New Orleans and the French Quarter

We drove the 60 miles into New Orleans this morning to see the "Big Easy". I think I can understand the excitement people have for this city. It has a cosmopolitan feel to it. I'm not sure I could even begin to describe the ambiance of the streets. It is busy, busy even on a weekday morning. The streets are all one-way and the right hand sides are taken up by trucks making non-stop deliveries to the more than 1500 restaurants. Even found one of Emeril Lagasse's.

Famous Bourbon Street

My painted version using watercolours and my tombow brush for shading ....

 

 

We barely fit between curbs and trucks but we drive every street in The Quarter to say we've seen it. We are happier seeing Louisiana and its people from the small town perspective. New Orleans is busy with construction and renewal and shows very little remains from Hurricane Katrina. But a few blocks from the tourist areas are streets with houses still boarded up, whether empty or not we don't know. They are colourful places that attract my eye for a photo but often times we feel that it is not our place to take pictures of people's misfortune. These streets are not being renovated even after 5 years. Driving was a challenge and between trying to know where we were and were we were going I didn't get a chance to take many pictures.

Streets have different days designated for washing, this was Thursday mornings street shampoo, suds and all:)Today we have reached 7000 miles travelled since we left home 3 months ago. The majority of these miles have not been on straight flat interstates and they are starting to take a toll on our "driver". Bob is carrying all the responsibility in his neck and shoulders and even with muscle cream and painful pressure point massage he is still suffering. It is definitely time to get away from this busy urban area and hopefully spend some quality relaxing time in the sun on the gulf beaches, walking, not driving.The driver needs a much deserved rest, even the co-pilot too:). The problem with the truck has not been determined for sure. We stopped at a Cummins dealer to buy more fuel filters. They recommended a dealer in Baton Rouge that would have a code reader to diagnose why the engine light came on and the truck started 'missing'.

Another seafood lunch....Red Snapper, mine with shrimp creole sauce, Bobs with creamy crab. It was very good but not quite as good or the ambiance of Middendorfs yesterday.Still don't know what Cajun Fried turkey is but I mean to find out before Thanksgiving next Thursday. Maybe we need one to have down at Grand Isle.We head for the barn glad to have satisfied the need to see Nawlins.....

Who Dat? A saying from the old Minstrel days more than a hundred years ago in The New Orleans area. It is now used as a fan chant for the New Orleans Saints or as a noun for a Saints fan.

"Who Dat, Who Dat, who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?

 

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