These photos are from the trip my husband and I took to New Orleans, in particular, to Vieux Carre, or the Old Quarter... most people know that area of town as the French Quarter. We had the best weather I have ever experienced in New Orleans... 68-72 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, no humidity whatsoever, warm during the day, cool at night... just spectacular. We had superb meals, some of the best food we've ever eaten... we went out at night to listen to live jazz at a Maison Bourbon, where the doors were all open with the music spilling out into the street, drawing all kinds of people in... we ate beignets and drank coffee at the world famous Cafe Du Monde, and we rode the St. Charles Avenue street car, at least twice! We will definitely be going back... it is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible places I've ever been... rich with culture, history, color, and experiences. (There are seven separate photo "collages" below, you can click on them to enlarge the photos)... Hope you enjoy the trip!
My nephew Russ and his wife Shellie, who are expecting their first baby in April, are in the photos somewhere... I'll let you guess which one they're in! They live north of "the Lake" (Lake Pontchartrain), and we were lucky enough to be able to witness a "4D Ultrasound" of their baby, little Miss Brynn! What a special treat that was for us (I was not expecting to be quite so emotional!).
We stayed at the lovely little Hotel St. Marie,at the corners of Toulouse and Bourbon Streets, (mere blocks, nay steps, from all the action, but not quite in the "heart" of things, so that we wouldn't be in too rowdy of a place)... our room was clean, reasonably priced, and had all the amenities we needed. We're planning on staying there again next year, and we might even go in time for Mardi Gras... it just depends on how brave we're feeling!
A lot of the photos show examples of fleur de lis that can be seen all around New Orleans in myriad ways... on the side of municipal, street side trash cans; in wrought iron fences; out of bent metal on our hotel sign; in metal grates; in brass street signs embedded in older sidewalks in the Quarter... fleur de lis translates to "flower of the lily" and has traditionally been used to represent French royalty. It's such a great symbol for the city... I've heard it said that the three points of the fleur de lis represent faith, hope, and love... seems pretty appropriate for a city that needs an abundance of all three of those qualities. If you have a chance, go visit New Orleans... every shop keeper we met expressed their appreciation for our visit to their city... we felt truly welcomed.
kathy - i just came back to this post as i remembered you blogged about your visit to n.o.
we are heading there this week (for the first time) and i wanted to catch the flavor again
through your terrific photos.
Posted by: michelle ward | July 26, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Kathy, I don't quite remember HOW I got to your blog......my path probably originated from Michelle Ward's site 'cuz I love her and start there everyday.... but anyway.... THANK YOU for such a loving tribute to my city. I live in MN. presently, but my heart literally bleeds for my former city. You captured it so beautifully with your words and photographs.
I feel like hopping the next plane out of this frozen place and getting a po-boy sandwich, some gumbo and a Dixie beer...and topping it all off at the Cafe DuMonde. Bless You!! I needed this desperately.
Posted by: Bonnie Luhman | February 29, 2008 at 10:42 PM
What a great time you had! We visited once a few years ago in AUGUST! But, it wasn't bad, we stayed at a little place right on the St Charles line so were able to hop it every day and head into town. Your pictures make me want to go back!!
Posted by: stephanie | February 22, 2008 at 07:12 PM
defintely on my bucket list! you captured the spirit of the no.
Posted by: tina | February 22, 2008 at 11:40 AM
love the view-finder look at this city. great photos - builds a terrific narrative of your visit. never been....someday. happy to have strolled through the streets with you.
Posted by: michelle ward | February 22, 2008 at 08:46 AM
Love the photo layout...great little snippets of a fantastic city.
Posted by: bonnie | February 21, 2008 at 12:47 PM
One of these days I would love to go to New Orleans.
The photos are wonderful and I can see you creating some great collages with them. The fleur de lis is an awesome design.
Posted by: toni | February 21, 2008 at 08:12 AM
WOW! Your pictures look amazing! I love all of them...we were supposed to visit NO in April..but not sure now. The pictures make me want to try harder to visit!
Posted by: Julie Prichard | February 20, 2008 at 12:48 PM