New Orleans, part 1

09 Jul New Orleans, part 1

howdy fellow travelers of the intertubez!

hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend…it’s crazy to think that this time last year I was experiencing winter in Chile (read it here). this year, my big trip was South again. but instead of South America, I picked the American South. my family and I were going to New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans has been at the top of my “places to go in America” list for many years. the history, the culture, the food, and the music have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. finally, the stars aligned and I was able to plan a trip to not only the city, but the famous Jazz Fest.

our first morning in NOLA we wanted to see the Mississippi…and have coffee and beignets at the world famous Café Du Monde. we walked along the river and looked at the birds, the auto ferry, and the joggers. it’s amazing seeing such an important body of water…it reminded me of seeing the Rhine. so much history in a flat, wide, and not very big river.

a statue by the river

nestled in the shadow of a dike, the café is surrounded by old brick buildings with wrought iron railings. the Café does only two things. and they do them well. normally I try to stay off the beaten path and out of the tourist traps, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back here. I’d probably have gone here every morning if schedule allowed.

coffee & beignets

a painting in our hotel…just a little bizarre.

Jazz Fest didn’t start until the following day, so we took the street car down St. Charles Ave into the Garden District. this is one of the older residential neighborhoods I’ve ever been in…at least in the States. the area dates back to the 1800’s. it’s amazing to walk past a house and read a sign about how it was built during the Civil War…and it’s still being lived in! thanks to fires and earthquakes there aren’t many places like that in California.

a tomb in the historic Lafayette Cemetery #1

Mom & Dad

Teal checkin’ the interwebz

a house in the Garden District

Third St.

a tower of jasmine

besides the beautiful old homes and 100 year old oak trees, one of the things that I really loved about the Garden District was the smell. it really IS a garden. it is one of the lushest and greenest urban places I’ve ever seen. the entire area was filled with the fragrant smell of blooming plants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much Jasmine in my life.

after walking around we’d developed quite an appetite… Teal had a list of notable local restaurants and after some discussion we settled upon Cochon. it’s a haute cuisine take on the local Cajun food that’s savory, rich and spicy.

pork & pickled watermelon

BLTO (the “O” is for Oyster)

dinner was incredible, but this was just the start. Jazz Fest was the following day and it promised not only interesting and eclectic music, but the food that makes New Orleans famous.

-Luke