New Orleans!

We recently celebrated our anniversary and were thrilled to find out we could run over to New Orleans for two nights. We stayed at a hotel in the Garden District which used to be the "American" side of New Orleans when the French/Spanish/Creole citizens ran the show.

The best aspect of our hotel room... the luxury bathroom.

Chris and I standing on the observation deck on top of the hotel. In the back ground is New Orlean's skyline including the Superdome. That is where the survivors of hurricane Katrina stayed.

The observation deck was really nice at night as well, except for the cockroaches that were EVERYWHERE. We thankfully didn't see any inside the building, but Chris stepped on at least 4 while we enjoyed the view for 5 min.

This is the Natchez on the Mississippi River. It was fun to see the river for the first time and to find out that New Orleans is actually an island (who would have guessed, unless you looked at a map). It is surrounded by the river, a lake, and swamp lands.

Us standing in front of a Mardi Gras statue. We tried to stay away from the obvious tourist traps, but got stuck in the Riverwalk shopping complex. It had pamphlets in our hotel talking about how great it was, but it's just a mall.

This was the funniest form of business we stumbled upon in New Orleans. Its predominantly a LAUNDROMAT that also serves as an entertainment source. You can do your laundry while sipping on a beer, eating a burger, and playing a game. If you can read the tiny print, the awning will tell you everything you need to know.

We went on an educational walking tour of the French Quarter. We saw the authentic 1850 house (named for the year it was finished). The original owner was the Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba. She was such a strong female! She was in an arranged marriage to a distant cousin and bore 5 children. Her father-in-law wanted her property so much so he shot her 7 times. She survived and lived to the age of 78 with 2 of the bullets still lodged in her chest! She even gained a legal separation from her husband in the French courts (unheard of at that time). She preserved two blocks of building in the French Quarter known as the Upper and Lower Pontalba Buildings.

An example of the architecture. We learned the difference between wrought vs. cast iron, gallerias vs. balconies, and if it is a veranda. People still live in the apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors of these building.... that would be a fun experience.

This is one block of the preserved Pontalba buildings.

This is an order of beignets. They are fried square dough covered in powered sugar AKA the French doughnut. They were delicious! We also got to taste some local cuisine at a Gumbo restaurant. Chris got the meat Gumbo and I got a po-boy (delicious sandwich). The look of gumbo scares me... all that unidentifiable meat stewing in rice and broth - YUCK! However, Chris swore it was delicious!

This is some Jazz music we were fortunate enough to enjoy before we left for Houston.