New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans.
 

 

6 February 2014

Beaumont, Texas

We are definitely getting into more populated country, no longer are we the only car within sight on the I-10. The country is greening up also since there are a lot more bodies of water showing up. We passed through Houston which is a huge city with lots of the typical stores and sights. Didn’t stop even though I am sure there are lots of cool things to visit. Spent the night in Beaumont which is about 100 miles west of the Louisiana border. We actually got in early enough that we went to a movie at the theater that is about a block away from the hotel.

7 February 2014

New Orleans, Louisiana

We are staying two nights in this beautiful city so that we can visit a few of the sights in the French Quarter. It has been a very long time since I have been here, everything seems like a new sight for me. Temps have warmed up a bit, hopefully I won’t freeze while wandering around.

On our first night, we had a nice redfish dinner at a lovely restaurant and then walked down Bourbon Street. Didn’t hear as much jazz as I remember from my previous visits. A lot more of the modern music to appeal to the younger folks, I guess. There were some interesting drink containers including fish bowls on lanyards.

One of the new tourist spots since I was last here is the WWII War Museum. When I mentioned it to Russ, he eagerly agreed to pay it a visit. Turned out, we spent over 6 hours there and saw only one of the four buildings. The museum is very well done – definitely on a par with any of the Smithsonian museums I have visited. I think it is a must see for anyone visiting the city, even if military history is not your cup of tea (and it’s definitely not mine.)

Like any American high school student, I have studied the war and know the basic facts.  In addition, both my father and Russ’ father served in the war. But during my visit, I learned some new things, like the importance of the Higgins boat to the success of the Allied efforts. That boat is the reason why the WWII museum is in Saint Louis and not in Washington D.C. Higgins was a recreational boat builder in New Orleans and he invented that amphibious boat with the front drop that I am sure we all have seen in the movies and pictures of the Normandy invasion.  Eisenhower gave credit for winning the war to the Higgins boat.  Without it, he said that there would not have been a way for the Allied nations to invade Europe. Amazing fact: 92% of the over 14,000 boats and ships built for the Navy were Higgins boats.

I also saw connections to other places we have visited.  For example, an exhibit of a crashed glider with a small tank inside summarized all that we saw when we were in Lubbock, Texas this past summer and visited the Silent Wings museum. And the whole third floor on the Normandy invasion reminded me of what we saw when we visited Omaha Beach in France. I appreciate seeing the connections – it helps me to understand the scope and the inner connectedness of these distinct events.

Six hours was more than enough immersion for me (as I told Russ, he owes me 20 quilt shop visits in return), so we walked over to the French Quarter and waited in line to get beignets and hot drinks from the Café du Monde. Yum, yum, yum! We spent a couple of hours walking the streets in the French Quarter and, finally, as the drunk population started to show up in force, we headed back to our hotel. We are definitely coming back for an expanded visit when we take our travel trailer to Florida next year.

Crossing the mighty Mississippi near Baton Rouge Louisiana.

Some of the many swampy areas we saw as we headed into New Orleans.

The huge football stadium for Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.  We stumbled on this while we wandered off the interstate looking for a place for lunch. Construction was going on, looks like they are adding another deck.

There was a Pullman car simulation in the WWII museum in New Orleans. Gave you a sense of what it was like for the servicemen as they traveled to their training bases.  The conductor let me be in charge!



This is a Higgins boat. Over14,000 were built for WWII.



Now there's something you don't see everyday (except maybe in New Orleans.), a unicorn riding in a car.

This guy doesn't seem to be fazed by anything the tourists are doing.

The French Quarter was all decorated for Mardi Gras.

Canal Street post Katrina.  I didn't see any lingering effects of the storm in this area.

Bourbon Street, the hub of the French Quarter for the partyers.

An alternate mode of transportation in the French Quarter. Definitely do not recommend trying to drive in this area.  Streets are too narrow and there is no parking. Fortunately, our hotel was close to the French Quarter so we walked.

An inside view of Saint Louis Cathedral. This is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use within the United States. The parish was established in 1720, but the original church burned down. This building dates from 1850.