Last time we visited the Big Easy we didn’t have our car and the time we could spend in the city was limited by Lisa’s sleeping habits and the time the last shuttle back to the campground left. We saw a little of the French Quarter and that’s about it.
This time we have a car so we have been able to drive in or take the car to the ferry and take the ferry in. This has given us a chance to spend more time and see more of city. We been to the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Gardens, hung out in City Park, had coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde, been entertained by street performers and admired the artwork at Jackson Square.
And there was that Saint Patty’s thing:
Although – I have to note – we’re not really into drunken revelry and a lot of folks were having trouble walking at 2 pm – so we didn’t stick around to see what 2 am would look like.
We were delighted to meet up with Jean Bayou and her friends Carol and Joy. Jean is a singer song-writer that we met in Florida who has now moved to New Orleans. We got to hear her play live at an open mike and she’s great. Later in the week, we went out for another night of music to hear Carol’s son’s band play. Another fun night with amazingly talented musicians. The true sound of New Orleans.
Of course we had to visit the New Orleans Botanical Garden which had greenhouses, water features, sculptures, vertical gardens, vegetable beds, and more. It was very hard for Lisa to not start digging in the dirt or pulling weeds but it was nice to stop and smell the roses!
This week we had our first “overnight house guest.” Marta visited us for about 5 days and rates the pull out couch as very comfy. Together we explored the French Quarters, City Park and Sculpture Garden, and the French Market. We even ventured out onto Bourbon Street “after dark” which wasn’t too bad during the week. Great people watching place! It was wonderful reconnecting, celebrating life, and spending quality time again. Miss you already Marta!
Our last night in New Orleans was guided by our new friends, Merna and Brian. We met them at a parade on St. Patrick’s day and they offered to show us some sites so we took them up on it. They were great tour guides through the Garden and Magazine Districts. Merna used an app on her phone to narrate the history of the historic homes and we learned that one of the homes was used in the film “Benjamin Button” and another was owned by Sandra Bullock. We finished the evening with Ethiopian food at Cafe Abyssinia on Magazine Street. Delicious meal, outside patio, BYOB, and they serve the entries on a large platter and gave you rolled up bread to scoop up the different foods into. No silverware allowed … our kind of place!!! A great evening with wonderful people.
Although we are sad to say goodbye to New Orleans for now, we have many fun memories to look back on. Au Revoir!
Meandering Matteis 
This is the other side of the coin. On St. Patrick’s Day on a crowded street corner of the French Quarter I overheard a man question why the streets were so crowded. I answered we were all waiting for the St. Patrick’s Day Parades. I shared the app that showed the routes of the parades coming our way. Brian joined us, we introduced ourselves, we talked motorhome traveling, adventures, phone apps, and on and on with common interests. Brian and I were delighted to meet Bob and Lisa. We come to New Orleans for the winter, this was our last two weeks, we’re getting anxious to reconnect with our friends back home, and right here, right in front of us, were two people who made us feel like we were long-time friends meeting up by chance. We exchanged phone numbers and were able to get together for the Garden District/Magazine Street tour before they had to pull up stakes. We are looking forward to seeing Bob and Lisa again when they are able to resume their westward trek. We just made a list of the top 10 things to share with them in South Bend, Mishawaka, Notre Dame, Indiana. Safe travels you two.
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Merna and Brian, love our story of meeting and treasure our evening in New Orleans. We can’t wait to visit the top 10 sites in Indiana together. Will be in touch when we start heading west. High five!
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Just yesterday Brian asked if I had read any of your blogs lately! I wasn’t sure I had responded correctly for you to see what I wrote so I was hoping to get an email notice from you soon – and here you are! He will be so pleased to hear that we are connected. Looking forward to your stopover for a little staycation in Indiana. Let’s add to that a commuter train ride for some tramping around in Chicago. We have a long list, you may run into trouble trying to get out of Indiana.
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