Saturday, March 31, 2012

Louisiana Plantations

We heard there were plantations nearby and took a ride to see what we could find.  There are eight plantations near New Orleans that offer tours, and we stopped at two of them.

_MG_4220
Our first stop was Oak Alley Plantation, and this quarter mile alley of Virginia Live Oaks leading to the plantation house was just beautiful.  The oaks are over 300 years old and were actually here long before the plantation house.

_MG_4175
The flowers were so colorful, and the sugar kettle looked right at home here.

_MG_4178
This is looking toward the back of the house, and these are some of the younger oaks..

_MG_4182
The guides looked like real Southern Bells.  The plantation owners must have loved their olive oil because they imported it in these huge jars.

IMG_4185
This southern gentleman could really make the place come alive with his stories.

IMG_4186
The big flat thing hanging over the table was a fan tied to a rope that a slave pulled to cool the guests at dinner.

IMG_4189
The master bedroom.

IMG_4193
This intricately carved cradle was in the master bedroom.

IMG_4196
A  look down Oak Alley from the veranda off the master bedroom.

IMG_4203
It would be nice to sit on this veranda and sip a mint julep while watching the ships glide down the Mississippi River.

IMG_4207
Did you see the movie Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte?  This is the actual staircase that the head rolled down!  They filmed it here!  

IMG_4223
Another look at Oak Alley Plantation as seen from the river bank.

IMG_4231
This is Laura: A Creole Plantation, and it’s not like Oak Alley Plantation at all.

IMG_4230
Although they were just as wealthy, the Creole’s tried to keep their plantation houses low key.  They had their big, fancy houses in New Orleans.

IMG_4243
These furnishings are not original to the house, but they are in the style of a Creole Plantation.

IMG_4247
The back of Laura Plantation house is rather plain.

IMG_4249
These are the slave quarters.  This building housed two families of slaves and, even after they were freed, some lived here until 1979.

So that’s it for our visit to New Orleans. Now we’ll be winding our way north, towards home. 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

New Orleans - The Garden District, back to the French Quarter, and The Levee

Another thing Jaime and Beth talked about was The Garden District.  Beth said we should take the streetcar.  So we did.

_MG_4113
It’s the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar.  We rode it to the end and back  so we could see all of The Garden District.  The next day we came again and walked.

_MG_4086
Everyone has seen pictures of New Orleans cemeteries, or read about them, and I wanted to walk through one myself.  

_MG_4089
The tombs were very close together, and you can see a long list of the people that are buried inside some of them.

_MG_4095
These were well maintained, but some are very unloved looking.

_MG_4102
I loved these huge, old houses, and our handy Frommer’s Guide I printed out told us something about many of them.  Too bad I didn’t keep better notes.

IMG_7217
Doesn’t this one look inviting, with it’s broad porch and balcony, and the huge fence to keep nosey tourists out.

_MG_4104
This house I do remember because we were caught in a rain shower here.  It’s Archie Manning’s house, where the little Manning boys played football on the front lawn.  The house doesn’t look very large at first, but it goes back a long way and then stretches to the sides.

_MG_4107
Most of the houses have fences around them.  Nice fences, not chain link.

_MG_4108
I think this is John Goodman’s house. 

_MG_4112
 This is Commander’s Palace Restaurant.  We didn’t eat here, dress code: no shorts.  Beth and her friends ate here, on the patio.

_MG_4118
 The trees along St. Charles St. were loaded with beads thrown during the Mardi Gras parades.  They never take them down because it’s supposed to be bad luck if you remove them.


IMG_7220
The night before we did our walking tour one of these huge old beauties caught fire while they were renovating it and burned down.

_MG_4102
I just had to stop at each one and admire it.  Bob was very patient with me.

_MG_4126
After our walking tour we went back the French Quarter had lunch at Pat O'Brien's, and this time the girls told me to try a Hurricane.  That was good stuff!!! So were the jambalaya, beans and rice, gumbo, and crawfish etouffee.  I tried it all!

