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!