New Orleans

We got to New Orleans yesterday and have been going all day today.  We have eaten at a couple of good "local" places that the hotel clerk recommended.  One was Daisy Dukes and tonight was Deany's.  It was WORTH blogging about.  We loved the portions & prices were very good.  Nice atmosphere, just all around great dining.  For starters, instead of bread, they bring red new potatoes & butter.  Very good!  I will stop chatting and add a few pics....I am losing energy by the minute!  I feel really bad, as I am sitting here, Clyde is fixing to go back out to pick up packages we didn't want to carry earlier. I offered to go with him (not wholeheartedly) and he said no, he would be fine to go.  I hope he doesn't make a detour by Bourbon Street!  OK, by day I liked Bourbon St. in a way.  Some music, liked the balconies with flowers, and the shop where I picked up the boys snow globes was there.  At night....NOT at all.  Sorry, I don't mean to be prudish, but it was so sad...to me.  We only walked back there a short distance to actually buy the globes....today we saw them (the snow globes:) but I wanted to make sure I liked them best.  The girls hanging in the doorways to clubs were hardly dressed, or not at all....I kept thinking of their life.  I wondered if the money was worth what it must cost them.  Just a little sad to me.

When I saw these on another table, I thought they were round fritters of some sort....like hushpuppies.  They were the above mentioned new potatoes.  Good beginning.

I had eaten one fish from here and we had taken the cole slaw off the end.  We also got a nice salad and fries.  Let's see....there were oysters, good size shrimp & fish.  All good...very good.

This is a quick pic of Bourbon St. at night.  We walked to the gift shop then took a side street off.  I don't care ever to go there again.  LOL! 

We enjoyed watching the boats along the Mississippi River, on the River Walk.

Radom shots, not in order.  This is our room.  Being in the big city reminded me of Boston....when we gave up our car for the few days we were there. Or New York, where we could pick up a pastry down in the lobby (not a continental breakfast).  On our way out this morning, I wanted a large ice tea, so we went to McD's!  No free refills and you pay to potty.  Coming back this afternoon, I bought another ice tea this one in our lobby.....thrice the price and half the size. 

A walk around Jackson's Square.

We took a bus tour today, the one we used was VIP Tours.  This is Dino, a local that was flooded out of his home from Katrina.  He had just finished remodeling his home after a years work when this happened.  He was not one stranded as he got out when he was warned to (I believe he said).  This tour was two hrs. and he spoke a lot of Katrina.  He showed us the houses that Brad Pitt is rebuilding with solar energy.  The electic bill is very low now in these homes.  I may add a photo below.  The pic above is how the dead are buried here.  All above ground with many family members in one grave.  All the names on the one above are buried in it.  They wait one year and one day to open it up for another person to be buried. 

Dino was quite humorous and had a lot of information.  Very knowledgeable. 

One of Brad Pitt's houses....see the solar energy panel?

This is the last thing for today.  An evening ferry ride.