IMG_7258
 After all that eating and drinking in the French Quarter, the next day we went for a bike ride along the Mississippi River Levee. 

IMG_7260
The river is deep and wide and we saw a lot of ships and barges during our 25 mile bike trip.


IMG_7272
It’s a nice place for a bike ride with no traffic to worry about.

IMG_7284
This is one of the famous pumps on the Mississippi River.  Remember hearing about them during the hurricane?  They have them spaced every mile or two along the levee.

IMG_7263
 If you ride the levee trail south it ends at a park near the zoo.  

IMG_7269
In true Hidden River RV Resort tradition, we stopped for lunch on our bike ride, and this time we had some good food at Cooter Brown’s.

IMG_7267
Bob had a muffaletta and I had an oyster poboy but, after reading the menu more carefully, maybe we should have had the Coonass Special.  So good you wanna slap yo mamma!  Bob said that’s ok.  It just gives us another reason to come back to New Orleans.

It’s almost time to leave New Orleans but we took a side trip to see two plantations.  That’s our next blog post.

Monday, March 26, 2012

New Orleans The French Quarter: Part 1

I’ve wanted to go to New Orleans for many, many years, so when I finally got there we spent a lot of time in the city and took tons of pictures. 

_MG_4044
Both Jaime and Beth said to be sure to have beignets at Café du Monde, so we went  there first.

IMG_7182
When Bob saw the line he started to grumble but I ignored him.  I wanted some beignets!


















Bob has the Thomas sweet tooth and he was glad we waited.  They were sooo good!  As a matter of fact, we returned there another day just to make sure we liked them. 

_MG_4031
This building is across the street from Café du Monde, next to Jackson Square.  I loved the wrought iron balcony railings. 

IMG_7205
So many of the houses in the French Quarter have shutters on their doors and windows. 

IMG_7207
This house looks pretty in pink and the bows make it even more fun!  I wonder if this is left from Mardi Gras, or do the owners just like it this way.

_MG_4055
The French Quarter has many beautiful building with all those wrought iron balconies.

IMG_7229
We had lunch at the Acme Oyster House one day.  Yum!  We love oysters!

IMG_7235
This group of street musicians looked like they just stepped right out of the bayou.

IMG_7247
The steamboat Natchez was getting ready to sail.

IMG_7255
The lady on the roof was playing the steam calliope.  It was….different.

_MG_4034
Carriages were lined up in Jackson Square ready to take visitors on a tour.  In New Orleans the carriages are pulled by mules!

_MG_4054
Saint Louis Cathedral was beautiful.

_MG_4057
We noticed a little action on this street and walked down to see what was going on.

_MG_4066
A movie, Now You See Me, was being filmed, in Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop.
_MG_4058
Everyone was walking up to this guy and asking to have their picture taken with him.  I recognized him too – Morgan Freeman!

_MG_4073
Bob talked me into doing it too, but my new friend Morgan was very nice!

_MG_4076
Woody Harrelson and Michael Caine were inside filming.  Or so we heard.

_MG_4080
If you go to see Now You See Me, look for Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop.  

_MG_4081
I hope it won’t be cut!

_MG_4127
Bob spotted this Rolls Royce and talked to the car’s personal guardian who told him that was his job: guarding the Rolls and bringing it when it’s needed in a scene.

_MG_4136
Back in Jackson Square there were a lot of Tarot Readers, and a lot of people having their palms read,

_MG_4137
and, of course more street musicians.

_MG_4145
We wandered down to the river and I spotted this guy who was obviously dressed up for something.  Or is it just New Orleans?

_MG_4148
It’s another crew filming near the river and this time it was a funeral scene.

_MG_4165
The guy in the pink outfit told us they were filming for Treme, on HBO.  He was an extra and got paid $250 for two hours of work, dancing at the funeral.

_MG_4174
He also told us that this is one of the dredges they use when they dredge the river 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  They have to keep the shipping lanes open because the Mississippi is a very busy river.

OK, that’s it for part one of our visit to New Orleans.  Next stop:  The Garden District.