NOTE: This blog is in 5 parts--scroll down to begin at Part 1!
It was Monday, and Day 7 of our trip. It was finally time to spend a day in the big city. We had planned to visit on a Monday morning, hoping that the French Quarter would be relatively quiet. Instead, it was a family circus, crawling with tourists. We managed to find an expensive parking spot, and were able to wander around the Quarter for just over an hour. There was live music on the streets, which was okay, and many of the narrow streets were blocked to traffic. Small and crowded stores and rundown bars dominated the area, with untold numbers of restaurants serving Louisiana cuisine. Why so many people wandering around? Think Florence or Venice in high season, but without the Renaissance art and architecture.
The highlights were Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, but there really wasn't much else to see. I had no urge to enter one of the seedy looking bars, and the gift shops were either tourist junk shops or super expensive ones. The lineup for Cafe du Monde went far down the street, so we gave it a miss. In just over an hour we were back at the car, with two hours still left on our meter.
Original plans had been to stay for lunch in the Quarter. Instead, we headed further southwest, passed the modern skyscraper part of downtown, to a part of Magazine Street that reminded me of Queen St. in Toronto before it got all expensive. It is a funky area of small shops and restaurants, and without the hordes of tourists. We had a memorable lunch at Union Ramen. Their special vegan ramen was by far the best ramen we have ever eaten! It helped restore our faith in New Orleans, much as the rest of our time spent in the city did. Once we had left the Quarter behind us, we began to relax and enjoy the town.
We strolled the area after lunch before heading to City Park, a vast green space in the north end. It is home to a conservatory, gardens including a sculpture garden, a storybook garden, the art museum, and a branch of Cafe du Monde. Being a Monday most attractions were closed, but we visited the park and the cafe, which was not only scenic in a run down fin de siecle way, but it wasn't terribly busy. We were able to sample their famous beignets, essentially square donuts swimming in powdered sugar. The only coffee they serve (since time immemorial) is a cafe au lait, with real milk. No milk substitutes were on offer, so we passed on the coffee.
Instead, we went to a small cafe just outside the park. PJ's Coffee hit the spot, and we sat a long time here, still happily remembering our shitake mushroom ramen meal at Union Ramen. We finally moved to our final stop of the day. Second Line Brewing Company is a women-owned business that served us up some truly amazing beer. They had a garden with picnic tables, but it was so windy that we sat inside, a smaller area with garage doors partly open to the world but sheltered from the wind. This also turned into a very long and highly pleasant stop, and most memorable. Since escaping the Quarter, we had found scattered treasures in other less hectic parts of the city.
We sat here a long time, until it was safe for me to drive. It was past rush hour, and the traffic was manageable. We had been having persistent tire pressure problems with the left rear tire. We had to fill it up each morning, which was a pain. You would not believe how many service stations either do not have air, or their machine is not working. Our hotel tonight was once again in Metaire. Deb was able to score us a free night with Choice Hotel points she had saved up. It turned out to be the best hotel of the trip, a Country Inn and Suites by Radisson. Deb told me that there was a thunderstorm during the night. If there was, I know nothing of it. I slept like a bear.
Our final day was devoted to a three hour visit to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The museum lies at the heart of City Park. The older front of the building has been enlarged with a large and very modern addition. There is a pretty decent art collection, well worth a half day. Several times we were pleasantly surprised at some of the things we saw, including a marvellous Dore landscape, and two by Courbet. These made the visit worth it in themselves. There is a cafe, and a gift store where I was able to purchase a pencil for my collection. There are three floors of art, very well organized. Their Native American galleries were closed, no doubt for reasons similar to the Moundville Museum being devoid of displays.
After the museum visit it was time to head for the airport. It is a fairly lengthy process to return a rental vehicle here and get to the main terminal. The flight home was fine, though the approach to Detroit during a rainstorm was bumpy. We had a long wait to deplane from our full flight, and then another long wait for Airlines Parking vans. Overall the trip was a huge success, and we are glad we went, despite all the hassles associated with air travel. Changing planes is the worst, especially in Europe. But flying direct, like we did this time, is definitely the way to go.
TRIP SUMMARY
Thinking about and planning a trip is very different from actually undertaking one. That gap widens with age. We hadn't flown since 2018, so there was some anxiety about that part of the journey. Luckily it went smoothly, both ways. Flights were quiet and on time. We only had carry on luggage, which also helped a lot. Light tee shirts and a light jacket are the way to go, if heading south. Both airports are ultra modern and easy to navigate, though New Orleans is considerably smaller than Detroit's.
The weather was mostly good, with 60s and 70s most days, with little rain. Roads were excellent, and it was easy to find good vegan food and breweries. We had a number of major goals to achieve, and managed to complete them all. The only real downside was that my Dad went into the hospital during our 2nd day, and ended up passing away near the end of our trip. That will always colour the trip a certain way, especially since we were due to visit home soon after.
We have travelled only a little since 2018. We are resuming, however, at least as far as exploring the USA goes. At the moment neither of us is much interested in a trans-Atlantic flight, though that may change. I would love to revisit Vienna, and see something of Berlin, not to mention wonderful cities such as Prague and Rome. For now, though, there is still much to see in North America.
This was a fun trip, somewhat akin to last year's voyage towards Little Rock. March and April climates can be pretty decent in the south. Two prehistoric mound sites visited were truly spectacular places, both unforgettable. New cities visited included Tuscaloosa and Montgomery Alabama, and Monroe and New Orleans Louisiana. The four newest state highpoints visited were, like each of the others visited to date, were unique and fun experiences. We now have 11 highpoints checked off.
A return to New Mexico may be attempted again in October. Hopefully it, too, will be a fun and spiritually rewarding and rejuvenating adventure. As to the deep south, I really wouldn't mind revisiting Alabama someday. It seems we were hurrying through it much of the time, though when we did sit in one place quietly for a time, it was quite enjoyable. And it has mountains and hiking.
Mapman Mike
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