New Orleans - June 2016

Creole Queen

In early June we headed south for our first visit to New Orleans, or as the locals say "Nawleans" to mark a special personal milestone. We flew into the aptly named Louis Armstrong International Airport having left a couple of hours earlier from Washington DC. I came with some preconceptions and I have to say this place surpasses nearly all of them. If I was asked to sum up New Orleans in a few words I would say it was an ‘assault on the senses’ and should be enjoyed as such.

We stayed at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel http://www.bourbonorleans.com in the heart of the French Quarter, which has its main entrance on a side street off Bourbon Street, but one side faces the infamous street itself with its bars, clubs and red light dives! The hotel was great and ideally located. We had been advised to stay in the Garden District due to the smell from the drains in the French Quarter and there was an ever-present aroma, but this did not pervade the hotel or any of the restaurants and clubs we frequented. I am sure we made the right choice as the Garden District is relatively dead and you would need to commute or walk a fair distance to get to the more lively districts such as the French Quarter, which after all is what most people come here for!

We had 4 nights in the city and used the hop on hop off buss to get around which included a guided walking tour of the French Quarter. This was very informative and personal as there were just the two of us! We learnt all about the po-boys, shotgun houses and hurricane Katrina plus the Mardi Gras of course - you'll have to Google these for more information.

One evening we took the Natches River Boat down the Mississippi for a dinner and jazz cruise and I have included a few shots from this excursion. We also visited a couple of local jazz bars for that authentic New Orleans experience. I am working on will a short ‘sounds & sounds’ video which I will post on the video page when completed.

Bourbon Street Jazz Bar

.....and the special milestone was my 60th birthday!