern ladies. We cheered and got mardi gras beads (no clothing was removed). Last night I watched a documentary on the making of beads in China and how workers are treated. Sob. But I will confirm there is nothing better than sitting on the curb with a gin & tonic, watching Southern Belle drag queens drive by in horse-drawn carriages, tossing you trinkets.
I put the rest of our photos on facebook -- look there to see more!
Labels: travel
posted by Allison at 7:22 AM
4 Comments:
What a beautiful city! enjoyd your pics- that hotel looks very nice - wish I'd gone to NO at some point in my life. Anyway glad you had a good trip and no doubt came back refreshed & renewed
Watching documentaries is bad for you. I watched Food Inc. last week and now don't know what to eat. Certainly nothing from a grocery store.
Were there lots of other visitors there? Is there also a good portion of actual residents around?
There were lots of other visitors (because long weekend) but way less than if it had been Mardi Gras. French Quarter is so tourist-focussed that we'd need to go other neighbourhoods to see 'locals,' I think. But Coop's Place and the bars we went to were kind of local hangouts, I think.
We could always still go, Mom!
I found the address of the hotel I stayed at, it is 124 Royal St. And it was a Holiday Inn, but it was not very Holiday Inn looking.
Post a Comment
<< Home