For our second anniversary, hubs and I decided to do something within driving distance, but a place we hadn't been before. I'm convinced it was the National WWII Museum that was the deciding factor, but I'm sure he had other reasons for going.
When we first got there, we decided to visit Randall's stepmom's granddaughter's resturant (what a connection). Unfortunately, we missed her so decided to eat at a little place down the street called the Red Dog Diner. It was a delicious start to the weekend. We also stopped at Lafayette Cemetary and looked at many above-ground graves. It was right across the street from Commander's Palace which I'd been to years before, but I remember so little.
Afterward, it was time to check in to our hotel! We stayed at the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast on St Charles Ave. Joe and BeBe, the propietors, made us feel very welcome and also let us know that they were offering perks we couldn't get at the big chains. Which was very true...we got free parking, a warm cookie at check-in, a complimentary breakfast every morning, and free waters we could take with us on our adventures. We also got to stay in a house with 13-foot ceilings and beautiful antique furniture. The only drawback was that it was on the 3rd floor.
When Joe checked us in, he gave us detailed instructions on how to lock and unlock the front door, how the curfew worked after 10 pm (tiptoeing on the stairs), how to turn away people who wanted to get in the front door, how to keep the a/c from running all the time, and how to avoid letting water from the bathtub get into the floor below us. Ha! He was hilarious. He also gave us several recommendations on places to eat in a dry, monotonish sort of voice. But kindly, as well.
We embarked on our first evening by boarding a streetcar which was conveniently outside of our B&B. It wasn't long before we arrived in downtown New Orleans, and we walked several blocks to get to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's location. We were slightly late, but still managed to get in line for the first show. In front of us was a group of high school students from Canada who had apparently been to a cooking class. I thought that was interesting because all around us were people who were trying their best to get wasted. The students seemed oblivious. Still, after we got in, all of the crazy people dimmed to showcase the band. They were really, really good. Unfortunately we stood for the show, but that allowed me to *dance*. We were privileged to watch a 45 min show and left, feeling quite jazzy.
We went to catch a tour on a carriage. I had tried to reserve a private carriage but it turned out that guide couldn't make it, so we joined a group tour around the area. She took us out of the main area and showed us residential areas in the French Quarter, as well as haunted houses, and lots of places we could explore the next day. I think the best part was watching our guide navigate the streets with a horse, and working around the cars. After we left, we went to eat at a little outdoor eatery called the Market Cafe and listened to more jazz. Then we went back to the B&B.
The next day, we caught the street car early and went immediately to Cafe Du Monde. It was a great time of day although the menu was a bit confusing. The cafe au lait and beignets were amazing. We left there (early still) and began looking around the Market areas, as well as the French Quarter. Many shops were still closed, but we were able to see neat little gift shops, a weapons store, an art museum, and many specialty stores. We spent most of the morning just walking around the area, getting a Christmas ornament, sampling pralines, walking down Pirate Alley, reading all of the historical signs, and just taking in everything. I decided to stop at Central Grocery and get an original muffaletta, but what would Randall eat? He decided to go to FlamBo Burgers, which in all honesty may have been better than my sandwich! We then went and listened to a jazz band in Jackson Square for a while. So fun. But hot! We made our way to the US Mint and got some A/C. We tried to see as much as we could, but how can you see it all? We decided to take a barge to Algiers Point for the afternoon, and got a chance to see some different NOLA scenery. We also stopped at the Carousel Bar and Lounge in the Hotel Monteleone. Afterward, we did go back to the B&B, pretty much from exhaustion. I made a reservation at Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar that evening, and got the BBQ shrimp which Joe had raved about. Little did I realize how much work it would take to get the heads off the shrimp, lol.
On our last full day, we spent most of it at the National WWII Museum. It would take a journal to talk about everything there was to see. From Hitler's propaganda, to experiencing soldier's lives' firsthand, to seeing actual planes, it had everything. The main part of the museum was understanding how the war waged from a time line standpoint on both the European and the Asian fronts. It was incredibly realistic with movies, pictures, and many, many artifacts. But I will admit one of my favorite things was the "Beyond All Boundaries" movie. Narrated by Tom Hanks, it was a quick rendition of the war's impact on our nation. We stayed at the museum until 2 pm that day, and decided to walk through the Art District to get back to our streetcar. Beautiful paintings! We went back to get ready for our dinner at Mr B's, which was incredibly delicious. We met a couple from England at the bar, which was fun since my daughter was there at the time. And I got my first Sazerac drink there!
On our last day, we decided to spend the morning at Audubon Park and drive around Loyola/Tulane. We got a good walk in and even saw Mel and Pat's sister-in-law and niece there! We finally ended the trip by going to the restaurant of Kristi, Randall's cousin. I had a great meal there and she even joined us for a bit and comped our meal.
On to year 3...
