New Orleans Part 3

We thought Jackson and Olivia would enjoy riding the ferry across the river to Algiers and back, so we walked down to the waterfront, where we trekked past a huge fountain and a shopping mall in search of the ferry building.

Inside the pretty ferry building. Then Jackson and Olivia had to go potty, so we trekked back across the plaza and into the shopping mall, and then back to the ferry building.

But the ferries run every few minutes, so no worries. We made it on board.

The kids loved the boat ride.

Watching the waves.

From Algiers Point, a nice view of New Orleans. 

Loved this exuberant Louis Armstrong statue. 

Waiting to head back. So hot.

When we got back on dry land it was daiquiri time! We had dinner at the Olde NOLA Cookery on Bourbon St.

I had fried eggplant with aioli, and a Greek salad.

The kids had fettucine alfredo with veggies. I had such a craving for vegetables, I was scooping up whatever veggies they didn't eat from their pasta.

Tony ordered some alligator bites and shared with the kids. I was surprised that they tried it and even more surprised that they liked it!

Back to the apartment and immediately to the pool.

Boiling water...for brushing teeth, washing hands, sponge baths. I was extremely grateful we chose to stay at an Airbnb. If we'd been in a hotel, with no stove, we would've had to check out because we would have had zero access to clean water.

That evening it rained, and I was also grateful for the daiquiri go-cup.

New Orleans Part 2

On our first morning in New Orleans, we headed over to the French Quarter early, probably before all of the partiers from the night before were out of bed. It wasn't as quiet as you would think, though. There was lots of construction,  and trucks loading and unloading everywhere. I tried to block out all the street noise and focus on the gorgeous architecture.

Lots of mint green and turquoise in this city. I approve!

Painting your house to match your team colors is dedication.

I'd love to spend a day people-watching from one of these balconies.

Some of the homes have gates opening onto peaceful-looking inner courtyards.

Signs give the history of each street.

When we came to Jackson Square, Olivia insisted on a picture with one of the carriage horses. Poor horses, I'm sure they would prefer to be resting in the shade somewhere.

We saw lots of artists with their little makeshift easels and tables.

And a brass band, yay! I hoped to see at least one.

We stood in line for a long time at Cafe du Monde to sample their famous beignets and chicory iced coffee. And it was worth every minute.

Check out all that powdered sugar in the bag! I shook some into my unsweetened coffee. We would have had to wait even longer for a table, so we took our breakfast back over to Jackson Square to eat.

Taking a break at the fountain.

When we were just too hot to live, we popped into the St. Louis Cathedral to soak in the air-conditioned atmosphere. It felt, well, divine.

It was pretty, too.

And old! 1794 to be exact.

Next to the cathedral, a boat on display caught our attention.

It turned out to be one of the boats used to rescue victims in Hurricane Katrina.

Next we walked down by the Mississippi River and took in the view.

"I'm melting."

We had lunch at Original Pierre Maspero's. We first tried to eat at Napoleon House across the street. But just as we were seated there, the owner stood before the tables and announced he had to close down because the city had instituted a boil water advisory and his kitchen depended on having running, fresh water. He had to comp entire tables' meals and I felt super bad for him.

So at Pierre Maspero's, who apparently could run their kitchen just fine or weren't as conservative with their decision making in this situation, I had pain perdu, which is what you call French toast when it is made from a baguette. Because then it is twice as French. It was the only vegetarian thing on the menu and thankfully it wasn't terribly sweet, since I had already eaten beignets that morning! Just some whipped cream and powdered sugar, no maple syrup Jackson was very envious of my plate so I had to share with him.

After lunch, it was back to the apartment for a refreshing shower sponge bath!

New Orleans Part 1

We recently took a road trip to New Orleans. It was my first time there and I am always excited to spend time in new places. It was a lot of fun. It was also our first time staying in an Airbnb rather than a hotel. That was a good experience as well. After driving all day, the Jackson and Olivia settled right into their temporary home.

We stopped somewhere along the way at a restaurant called Iguana Joe's. It was so good. We liked the garlicky guacamole sauce for dipping chips.

I had the spinach enchiladas with sour cream sauce, which was also super garlicky and good. I did not eat vegan on this trip. I did some research and it seemed like it would be difficult to eat vegan in New Orleans unless you dined at specifically vegan restaurants. One vegan restaurant, Seed, looked very good, but was closed during the entire length of our stay. The others were out of the way or served things like Thai food, which we can easily get in Austin. Tony spent a lot of time in New Orleans when he was younger and wanted more traditional New Orleans food, so those are the kinds of restaurants we chose.

Our apartment was super modern and clean and I am happy to report my wild monkeys did not break anything!

Although I did not cook, our kitchen came in handy for other reasons which I will get into later.

Lots of room to play.

My favorite thing about where we stayed was the rooftop pool. The temperature was in the 90s with high humidity. After walking around outside most of the day, it was soooo great to be able to cool off with a dip in the pool.

View from the pool.

Water babies loved being able to swim every day of their vacation.

From our room we could crane our necks out the window and see Bourbon St.  We actually were on Bourbon St. but on the other side of Canal St., where it isn't called Bourbon St. Anyway we were just a couple blocks from the French Quarter, but far enough away that we could sleep soundly at night.

Tomorrow, exploring the Crescent City!

Summer Randomness

The builder.

The designer.

The Central Market haul. Is it a haul when it's three things? We were really there so Tony could buy beer. I just picked out a few goodies.  I'd never seen this Villa de Patos maguey water.  Maguey sap is said to be rich in prebiotic fiber while other kinds of sweeteners don't really contain fiber. Anyway, the drink was okay, but really too sweet for my taste. I also grabbed some vegan chicken broth powder and matcha powder. Gotta have my frozen matcha latte's this summer. 

I baked some almond-raisin-coconut granola for Tony to take to work since he does not have time to eat breakfast at home. I also made some coconut bacon. They both bake at 325, so I just popped them in the oven together.

I managed not to burn my coconut bacon this time, yay! BLT's for dinner, best sandwich ever invented.