This past weekend, Nate and I celebrated our anniversary with a trip to New Orleans. It was the first time that either of us have been and we could not have picked a better weekend to go. We had a blast! We arrived on Thursday night and decided that it was too dark to venture into a city we weren't familiar with, so we just stayed in our hotel and ordered pizza from Reginelli's.
Friday
We started the day with our own walking tour of the French Quarter. We saw some amazing antique stores and some great architecture. We wandered through the "back roads" of the Quarter for awhile then stopped for lunch at Mother's at the recommendation of my brother. We had po boys and red beans and rice - yummy! After lunch we headed down to Jackson Square. We walked along the pedestrian walkway and saw work from local artists then headed over to St. Louis Cathedral.
As we got close we noticed there was a large group of police officers with their motorcycles and realized that a funeral was taking place inside. One of their fellow officers was killed by a drunk driver the week prior and they were all waiting for the funeral procession. We stayed long enough to see the traditional New Orleans funeral procession with the brass band leading the congregration down the street.
From there we headed across the street to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets and coffee! Soooo good! We did a little shopping in the French Market booths and went back to the hotel to rest.
After we rested, we headed out for dinner at Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse where I had the best filet I have ever had in my life. From there we took a walk down Bourbon Street around 8:45. The party was just getting started, but we kept on walking and stepped inside Preservation Hall to listen to some live jazz. This one of my favorite experiences of the trip - words do not do it justice. It was one little room with pretty much standing room only, or sit where you find a spot. the musicians sat in the front of the room - no mics, no speakers - they just played jazz for 45 minutes. My feet didn't stop moving the entire time. AMAZING!
After that we had to head back down Bourbon to get to our hotel. By the time we got off the street I was in tears. I cried for all the girls and women that feel the need to sell their bodies on the street. I cried for all the men that feel the need to look at those women. I cried for every part of what was going on as we walked. I now have a new burden to pray for those on that street - that they may know freedom in Christ and His grace that covers all our sins.
Saturday
The next morning we headed out to the Garden District to do more walking. We took the street car which gave us opportunity to see more of the city. It was amazing though, to the right of the car was a really rough area and to the left of the car were million dollar homes. We walked through the streets of those homes and saw more beautiful architecture. We also took a short tour of one of the cemeteries then took a break at a coffee shop.
After that we hopped back on the street car and headed out to City Park. I'm sure it would have been better to see it in the spring, but it was still a nice park. For those of you in Nashville, it reminded me a lot of Centennial Park. We rested again before dinner then headed back out on the street car to Emeril's Delmonico. Our dinner and dessert were both really good, but I am learning that neither Nate nor I have very sophisticated palettes. I'm ok with that! After dinner we went to Harrah's and played the slots. Not as much fun as I thought it would be, but we gave it a try!
Sunday
We slept in on Sunday and got a slow start, but started out by taking the ferry over to Algiers. It was a great ride because it allowed us to the whole city from across the river.
We also got to see a quaint little town just outside New Orleans. It almost felt like a fishing village - or what I would think one would feel like! Already the Saints fans were pouring over to the city - it had begun. On our ferry ride back we saw a guy getting dressed up as a Saint to make some money on the street. He painted his face on the ride over.
After the ferry ride we walked around and tried to find a place where we thought we could watch the game, but all the places were already full with locals. We went back to hotel to watch the Colts/Jets game then headed out for dinner. We grabbed a quick bite to eat then went to watch the game at the Sheraton. They were showing the game on a big projection screen in their lobby. It was packed with Saints fans and just couple Vikings fans.
This was my second favorite experience of the trip. How amazing it was to be able to watch this incredible game with the local fans. Fans doesn't even begin to describe them either. These people are dedicated to their team like no one I have ever seen. NO ONE. The entire city bleeds black and gold. They love this team and after talking to some locals and listening to the news, everything they went through with Katrina brought them closer to their football team and it's almost like they are family. I felt like we were watching the game in a stadium people were cheering and yelling so loud. The staff didn't care because they were right in the mix cheering with everyone else. The feeling in the crowd when that winning field goal was kicked was AWESOME. I would love to fly back down there in 2 weeks just to watch the Super Bowl down there. We left the hotel and walked towards Bourbon because we knew there would be a party, but OH MY. I can imagine it was somewhat like Mardi Gras. We stood across the street from Bourbon and watched for about 30 minutes. The street was so packed full of people that they overflowed onto Canal twice while we were there. They were packed in there so tight they could barely move. Horns were honking, people were yelling and dancing, sirens were going off - it was crazy, but it was so much fun!
I so hope the Saints win the Super Bowl and I will be cheering them on during the game. WHO DAT? WHO DAT? (Also one funny story - all the fans kept cheering "Farve on the ground, Farve on the ground" - there were other words that went to the tune of "Pants on the ground" but I could never make them out. It was pretty good).
We enjoyed our stay, but we are glad to be home. This will be one anniversary trip to remember!
No comments:
Post a Comment