22nd Anniversary
October 21, 2016
State of Louisiana
City of New Orleans
Woldenberg Park
We both turned 44 this year and it is our 22nd anniversary. We have now been married exactly half our lives. Wow!
Day One
Leaving Seattle at lunchtime we traveled the rest of the day finally arriving at Hotel Mazarin in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans (pronounced New Orlinz) at about 10:30 PM Louisiana time. The hotel being half a block off Bourbon Street allowed us time to get settled and go for a walk down Bourbon Street just as it was coming to life. New Orleans was much warmer than Seattle (only about 30-35 degrees) and so we quickly settled on some frozen beverages to compliment our evening stroll. The people watching was very entertaining, as we stopped and listened to a variety of music emanating from the dueling piano bars, jazz clubs and rock n roll bars. The music was eclectic, the people were crazy.
Day Two
Not used to being out so late we slept in a bit on Tuesday. That worked nicely with our first appointment of the day which was for a jazz brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. We tried our first turtle soup in New Orleans along with candied yams, gumbo, king's cake and standard breakfast fare. The best part was our first chicory coffee which we were quite delighted with. All the coffee we had in New Orleans was brewed strong and the inclusion of chicory added a rich woody flavor. Overall the meal was a good first introduction to New Orleans.
We browsed through shops on Royal Street until it was time for our three hour tour. No, we were not traveling to Gilligan's Island, we were taking a city tour of New Orleans.
Highlights of what we saw and learned included:
We found the history of New Orleans much more interesting and engaging than present day New Orleans. With the mix of cultures (French, Spanish, African, French Canadian, German and Irish), the interesting location (below sea level in a swamp), and the colorful historical figures (Andrew Jackson, Jean Lafitte, Marie LeVeau, etc., etc.), learning about the city was very entertaining.
Before dinner we met and chatted with an interesting couple from Stratford, England who made us want to visit there. We ventured to the Bon Ton Cafe for our first Creole dinner, and while the secret recipe Rum Ramsay was delicious, the etouffée was not the knockout we had expected. The search would have to continue to find crawfish as good as our friend Mary Jean Butaud makes.
Day Three
After another relatively loungy morning and breakfast at the hotel (Julie was enjoying all the grits for breakfasts), we were off to the National World War II Museum. The first exhibits were the displays from when the museum was strictly devoted to D-Day. At lunchtime we headed to BB's Stage Door Canteen for lunch and a live show. It was the Vic-Tones, a dynamic male vocal trio who sang their way through the war years with songs like Chattanooga Choo Choo, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Pistol Packin’ Mama, The Way You Look Tonight, and I’ll Be Seeing You, among many others. The medleys were well done, all three singers were great and their harmonies were tight. One of the other men in the audience was an Iwo Jima survivor; it was a treat to be in the same room with him and enjoy the show. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum following the Road to Tokyo, the Road to Berlin, and the Boeing aircraft building. It was exceptionally well done even if a bit emotionally exhausting. We highly recommend going if you get the opportunity.
As we were walking back from the show, Julie saw a cute dress shop in the 40's style and stopped for a peek. The store was Diva Dollz. The owner of the store walks over with a dress and says, "Hi, Julie. This is your dress." I was shocked! Eric had seen a cute dress in the sister store in Seattle a few weeks ago but they didn't have the right size. He purchased it but had to wait for the size to arrive. The owner was set to be in New Orleans this same week, so she flew with the dress and arranged with Eric to have us walk by this afternoon for the surprise. He knew he wouldn't even have to suggest that we go into the store when I walked by and saw the dresses in the window. I even thought it was my idea to stop and look. He's amazing!
For dinner we walked to Broussard's in the French Quarter for our elegant official anniversary dinner. Our waiter, no kidding, was from Snohomish where we live now. The evening, the conversation, the ambiance, and the food was lovely and slow. The appetizers were memorable: shrimp in a rue with a grit cake and pork belly with red bean pancake. Julie enjoyed fantastic duck, and Eric savored lamb chops with a blackberry BBQ sauce. We even found a bottle of wine that had been recommended to us by a friend but is very scarce. It was all delicious!
Day Four
While we learned the history of the city on the bus a few days before, today was a paddlewheel boat educational ride down the Mississippi on the Creole Queen to Chalmette Battlefield the site of the Battle of New Orleans where Andrew Jackson defeated the English in 1814 which finally pushed them out of America. Our guide, Charles, was engaging and chocked full of history. He even gave us a day-by-day account of the disaster from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath as we paddled back to the New Orleans dock.
We lunched near the dock at Mulate's for Cajun food where Julie tried the local muffuletta sandwich and Eric ate fried alligator with a second attempt at etouffée (it was better than the first). Then we walked and walked and walked all the way down Magazine Street through charming residential areas peppered with small shops. It was hot (95) and humid, so there were several stops for cold sodas and one for gelato at a wonderful confectionery called Sucré. We walked Eric right through his pair of shoes and paused to buy him some new kicks. After the walk back through town, along the waterfront, and through Jackson Square (mounted statue of Andrew Jackson), we rested our legs for a bit at the hotel.
