The Big Easy

The temperature had been gradually getting hotter the further south I had got, Vicksburg had been quite bearable but New Orleans was another thing altogether. The humidity was getting to the point where anything you did made you break out into a sweat. I had booked a hotel right in the middle of downtown New Orleans so that I could walk to the major attractions of the French Quarter and the Garden district. The French Quarter is fantastic, the narrow streets and French Colonial style buildings show none of the damage that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on the city back in 2005. Bourbon Street leads off Canal Street and was a five minute walk from the Hotel.


Party Street


Bourbon Street itself


Further down more residential


Down to Cathedral square


The French Market


Inside the Market

As I got there early the clean up operation from the festivities the night before was underway and the underlying smell of alcohol was still quite pungent. Further along and down towards the Mississippi the streets turned into more residential homes rather than bars and finally down to the French Market with its restaurants and gift stalls. It has a nice peaceful feel about the area. No wonder the tourists are starting to come back in large enough numbers to ensure the survival of this unique city. After wandering around for four hours I found a nice little restaurant and tried the first of the two specialties of New Orleans the Jambalaya. Delicious!


Jambalaya for lunch


A little more information about New Orleans


A more stylish way of seeing the French Quarter


Another paddle steamer on the Mississippi

The second day I walked in the opposite direction out towards the Garden district and the Lafayette Cemetery which while not the one used in the film Easy Rider (that was St Louis #1) It has been used in various other films since like Interview with a Vampire. Having walked quite a way to get out there and with very dark clouds rapidly approaching with thunder rolling around, I caught one of the old trams back to Canal Street. It was now time to try to find a restaurant that I had been told about for the second dish that I wanted to try Gumbo. It can have various things in it, but I went for the seafood Gumbo which although nice on it’s own I think would have made a better entree to the Jambalaya. That evening I went back into Bourbon St where it was just coming to life and the participants of this years Bull Run were arriving. Some very exotic machinery around, but after the afternoon downpour still funny watching someone moping the water out the back of a $250,000 soft top car with a chamois leather!!


Some of the old houses in the Garden Quarter are grand


Lafayette Cemetery


and again


Here comes the afternoon rain


The Old Trams

On Wednesday 13th I left New Orleans and as I traveled out of the city along the raised roadway I saw other parts of the city that were still boarded up and displayed what damage the force of the hurricane had done. I don’t know if the city will ever return to the same as it was but it will survive. I had a slow ride around to the beginning of the Florida Panhandle. After an overnight stop in Pensacola I continued along the Gulf of Mexico and some beautiful beach-side communities towards the next nights stop in a small town called Perry. I’m now enjoying some time out catching up with an old mate Nigel Tuckey. We served our apprenticeship together at Jaguar Cars in the UK but after loosing touch haven’t seen each other in 32 years!! As much as I dislike facebook it does have its uses.


Lunch time again


Better to start with the Gumbo


The Bull Run was in town


And Bourbon Street starts to come alive


One of the more colorful characters