This was my first time in New Orleans and I really loved it. Parts of the city reminded me a lot of Key West, just on a larger scale. The city has such a cool feel and tons of character (plus great food!) We had a ton of fun exploring & touring and relaxing in the Big Easy :)
The trip got off to a bit of a rocky start, the 19 hour drive to New Orleans brought us through a snow storm in Missouri that we got stuck in for a while, dinner at Cracker Barrel (a first for the other 3) and a huge thunderstorm in Mississippi. Needless to say we were happy when we finally made it to our hotel in New Orleans.
We spent our first day browsing the city, since this was the first visit for all 4 of us we wanted to scope out what we'd be interested in seeing.
Overall we did a lot of walking, but a lot of sight seeing too. We took a tour of the city that also brought us through
the lower 9th ward and the areas most affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our tour guide was very grateful for the many volunteers that have visited to help in the rebuilding. The picture to the left is where the levy broke. Before the hurricane the levy was 2 ft shorter and there were houses right up against the levy wall. Over 12 ft of water ended up in this area. There were a lot of houses being built or remodeled, including a few larger scale projects. But there were also a lot of houses that still need work, and many properties for sale. I can't imagine being in the city right after the storm.
We also took a Bayou tour while in New Orleans, which was definitely a must. It was a lot of fun to see the 'stereotypical' Louisiana. We learned a lot about the wildlife, and also learned that people don't live on the bayou like the movies would lead you to believe. We saw a ton of gators & turtles and even some birds. At the end of the tour the tour guide passed around a baby gator that they rescued & will release back into the wild. To the right is the 4 of us with the gator: Anna, Kristine, me & Jazelle. :)
The day we went on the bayou tour (if you didn't guess) was also St. Patrick's day. It was a lot of fun to see the city prepare. We arrived just a week after the big Mardi Gras, and if you hadn't known you never would've guessed. Everything was spick & span with tons of decorations for St Patrick's day already. Now I know that the measly St Patrick's day festivities were nothing compared to Mardi Gras in the Big Easy, but it sure was a lot of fun! There were people everywhere and there was even a parade.
Overall I had a great time in New Orleans, I'm not sure that it's a city for me, but it was fun to visit :)
Our next stop on the way back to Iowa was to see Memphis, Tennessee and Graceland. This way we could break up the long drive home and do a little sight seeing. Graceland was fun, but I was honestly a little 'Elvis-ed' out by the end of it. We toured the house, the property (the picture to the right is the entrance gate), multiple award showcases and then additional exhibits focused on different aspects of his career (acting, live shows, awards, etc.) We ate at a diner with his favorie foods, grilled peanut butter & banana was a favorite.
We were able to explore Memphis a little too, which is a really fun town with a lot of jazz inspiration. There was some kind of special event on Beale street that night so we walked around & listened to the locals playing their music and watched the tourists dance :) We also stopped by to see the Lorraine Hotel where MLK was shot and saw the memorial museum for that.
Overall it was a lot of fun packed into one week. I'm really glad we made the trip to New Orleans & Memphis, 2 cities that I've always wanted to see but never made the trip. It was fun to see 2 classic southern cities with unique characters. I'd definitely recommend visiting both :)
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
