The Big Easy

I arrived in New Orleans late yesterday afternoon. Luckily I stopped at the Louisiana Visitor Center on Rte 10 and rec'd a coupon for a hotel in the French Quarter on St. Ann Street called Place D'Armes. It is beautiful, ornately decorated, complete with wrought iron balconies, chairs, tables and overgrown with ferns, azaleas and other unknown flowering shrubs. Since this is off season the rooms are very reasonably priced; however, after spending a short time walking the streets of the French Quarter I know why.... It is very hot and HUMID - my clothes were soaked with sweat within short order and I fear I failed as a tourist. I did make the eating hot spots - Cafe Du Monde for iced coffee and hot beignets(delicious)and a local 24 hour deli for a po boy shrimp sandwich and fruited bread pudding w/rum sauce for dessert. After walking thru Jackson Square, along the Mississippi and for a ways on Royal Street I called it a night and beat it back to my lovely and cool hotel room. I, unfortunately, noticed I was immune to some of the city's charms due to the heat and my discomfort with it.... The city definitely deserves another visit perhaps during their "winter" - but not Mardi Gras! Way too crowded and boisterous for the likes of me.

This morning I got up early enough to see the streets being cleaned (I wonder if they do that every day?)and sit on the balcony with my coffee (they don't look strong enough to withstand my weight but I did it anyway).

I thought of my grandmother Reiki Master Linda Keiser Mardis who when I was traveling to Paris for the first time shared a 10 page treatis with me on "eating in Paris". I'm sure one could do the same in New Orleans. However I must forgo any more eating pleasures - oh well, maybe a muffaletta sandwich for the road, and that iced coffee at Cafe Du Monde was really good but oh my how can one go there without ordering beignets? Maybe I could bring some to my friends in Houston - do you think there would be any left after 6 hours of driving?

And I must at least drive the famous Bourbon Street before heading further west. Well, maybe I need a little fortitude for that....