NOLA, it's been a while

A few years back, I swore not to come back whole the Mayor started taking down some of the history that makes this space so special to me.  Well, he was voted out of office, but the statues are still down.  But, this City has been calling out my name, and it was just time!

The invitation has always been open, so mancub and his bride decided to join us.  We try to stay at the Wyndham Avenue Plaza, which is on St. Charles, on the edge of the garden district.  We love the location, and we leave the car behind and hit the street car lines to go and discover the day.

We have to get our Acme Oyster house fix, and our favorite is the one in Metairie.  Mostly locals eating there, and the staff is so much more friendly than the ones in the Quarter.  We then made a stop at the Square for the open air Cafe De Monde beignets.  The powdered sugar flies much more better outside.  A little trick, enter from the back side to avoid the wait line for a table.  You get to the tables on that side a whole lot quicker. And, the lines are a whole lot shorter!

For the streetcars, the all day pass for $3 is the way to go.  The spousal unit discovered that you can use the RTA mobile app and not have to keep up with a paper ticket.  The only downside is the additional drain on your phone battery.  An external backup battery will fix that.

This was the mancub & his spousal units first visit to NOLA.  We decided to give them slices of the city.  Our first stop of the day was for brunch at Red Gravy.  A meatball as a side item is a must!  This place is just off Canal, on Camp St.

Time for the day visit to Jackson Square.  A pleasant surprise was that the Canal Street street car now continues on along the Mossissippi River to the French Market.  The line down past the Riverwalk has been discontinued.   We got off at the French Market and made our way back to the Square.   I always wonder how they make a living selling that stuff.

The Square was full of activity compared to the night before.  Artisans were everywhere,  and the Beignet line was full of tourists, waiting on the front side.

We took a carriage ride tour for some history.  It included a tour of the cemetery in the Quarter. The tour guide made the ride even more interesting with his view of his city.

For a late lunch, we made it back to Central Grocery to share a whole mufaletta.  I swear I'm looking at the same dust on the shelves from our last visit.  We walked over to the river to enjoy sandwich, and watch the river flow by.  We were entertained by a street musician playing the blues.  He was from Costa Rico.  He was in heaven, playing his music in this city.

The mancub picked up a box of pralines at Aunt Sally's.   You can sample all of their goods before making your purchase.  We decided to ride the St. Charles line to the end and back, with a quick stop at the Avenue Plaza to drop off purchases.  That stop ended up being a 2 hour nap!

The streetcar line ride through the garden district later at night tends to have more locals on it.  We have never met someone who was not friendly, and they always offer your suggestions on places to see, and they help the tourists in getting back on track when they have lost their way.

We stopped at Superior Seafood for dinner.  The large frozen Rose hit the spot!  Everyone was feeling the spirit by the time we were seated, and the food was wonderful!

Back on the street car, we headed back to the Quarter.  A birthday girl and her party got on.  We sang HBD to her, and I offered to do a stripper pole if she would go first! I love joining in with others celebrating a birthday in NOLA.  Unfortunately, the birthday girl and her party exited the car for another adventure before we reached Bourbon Street.  The guy behind us was from Iowa, and he just loved hearing the spousal unit talk southern.  It didn't take much prodding to turn it up a notch!

Bourbon Street is currently under construction.   They are replacing the sewer lines.  They are digging up the street a block at a time.  This nor anything else will deter the partying crowd.  We're accustomed to the attraction of the "big ash beer". The latest trend is to buy your colored drink in a plastic fish bowl and have it hanging from your neck!

We finished off our walk down sin row with a stop at Pat O's for a hurricane experience for the two Morgans.  The trip back to the condo included yet another life experience.   A drug influenced streetcar rider was escorted off after being confronted by the driver.  The dude had an open bleed, sorry, no can ride!

Trip home included a stop at Manny Randazzos for a king cake, or four!  Mardi Gras season is just around to corner.  We will be back!