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Stimulating the No'leans Economy

xvart

Doing it wrong until I do it right.
Staff member
Moderator
My wife and I arrived in New Orleans this morning for a quick vacation to celebrate her graduation and her new job and spending our stimulus rebate checks that we haven't received yet. We've spent all day walking around the French Quarter, up and down, and all around. I had the most amazing Shrimp and Grits today... Also some Gumbo/Jambalaya... Fantastic stuff! We went to the aquarium and took a haunted history tour which was actually quite fascinating and engaging. I am in love with this area and want to buy up one of the apartment/condos in this area with a gallery (balcony) hanging over so I can watch everyone below while growing fantastic CPs!

I can't remember everything else we're doing, but I know we're going on a bog tour, going to Emeril's restaurant, and some other stuff. We leave on Saturday.

Here are some pictures I wanted to quickly share (I had some fun messing around with our camera's color settings, which I had never done before. Since we just got a new camera, we are going to try and get some high quality photos to frame):

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I know that's quite the variety of images, and not really a good representation of what we actually did today; but I had a lot of other pictures, these just turned out the best.

xvart.
 
I was in NO, this past March. It's an awesome place. Very unique. There is a lot of history there, if you know where to look.

One this you must do before you leave, if you haven't already done it, is to drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It's the longest bridge in the world at 24 miles. You drive forever and see nothing but water. It's so long that you can't see land at all.

Have a good time and take a lot of pics, especially on Bourbon St. late at night.
 
Several years ago my company sent a bunch of us to N.O. for work at a landfill. We stayed at a hotel called the Ponchertrain.
 
Awwww....xvart, now you've gone and made me homesick! ;) Those are some great shots!

There's a lot of really neat stuff to see down there... and some delicious food. I hope you have a great trip!

There is a colony of feral quaker parrots that live in the French Quarter (I think around Magazine St.). You might be able to see them and will definitely be able to hear them! You should check out Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo if you didn't see it on the Haunted History tour (it's a little creepy, but fun).

Make sure you eat some crawfish while you're down there. They're in season right now, so they should be REALLY good!

Enjoy and laissez le bon temps roulez!
 
New Orleans is a really beautiful place. I wish I could have visited it pre-Katrina. I went down there in 2005 during my spring break, to help out the people down there with my local church.

Make sure to stop at café au lait and get some beignets. I love how everything is open up to the streets, so as you walk by you feel like you're already in there. Beautiful city.
 
I lived in Gretna Louisiana for around 20 years had to move due to Katrina our house was well pretty much undamaged except for fence down a few windows broken and roof leak somewhere luckily I was at a anime convention in Lafayette Louisiana when it happened and stayed at my brothers there too my mom was a nurse so she went to help at her job intill things cleared up.

I had the best 20 years there Mardi Gras, different festivals, the zoo, and the aquarium also going to eat beignets allmost every saturday at the mall was yummy also my grandmother used to lived at Magazine st. and I'd allways hear and see the quaker parrots and they'd sometimes go to here bird feeder and another thing my Grandmother is kinda crazy one time she told my family that she is a reincarnation of a Voodoo queen thing is she is born in Indiana. :-))

I hope you had fun xvart I'll be going there for my brother's wedding in July and another week to go see my old home, my friends, and to go to the aquarium, zoo, and see where Marine Life used to be it's said the whole place was flatten amazingly the dolphins survived and are in Florida still I think I remember playing with the baby dolphins throwing the ball to them if I ever get a decent internet I'll have to post pictures of the dolphins and the sealions.. =(
 
New Orleans is a really beautiful place. I wish I could have visited it pre-Katrina. I went down there in 2005 during my spring break, to help out the people down there with my local church.

Make sure to stop at café au lait and get some beignets. I love how everything is open up to the streets, so as you walk by you feel like you're already in there. Beautiful city.

Yes, Outsiders is right about that... Cafe du Monde is the place to go! Nothing like a good cafe au lait and beignets.

I'm heading back down to New Orleans in September and it can't get here fast enough!

If you didn't have the opportunity to visit New Orleans pre-Katrina, most of the major tourist spots like the French Quarter and such look like they were never touched... they look almost exactly like they did before the storm. The last time I was there I stayed at St. Peter's House hotel just a couple of blocks off of Bourbon. It's the rest of the city that's in shambles. Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and in 2007 much of the damage was still there. :(
 
Make SURE to eat at K-Paul's. It's less expensive for lunch. The sweet potato pecan pie was one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life.

Also, go to Tipina's or Mulate's for some Zydeco/Cajun dancing. When we were there we went across the river to Mardis Gras World. It was cool seeing the floats up close and we got to dress up in some of those crazy costumes.

Laizzez Les Bon Temps Roulez!!!
 
  • #11
Man I miss that city. Went once back around '96 or so, and twice in 1999. :(
 
  • #12
Mmmm good southern style seafood down there :gulp:
 
  • #13
Also, go to Tipina's or Mulate's for some Zydeco/Cajun dancing.