Deanie's Seafood is a well known local diner previously located in Buckhead until Katrina covered it with water. We tried it for dinner and enjoyed the seafood. Ready to walk to the local jazz scene on Frenchman, we were thwarted by rain, and simply ran back to the hotel and hunkered down.
Day Five
After much convincing, Julie agreed to the Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour to see the local alligators. We cruised on the canals (man made) and bayous (God made) south of New Orleans on a warm and stunningly beautiful day. Surprisingly, it was open and light and beautiful as we maneuvered on a large boat through the Cypress-lined canals looking for alligators hiding in the water or sunning themselves on stumps and grassy shoreline. Perfectly safe, just don't fall off the boat! Our guide aided in the spotting of many creatures from huge orange spiders and wild Blue Herons to those menacing gators. We were given the opportunity to hold a baby gator, and yes, her jaw was taped shut. Pretty incredible untamed nature.
Back in the city, we said our vows at Woldenberg Park overlooking the Mississippi River. Twenty-two years! We tried to get an original muffuletta at the Central Grocery where the sandwich was created, but they were sold out already for the day. Elizabeth Pearce led us on a Drink & Learn cocktail tour of the history of New Orleans which was quite educational about how the social drinks created in the city throughout its history directly reflected what was happening both politically and relationally among the various colliding people groups. St. Charles Punch, Sazerac, Hurricane, and Praline (Prawleen) Liqueur all played their part.
Preservation Hall (historic jazz club) was the top highlight of the trip with supremely talented men playing fantastic jazz. It was worth the wait in line on the street to get in for a standing-room-only 45 minute set. We were so jazzed, we made our way to the 24-hour Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets at midnight. We had a final Sazerac at our lounge of choice, Patrick's Bar Vin, located in our hotel in the French Quarter.
Day Six
After our last breakfast at the hotel, we took a walk to visit the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum which we had heard about from the cocktail tour lady. Boy, it made us instantly thankful for modern medical equipment, education, and that leeches are not common practice anymore! However, the skill and resourcefulness of the early medical community was impressive for its tenacity and perseverance to grow in knowledge and understanding. Hence, we have advanced and should be thankful for those who passed along their notes.
Then it was off to the airport to fly back to our kids and cool rainy Seattle.
October 21, 2016
State of Louisiana
City of New Orleans
Woldenberg Park
We both turned 44 this year and it is our 22nd anniversary. We have now been married exactly half our lives. Wow!
Day One
Leaving Seattle at lunchtime we traveled the rest of the day finally arriving at Hotel Mazarin in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans (pronounced New Orlinz) at about 10:30 PM Louisiana time. The hotel being half a block off Bourbon Street allowed us time to get settled and go for a walk down Bourbon Street just as it was coming to life. New Orleans was much warmer than Seattle (only about 30-35 degrees) and so we quickly settled on some frozen beverages to compliment our evening stroll. The people watching was very entertaining, as we stopped and listened to a variety of music emanating from the dueling piano bars, jazz clubs and rock n roll bars. The music was eclectic, the people were crazy.
Day Two
Not used to being out so late we slept in a bit on Tuesday. That worked nicely with our first appointment of the day which was for a jazz brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. We tried our first turtle soup in New Orleans along with candied yams, gumbo, king's cake and standard breakfast fare. The best part was our first chicory coffee which we were quite delighted with. All the coffee we had in New Orleans was brewed strong and the inclusion of chicory added a rich woody flavor. Overall the meal was a good first introduction to New Orleans.
We browsed through shops on Royal Street until it was time for our three hour tour. No, we were not traveling to Gilligan's Island, we were taking a city tour of New Orleans.
Highlights of what we saw and learned included:
- The difference between the French Quarter and the Spanish Quarter
- Creole vs. Cajun
- Jackson Square
- French Market
- Tremé - the main neighborhood of free people of color and home to Congo Square, Tremé is the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans
- Storyville - the red-light district of New Orleans from 1897 to 1917
- New Orleans City Park
- Morning Call - cafe au lait and beignets
- Live oak trees
- Lake Pontchartrain and the causeway
- Where the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina
- The new pumping stations
- Metairie Cemetery
- Central City
- Garden District
We found the history of New Orleans much more interesting and engaging than present day New Orleans. With the mix of cultures (French, Spanish, African, French Canadian, German and Irish), the interesting location (below sea level in a swamp), and the colorful historical figures (Andrew Jackson, Jean Lafitte, Marie LeVeau, etc., etc.), learning about the city was very entertaining.
Before dinner we met and chatted with an interesting couple from Stratford, England who made us want to visit there. We ventured to the Bon Ton Cafe for our first Creole dinner, and while the secret recipe Rum Ramsay was delicious, the etouffée was not the knockout we had expected. The search would have to continue to find crawfish as good as our friend Mary Jean Butaud makes.
