18 Mar New Orleans

Well wow, despite experiencing New Orleans mostly with while pretty darned buggy with something we picked up probably in Mexico, it is an obvious highlight of our tour.

We stayed in an AirBnB in Bywater, very handy for buses and trams (streetcars) but also only 40 minutes’ walk in really great weather. The AirBnB was a really cute “shotgun” house, its cast iron front railings generously decorated in sparkling necklaces, a motif of Nola.

The French Quarter was an obvious hit, with a long and fascinating history, old and beautiful buildings, interesting bars and restaurants, and lots of beaut little art galleries.

The World War II Museum was worth a full day to explore. Really remarkable. Likewise the botanical gardens, and the art museum were really interesting. So glad we went and would regard them all as must sees if we were to return to New Orleans.

We finished our visit with an early dinner at Cochon restaurant in the centre of the business district. Although the first staff we met gave a frosty reception, everyone else was friendly and helpful. The food was great, as were the drinks. We can particularly recommend the crawfish pie and alligator bites. Three small starters was enough for us and we couldn’t fit in dessert.

We were lucky enough to watch the St Patrick’s Day parade from Gumps in the French Quarter afterwards. Great fun. Cop riding in the parade smoking a cigar was trés amusing.

Big thanks to the bus and streetcar drivers who were so helpful and patient with tourists.

Tip: Ask the locals about safety at night. Lots of areas are great in the daytime but should not be walked in at night.