Wheelin' and Rockin' with DIanE

New Orleans was awesome!

The site I booked here was one of the earliest as the Jazz Festival was in town and you had to book a minimum stay, which was fine with us, and the place is very popular. It only has like 55 sites and you can walk to the French Quarter. We knew it would be different staying in a park that was essentially in the centre of town.

We got in mid day and once we were set up we headed to the French Quarter. I had been a few times for work but never really was able to get a true sense of the place. The first place we popped into had this great blues trio and we stayed for about an hour.

We walked around a bit more, down by the waterfront and then headed back.

The weather the next day was going to be suspect so we got up walked to the oldest and one of the most famous cemeteries in the city. We had a great tour guide and gained a full understanding and appreciation for why the cemeteries are above ground and the process they go through once someone passes. Essentially it was a way of saving space where a lot of solid ground wasn’t available. Basically when someone died they would put the casket in for one year and a day, then they would remove the remains, put them in a container and that is what stays in the structure. Nowadays they use cremation but it is a way of getting many more into a plot and you see generations of families in one spot.

Nicolas Cage actually has purchased a plot here and put this pyramid structure on it.

The weather turned out not too bad so we looked for spot to grab lunch…I wanted a Poboy😊. We found this great spot with a semi outside patio and another great trio.

Next up was a plantation tour. This was a look into the life on a plantation in the 1800’s from both the slaves and owners perspective.

The pictures below are from the slaves quarters.

The contrast is striking. They have dedicated a lot to the story of the slaves, with stories of specific individuals and names of all who worked this plantation.

We had dinner that evening at Broussards in the French Quarter, we had a great spot in the Courtyard. Eatin’ Cajun style!

Bourbon Street is quite something…a little over the top at times.

But you see some incredibly talented people.

This guy had an incredible voice.

Next up was the Jazz Festival. We knew we were chancing it with the weather but had to go. We brought ponchos and one of them was in rough shape.

The event was at a fairgrounds with a racetrack which made it all a little muddy.

But still saw some awesome blues, gospel and some Steve Miller.

A bit of an aside….the Leafs were playing Tampa. I could get the game on the cable but the TV in the rec room was bigger. I watched game 5 and 6 there all by my lonesome. There was a pool and hot tun just outside with a bunch of folks in it and when the Leafs won game 6 in OT, I am sure they thought there was a lunatic inside 😊

On to Memphis.