Laizzez Les Bon Temps Roulez!!!

I've never eaten at Mulate's in New Orleans, but any time I'm anywhere close to Lafayette, I go to the one out in Breaux Bridge. Man, their stuffed shrimp is SOOOO good. I also got some fantastic alligator the last time I was there.

On Friday and Saturday nights (if I remember correctly) they bring in chank-a-chank bands. You get great food, great music, and great exposure to the Cajun culture. There's nothing like watching an elderly Cajun couple get out on the dancefloor and dance a nice Cajun two-step. :) It's a hoot!

Mardi Gras is definitely something everyone needs to experience. I'm not crazy about going to the parades in the Vieux Carre because of the crowds (and it can be a little bit dangerous) but I really enjoy going to the parades in places like Metairie and Luling. You get to see Mardi Gras and you're close enough to NOLA to really get to enjoy the city. Other options for Mardi Gras include Shreveport (extreme NW Louisiana - not part of Cajun country, but they still have some of that Cajun influence) and they've got two really good Mardi Gras parades. Part of the parade route is even reserved for families - no alcohol allowed. The Krewe of Centaur and Krewe of Gemini are both fun parades.
 
  • #14
To really get the feel of New Orleans, go mid-summer. When that sub-tropical weather sets in, you re-set your internal clock and take a break mid-day with a nap in the afternoon. Then the rain falls and you go out afterwards for the night. As for food, pop in almost any bar for red beans & rice and muffalettas. Pay the extra $ for a hotel in the Vieux Carre and enjoy wandering around without being saddled with a car.
 
  • #15
Awwww....xvart, now you've gone and made me homesick! ;) Those are some great shots!

Thanks, Will. I didn't realize you were from here. Every minute that passes by makes me wish I grew up in this area. The way of life is so appealing.

Yes, Outsiders is right about that... Cafe du Monde is the place to go! Nothing like a good cafe au lait and beignets.

I went there this afternoon! It was fantastic. The rain started coming down hard, but that didn't ruin the beignets!

Mmmm good southern style seafood down there :gulp:

The best. Every meal I eat is better than the rest. I can't remember the name now, but we ate at that restaurant where they leave the table under the stairs with bread and wine for the ghosts...

I'm uploading pictures of my swamp tour today and some from around town that I'll post in a little bit.

xvart.
 
  • #16
I must be the only person on the planet who has never had any desire to go to New Orleans.

???

It' always about partying.
 
  • #17
Day 2 - Swamp Tour and Misc.

So my wife and I took a swamp tour today. It was simply beautiful, serene, peaceful, and amazing. Here are a few of the tons of pictures I took. The water level was a foot and a half about flood stages because of all the rain recently, so we were able to go places that are normally unavailable this time of year.

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Then we encountered our first wildlife: the Great Blue Heron, which eats 60 - 70% of the baby alligator population during their first year of live after hatching.

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Then we saw a couple of gators. This particular one was about five and half feet long, so just fresh from coming out to play with the "big boys" in the main stream flow.

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Continued...

xvart.
 
  • #18
This is one of the areas that would be unaccessible if the flood level was lower.

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The water was so clear, but so dark from all the tannins. Next we saw a couple more birds. I was only able to get some terrible pictures of the barred owl. I've zoomed up some to help point them out but it was starting to get cloudy, and with the tree cover it was getting dark and my camera wasn't responding well.

The barred owl:
NewOrleans-May2008095.jpg

He's on the left middle.

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I can't find him now, but I know he's in that picture. I have it zoomed a little later on, so I'll remember where he is in a few minutes, lol.

And flying:
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Continued...

xvart.
 
  • #19
Here is one of the largest Cyprus trees still left in this area that wasn't stripped for lumber. Cyprus is a very hard, stable wood that termites don't eat, so it was very popular as a lumber for construction (albeit very expensive). This tree stands because it's dead. It doesn't look dead, but it certainly is dying. Apparently it was struck by lighting between 1790-something and 1802, and then developed a disease that attacks from the inside-out, bottom to top. The branches at the top look perfect, but the bottom looks terrible.

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And now for some of the homes on the bayou.
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The water level came up to a foot above the American flag during Katrina in the next picture.
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This "X" was a symbol used during search and rescue after Katrina came through. The 2 means it was the second day, the zero means no dead bodies were found, above the 0 should have been the number of dead animals found in that building, and the right side should have had whatever unit or jurisdiction searched the building.
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And a poor tree that is growing around some rope...
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Continued...

xvart.
 
  • #20
I have a couple of videos of the gator near our boat that I will upload later, it's taking too long to upload over this wireless in the bar of my hotel (can't get wireless in the room).

A couple closeups of some of the other shots I've posted.

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And the owl picture I couldn't find him in:
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And the previously mentioned Cafe du Monde.
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I can't even remember what we're doing tomorrow. I know it will be awesome.

xvart.
 
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