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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

C-C-C-Cold but Still Happy with Sunshine, More N’Orleans


Richards RV Park, St. Bernard, LA
On Wednesday, Nov. 13th we woke around 6 and remained in bed for a chit chat about the days leading up to today and beyond. Last night before coming to bed, we discussed how we felt about going back to visit New Orleans again. There were a couple of things on the ‘we’d like to do list’ that we didn’t do. We’ve said all along that we’ll do Café du Monde – but didn’t. We’ve said we’d like to experience a bit of night life – but haven’t. We said we wanted to hear some jazz music - but missed that.

When the sun came up this  morning, it was a cold 32F/0C
but no frost anywhere
With encouragement from my brother and daughter, we’re tempted to go back. This morning, I made omelettes but even though Bill enjoyed his on rye toast, I had no appetite at 8:30. Mine is in the fridge for my lunch. We continued the conversation and decided to mention it to Bob and Jo-Anne. They were thinking the same thing, expressing a bit of ‘that’s all there is?’ from Monday’s jaunt to the popular city. Great!

Morning walk in the park
We all agreed to forgo the Natchez sightseeing cruise, which we’d all tossed around for a warmer day, and instead go to Café du Monde for beignets (ben-nay), a couple of shops and then a pub for a drink and some live jazz. We’ll drive.  Bill came back home and reserved a parking spot for Black Beauty online. During the discussion, we discovered that we may not all want to do the same thing. We’re all different, so that is perfectly fine, but it gave me the idea that maybe we should split up.

One delay was the bridge had to rise to let a large vessel through
This went over well, and it seems to be the best for all of us. Perhaps, we’ll meet up for the drink and music later. We’ll keep in touch by texting and probably aim for the parking lot by 8 or 8:30. I bundled up a bit against the chilly 43F/6C and took a walk around the park. Behind me, I saw Jo and Higgy so walked back to meet them and we finished the walk together. The sun is gorgeous, it is just the breeze that feels cool. We’ll just have to bundle accordingly before we head out.

I was ready today to take pictures of some of the wonderful murals
as we entered down town
It was 3 when Jo-Anne texted to say they were ready to go and we were too so headed out a bit earlier than planned. Good thing, as we got snagged in traffic waiting for a slow train and a freighter/ship to pass. The nice thing about reserving the parking spot at one of these Premium lots is that you don’t have to be there on time. We arrived a few minutes after 4 and there were lots of spots available. One of them was ours, our choice so Black Beauty got a spot just like Bob’s Dodge did the other day. Easy!

They do love their colourful homes
These duplexes do not seem any wider than our Suite
Narrow and long seems to be the norm

While waiting for the train, I saw this sun dog
Rain tomorrow, no doubt
We walked to Café du Monde and there were no lines to get in. Choosing a table for 4, we were informed that someone would come and take our order. Bill and Bob had hot chocolate while us gals had Café au Lait and we each shared an order of 3 beignets. I didn't expect them to come right out of the oven. We laughed at the powdered sugar that ended up on our faces, fingers and dark clothing but my oh my, what treat! We could go home now and be content. Almost.

Bucket list item crossed off
Look at the mounds of confectioner's sugar
Most of it falls off onto the plate or yourself
We stayed together down Decatur St. popping into a few shops. I found a N.O. purse that was a good size for the quick things I like to carry with a long enough strap for crossover. Perfect and under $20. Eventually, we split off and went our own way, Bill and I heading for Bourbon St. and sauntering down the strip. 

I saw this elaborate glass chandelier through the window
of an unused store - gorgeous!
Cat's Meow for my little brother, Michael
Karaoke bar but just a bad singer was on the stage at this point
It still seemed pretty clean and not crowded so that added to the comfort of the evening. We listened at the doors of a few pubs but it wasn’t until we found the Legends Café Beignets outdoor bar that we stopped. It was the only music playing pertaining to New Orleans.

The bottom two pictures made us slow down and do a double take
A mannequin was actually swinging in and out of the window
It was around 5:30/6 so I got us each a roast beef Po Boy and diet Coke for our meal. There were a couple of blues/jazz groups and we listened to a few songs from each while we ate. The air was cool but we were dressed for it and had found a table near their large heaters. It helped. I was surprised that my feet and legs were warm, just around my neck I felt chilly. When we left and walked on, Bob and Jo-Anne came up behind us.

Bill and I had a bite to eat here and listened to some music
this lady had a unique old time voice and could play the trombone quite well
They had had a bite to eat as well and we agreed to head back to the truck. I think this was what we needed, another opportunity to experience New Orleans and especially Bourbon St. at night. The truck was parked in a well-lit lot, manned by security to the point where anyone who hadn’t paid the fee was not allowed. We saw three, at least, with ‘boots’ so knew they’d overstayed their welcome. That would be a hefty $90 just to free their vehicle.

Posing at the Legends Park
Walking back on St. Ann's Street
Jo-Anne and Bob pose for me
Back home, we downloaded pictures and relaxed. I felt too tired to finish my post but pushed myself to at least get the writing done. Wonders never cease! This was a wonderful day and I’m very happy that we all decided to go back into the city. It has left me satisfied, fulfilled. 

Our last view of New Orleans - for this year anyway
We came, we toured, we drank, we ate, we walked and listened to some good tunes as well. A great New Orleans adventure. Tomorrow will be laundry and cleaning day, our last one in the park.

Smartest thing we did was to reserve parking before we went
Such a mind ease
Good night from New Orleans!
Thank you for stopping by to see what we’re up to. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated.

12 comments:

  1. So glad you went back for the beignets and visited Bourbon Street at night.

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  2. That makes your New Orleans visit more interesting for sure. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  3. Yay .. aren't those beignets good??? Reserved parking? I've never heard of that before. Glad you kept safety in mind. I've heard some not-so-good things lately. LOVE the lights and the feeling of downtown, even if the singer wasn't all that great!!

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    1. Yes, they are something we needed to try to know how good they are. Just for a treat.
      Premium parking - it was nice not to have to worry 'where can we park B.B.'
      The karaoke singer shouldn't have sang at all, just wanted to hear himself I think. We didn't stick around the Cat's Meow.

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  4. Oh I'm so glad you got the opportunity to spend a little more time in NO. The beignets are amazing at Cafe du Monde, and I love the music too.

    Have a good day getting ready to head out

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  5. Oh wow beignets, I would have wanted a whole one for myself. My grandmother used to make those. Another reason for us to visit New Orleans one day too. Thanks for the photos.

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  6. Your pictures did remind us of our 2 trips to N.O. We walked our feet off as well and did a few touristy things the first visit. We took a city bus tour that included a tour of an Antebellum house and property, the large cemetary ( I forget the name right now) and the sights in the city. We went on a River Boat cruise, spent lots of time in the French Market, ate supper on one of the balconys, picked up drinks on the street and continued walking Bourbon Street. We did hear some true N.O. blues along the way. We went to Preservation Hall for the evening where the Blues started and enjoyed hearing some old time singers and new comers. We were there in May and went to the House of Blues to see Buddy Guy in concert and got poured on on the the way back to our truck, with water up to our ankles on the sidewalk. So many memories. Maybe another trip there one day.

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    1. Sounds like a great time! I'm glad we did the few things we did. :)

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