Gnawin' New 'Awlins (Newcomer to New Orleans, Part II)

I didn't intend on writing the second part of the New Orleans trip a full two months after I made the trip. My impetus on just getting it done is because Jessica and I just spent a few days in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas, and the New Orleans cliffhanger was gnawing away at me.

Apparently, "New Aw-lins" is the way the locals call their city; none of that "N'Awlins" crap.

Saturday, June 23, 2012 (cont.)
After the National World War II Museum, my traveling companion and I met up with another friend of mine from Texas A&M who was in for the AIAA conference.

In an effort to save the French Quarter for the evening hours, we boarded the St. Charles streetcar to head towards a restaurant off of Carrollton Ave.

Streetcar!

Our first stop was Audubon Park. The park has a bird island, a golf course, a lake, and walking/cycling trails.

Statues in Audubon Park.

After sweating it out for a bit, we headed across St. Charles Avenue where Loyola University New Orleans and Tulane University reside. After Hurricane Katrina forced the closure of Tulane University in the fall of 2005, the campus of Texas A&M University housed some of the Green Wave students and faculty.

Self-explanatory image of Loyola University.

Tulane University.

Instead of hopping on the St. Charles streetcar to continue on to the restaurant, we decided to walk the rest of the way there and check out the local residences. We ate at Boucherie, which was actually a much nicer restaurant than it lends itself to be. Supposedly, we should have had reservations (it says nothing about that on their website!), and our attire was fairly below what it should have been (again, nothing on the website!).

We took the streetcar back to the French Quarter and headed down Bourbon Street for the early evening. If I had to sum up my reaction, it would be: "Oh, my!" Take that however you want.

On Bourbon Street looking west towards Canal Street.

Why would you put a school in the French Quarter?!

Other than looking at some of the street performers, we did not partake in any of the festivities of Bourbon Street.

We then made our way to Jackson Square to see the St. Louis Cathedral at night, take in the view of the Mississippi River with the Crescent City Connection, and eat at the original Café du Monde.

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis in the evening.

Looking towards the west.

The Mississippi River with the Crescent City Connection (bridge).

Beignets and café au lait.

Beigneeeeeeet!

After a "healthy" fill of beignets, we headed back to the hotel and turned in for the night with the jazz still playing down on the streets.


Sunday, 24 June 2012

Taking in the morning view before we checked out.

We got an early start on Sunday and headed to Mother's again for the sake of my friend who joined us the afternoon of the day previous. After half of my debris sandwich, we decided to explore what laid across the Mississippi River from New Orleans and hopped on the ferry to the Algiers neighborhood.

Part of the downtown New Orleans skyline from the ferry.

Old Algiers: New Orleans' Best Kept Secret.
One of my friends said that after going through here, he was going to make sure it stayed that way.
I didn't think it was that bad.

Louie decided to greet us with smiles upon our arrival.

The Jazz Walk of Fame (the musicians are recognized in the lampposts) with the Crescent City Connection in the background.

Ah, quaint neighborhoods.

The ferries are the only viable way to get from the Algiers neighborhood to New Orleans proper since the Crescent City Connection span goes inland well beyond the neighborhood, and the ferry system is in a state of disrepair.

Early Sunday morning snooze.

After enjoying some cold drinks a corner cafe in Algiers, we headed to the ferry point to head back to New Orleans.

Statues of jazz musicians at the pedestrian plaza near Fulton Street & Poydras Street.

After a brief stroll through Harrah's and the surrounding area, we headed back to Jackson Square to experience it in the daytime. Jackson Square is a wonderful and lively place with all of the street vendors and shops.

St. Louis Cathedral in the daytime.

I forgot to get a "before" shot, but here's what's left of the Taste of New Orleans (gumbo, jambalaya, red beans & rice, and crawfish etoufée) from the Market Cafe.

My A&M friend left us during lunch since she had real business to attend to. My traveling companion and I then went to our last stop of the trip: The Presbytere. This location of the Louisiana State Museum system houses the exhibits for "Living with Hurricans: KATRINA and Beyond" and "Mardi Gras: It's Carnival Time in Louisiana."

A Katrina survivor lived in his attic for over a month , each day scribbling on the wall to summarize the day's events (and to probably also keep himself sane).

The bathroom doors here are ingenious.

The Mardi Gras exhibit was quite elaborate. 233 days left to the next Mardi Gras (as of 24 June 2012).

There was a lot left in New Orleans that I didn't get a chance to do. While it's currently not high on my list of places to go, it's proximity to where I'll be spending my life in the near future means the likelihood of visiting again is high.