New Orleans Part Deux

OK, my friends, ready to join me for more of New Orleans?  OK, we just finished our delicious cafe au lait and beignets we crossed the street to walk through Jackson Square.  This park is magnificent.  An oasis in a busy city, the heart of the French Quarter.  There are many benches to rest, it's gardens are impeccable and beautiful, there is a statue of Andrew Jackson our 7th President of the United States who as a general won a decisive victory in the War of 1812 in New Orleans.  Behind you see the St. Louis Cathedral.

This wonderful church rang it's bells at certain times of the day which was just dreamy.

The beautiful bronze statue of Andrew Jackson atop his steed.  I was surprised to see the smoke stacks of the Steamboat Natchez on the Mississippi when I looked at this photo! :-)

The imposing church standing right in front.  I went in to the church and was dismayed to not be able to enter the sanctuary as a wedding was in progress.  But, it is a working church.

Standing in front of the church looking east at the Mississippi and looking over the plaza and Jackson Square.  This plaza is like the "living room" of the place, with many benches, jazz musicians playing at all hours of the day and the iron gates of the park hung with original paintings by local artists - you can even get your palm read here.  :-)

My sister Roberta and I enjoyed the plaza while my sister Denise and daughter Amy did some walking and shopping.  This guy was playing wonderful music on an electric violin!  To see how close our hotel was, you can see it on the right, the red brick with yellow trim, the taller yellow brick next to that is our hotel room!

This is the building across from our hotel, we tried to have breakfast at Stanley restaurant, but the lines were too long.  

One of the beloved mules that pull the carriages.  I saw a woman taking care of the mules and I asked her if she was in charge of them all and she said yes.  Mules pull the carriages as they are heartier than the horse and can endure the hot and humid climate better.

Next up was a streetcar ride through the Garden District.

Inside the well cared for streetcar, the seats are varnished wood.  The windows open, which I loved.

We trundled by blocks and blocks of the most wonderful historic homes, I had to take all these shots as we were rolling along, needless to say I had to do a lot of straightening and cropping of these photos as cars were parked in front of them all.  I will show you the best ones, but trust me, we were oohing and ahhing the whole way.

I can't really imagine the lucky people who live in these amazing homes.  But it's fun to try to think of who lives there and what their lives are like and hoping that they appreciate it.

Which is your favorite? 

I noticed that this one was in need of a little scrubbing and paint.

Almost every one has a gorgeous iron fence and a balcony.

What I found extraordinary is that all the trees along this street were dripping in Mardi Gras beads and I realized that it must be along the parade route and the beads must land in the trees when thrown from the floats.  At least that is my idea why all the trees have beads hanging down.

I love this house and the magnificent live oak tree and it's fern-laden branches gracefully hanging across the home's facade.

My daughter Amy captured this fabulous image of this fanciful house.  I just love this one!  

Back to the hotel to freshen up before our dinner reservations... this image enchanted me of the exposed brick and ferns growing out of the crevices.

We had some wild weather during our week here but we also had some sunshine and warmth and it was wonderful.  Here is a sunlit view of the pool courtyard.

I snapped this beautiful building on our walk to our dinner destination.

And here we are - the three sisters at the Court of Two Sisters.  My daughter Amy snapped the photos for us.  We'd dined here on our last visit and I wanted to go here again.

Here is a very old story board to tell you about this wonderful place.

It is famous for it's wonderful and large courtyard dining area.  There was a threat of rain so we could not dine outside, but rather in another enchanting part of the restaurant.

The beautiful fountain tinkling with falling water.

The lovely dining area next to the courtyard. 

My daughter getting served her seafood gumbo - part of our 4 course dinner.

The gumbo was just as I'd remembered and was perfect.

My dinner was chicken atop garlic mashed potatoes, mounded with lump crabmeat, drizzled with hollandaise with 4 perfectly cooked asparagus.

Vanilla Creme Brulee for dessert.

Darkness fell as we enjoyed our dinner and we bid a fond farewell to our evening with a last peak into the lighted courtyard.  

Our next evening's adventure was a dinner cruise on the Steamboat Natchez.  My sister Denise captured the next two photos - thanks for sharing, sis!

I love the bright red paddle wheel!  The Mississippi isn't nicknamed the "Big Muddy" for nothing!

A fantastic Jazz band played all through our dinner, so fun!

My sister Roberta at dinner - I love all the tin panels on the ceiling of this old historic steamboat.

After dinner we sat on the deck during the cruise up the river and I snapped some photos of the big ships at anchor, we waved at the crew on board.

Can you believe that I snapped this cityscape as we returned to dock with my iPhone?

I captured this image of the bridge over the Mississippi as we turned to arrive at the dock - the docking was pretty interesting in itself!

I took a pedi-cab ride back to the hotel which was an experience in itself!  OK, I must finish and pack my bags for our trip to the beach for my birthday!  :-)  Adventure living!  I hope you're making the most out of your days.. we only go around once!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)