Day Three
After another relatively loungy morning and breakfast at the hotel (Julie was enjoying all the grits for breakfasts), we were off to the National World War II Museum. The first exhibits were the displays from when the museum was strictly devoted to D-Day. At lunchtime we headed to BB's Stage Door Canteen for lunch and a live show. It was the Vic-Tones, a dynamic male vocal trio who sang their way through the war years with songs like Chattanooga Choo Choo, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Pistol Packin’ Mama, The Way You Look Tonight, and I’ll Be Seeing You, among many others. The medleys were well done, all three singers were great and their harmonies were tight. One of the other men in the audience was an Iwo Jima survivor; it was a treat to be in the same room with him and enjoy the show. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum following the Road to Tokyo, the Road to Berlin, and the Boeing aircraft building. It was exceptionally well done even if a bit emotionally exhausting. We highly recommend going if you get the opportunity.
As we were walking back from the show, Julie saw a cute dress shop in the 40's style and stopped for a peek. The store was Diva Dollz. The owner of the store walks over with a dress and says, "Hi, Julie. This is your dress." I was shocked! Eric had seen a cute dress in the sister store in Seattle a few weeks ago but they didn't have the right size. He purchased it but had to wait for the size to arrive. The owner was set to be in New Orleans this same week, so she flew with the dress and arranged with Eric to have us walk by this afternoon for the surprise. He knew he wouldn't even have to suggest that we go into the store when I walked by and saw the dresses in the window. I even thought it was my idea to stop and look. He's amazing!
For dinner we walked to Broussard's in the French Quarter for our elegant official anniversary dinner. Our waiter, no kidding, was from Snohomish where we live now. The evening, the conversation, the ambiance, and the food was lovely and slow. The appetizers were memorable: shrimp in a rue with a grit cake and pork belly with red bean pancake. Julie enjoyed fantastic duck, and Eric savored lamb chops with a blackberry BBQ sauce. We even found a bottle of wine that had been recommended to us by a friend but is very scarce. It was all delicious!
Day Four
While we learned the history of the city on the bus a few days before, today was a paddlewheel boat educational ride down the Mississippi on the Creole Queen to Chalmette Battlefield the site of the Battle of New Orleans where Andrew Jackson defeated the English in 1814 which finally pushed them out of America. Our guide, Charles, was engaging and chocked full of history. He even gave us a day-by-day account of the disaster from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath as we paddled back to the New Orleans dock.
We lunched near the dock at Mulate's for Cajun food where Julie tried the local muffuletta sandwich and Eric ate fried alligator with a second attempt at etouffée (it was better than the first). Then we walked and walked and walked all the way down Magazine Street through charming residential areas peppered with small shops. It was hot (95) and humid, so there were several stops for cold sodas and one for gelato at a wonderful confectionery called Sucré. We walked Eric right through his pair of shoes and paused to buy him some new kicks. After the walk back through town, along the waterfront, and through Jackson Square (mounted statue of Andrew Jackson), we rested our legs for a bit at the hotel.
Deanie's Seafood is a well known local diner previously located in Buckhead until Katrina covered it with water. We tried it for dinner and enjoyed the seafood. Ready to walk to the local jazz scene on Frenchman, we were thwarted by rain, and simply ran back to the hotel and hunkered down.
Day Five
After much convincing, Julie agreed to the Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour to see the local alligators. We cruised on the canals (man made) and bayous (God made) south of New Orleans on a warm and stunningly beautiful day. Surprisingly, it was open and light and beautiful as we maneuvered on a large boat through the Cypress-lined canals looking for alligators hiding in the water or sunning themselves on stumps and grassy shoreline. Perfectly safe, just don't fall off the boat! Our guide aided in the spotting of many creatures from huge orange spiders and wild Blue Herons to those menacing gators. We were given the opportunity to hold a baby gator, and yes, her jaw was taped shut. Pretty incredible untamed nature.
Back in the city, we said our vows at Woldenberg Park overlooking the Mississippi River. Twenty-two years! We tried to get an original muffuletta at the Central Grocery where the sandwich was created, but they were sold out already for the day. Elizabeth Pearce led us on a Drink & Learn cocktail tour of the history of New Orleans which was quite educational about how the social drinks created in the city throughout its history directly reflected what was happening both politically and relationally among the various colliding people groups. St. Charles Punch, Sazerac, Hurricane, and Praline (Prawleen) Liqueur all played their part.
Preservation Hall (historic jazz club) was the top highlight of the trip with supremely talented men playing fantastic jazz. It was worth the wait in line on the street to get in for a standing-room-only 45 minute set. We were so jazzed, we made our way to the 24-hour Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets at midnight. We had a final Sazerac at our lounge of choice, Patrick's Bar Vin, located in our hotel in the French Quarter.
Day Six
After our last breakfast at the hotel, we took a walk to visit the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum which we had heard about from the cocktail tour lady. Boy, it made us instantly thankful for modern medical equipment, education, and that leeches are not common practice anymore! However, the skill and resourcefulness of the early medical community was impressive for its tenacity and perseverance to grow in knowledge and understanding. Hence, we have advanced and should be thankful for those who passed along their notes.
Then it was off to the airport to fly back to our kids and cool rainy Seattle.