It may be quiet here on the blog for the next few weeks. I just have travel pics to share with y'all for the time being. Let's continue with New Orleans. These pics are from Sunday May 30, the day before Memorial Day.
In my opinion, the best place to start a sightseeing tour of The French Quarter is at the very north end of the French Market. I started on a Sunday morning bright and early, and it wasn't so crowded with people. Plus the vendors are still all busy setting up so they have less time to harass you as you browse. lol. Here's the French Market at the north end:
Here is the world-famous Cafe Du Monde - where you can get 3 beignets for 2 dollars.
If you go, expect a long wait. Look at the line at 10:00 Am on Sunday:
Around the corner, there's a window that allows you to peek in to see how they are made. First, they are cut from the dough, then deep fried - look at them floating in the grease. Disgusting, really.
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Once they come out of the grease, they are covered with powdered sugar. Basically, they are just fried dough "pillows".
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Obligatory photo opp, right outside the bistro.
Close by is a monument dedicated to Joan of Arc. The inscription reads "Joan of Arc, Maid of Orleans (1412-1431) A gift from the people of France to the citizens of New Orleans"
And I have to include this pic of Ingrid Bergman as Joan, since it's her birthday today--
Here is a plaque nearby; notice any names? "Huey P. Long (deceased) Former Governor" and "Earl K. Long Lieutenant Governor" (played by Paul Newman in Blaze)
Here's a jazz musician, Sunday morning:
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A favorite New Orleans dessert is "bananas foster", a concoction of steaming hot bananas and rum sauce served over ice-cold vanilla ice cream. The restaurant that created them is called Brennan's. Closed for a long time after Katrina, it is now open. My friend and I wanted to try some, but we were told that they only do it as a flambe and we'd have to order a meal, but we didn't stay for that.
Here is a cool looking museum we ran into, a pharmacy museum with vintage artifacts from an earlier era. The museum was closed that day, but I got a pic through the window.
I bet it would have been cool to see some of those old-timey gadgets and bottles.
Here's a nice view of Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. I went to a mass that Sunday morning and it was pretty much filled with tourists.
Back in the 1970s, Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby filmed a scene from Let's Do It Again in front of the monument of Andrew Jackson.
It started to rain about noontime, and I attempted to capture the moment.
Not far away is The Gumbo Shop (not to be confused with Gumby's Pizza). As mentioned previously in Part 2, I highly recommend this restaurant for lunch.
More photos of cool looking architecture of the French Quarter:
Here, I was surprised to learn that the Louisiana Supreme Court building is right there in the French Quarter.
Brad Pitt and Angelina have an apartment right next to that pink building, according to our tour guide:
Around noontime, a huge crowd of activists gathered on the steps across from Jackson Square (I didn't see Brangelina, though)
The film, Louisiana Story (which I reviewed a few weeks ago) might make for a a good discussion at one of their meetings.
I wonder if they hung that flag out on display on Memorial Day.
Here's a video I took, showing more signs, Jackson Square, and the Cafe du Monde.
I saw two closed-down movie theaters on Canal Street, just outside the French Quarter on the south end.
