What a city! Have you ever been there?!? Jambalaya, alligator nuggets, red beans & rice, gumbo, blackened redfish, beignets ... these are some of the foods that we ate while in Louisiana. I am fascinated by how diverse our country is, both in cultural and scenary, and New Orleans was definitely one of those interesting and quite unique places to visit. I would describe it as historical, diverse, religious, lively, cultural, and in some parts, quite carnal. There's Spanish and French architecture, bayous, swamps, cajun food, music, street performers, shops, and bars galore.
We left Birmingham early on Sunday morning to make the 5hr trip to New Orleans. On the way there we stopped in Tuscaloosa to observe some of the terrible tornado damage.
Then we drove across the longest bridge in the US - a 25 mile trek across Lake Pontchartrain. For a structural engineer, this is a big deal : ) It was on John's "must-do" list. For some reason Anna was scared of driving across the bridge until she realized that it looked like regular road. I'm not quite sure what she envisioned it would be like.
This is a photo of the hotel, the Homewood Suites, where we stayed. They get two thumbs up from me. Staying in a suite was so nice with kiddos. Breakfast and dinner were included in the stay, which saved a lot of money. The best part? We used our reward points to pay for all four nights: )
The mighty Mississippi! After arriving in the city, we spent the rest of the day exploring the French Quarter. We walked to the riverwalk, Jackson Square, and around some of the popular streets.
The famous St. Louis cathedral at Jackson Square
Anna was very reluctant to get her photo with this street performer. We found out that this lady is a Kindergarten teacher by day. Wow.
Music and palm readers in front of a catherdral - an interesting combination.
Dinner at the "The Famous Gumbo Pot."
Beignets for dessert!
Payton eating a beignet for the first time. She was a fan of the powdered sugar : ) Messy and yummy.
We had such a wonderful time also.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for inviting us.
Great pictures.
I went to N'Awlins when I was a kid, and again on a vacation with my sister. It is such a great, diverse city. Looking forward to pt.2!
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful vacation! i've never been, though grady has and he hopes to being our family someday. so happy you made fun memories together (and that you did the hotel for free!) :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a vacation in before the baby. . . so was N. Orleans or last years trip to that resort better???? :)
ReplyDeleteThat last picture of Payton is precious.
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