NOLA 2009

** I need to edit here for a second - a great big thank you to Alex's cousins the Shoenenbergers for inviting us to stay in their time share. Without them we could not have taken this little get away!! (Hope I spelled the name right)**

OK so I'm gonna attempt to post with my crippled computer. We've been so busy busy that it's been neglected. I've just been using other computers just to stay up to date with you guys. SOOOO, without further hesitation I'll get started with my marathon blogging while crossing my fingers it all goes well and my comp cooperates.

if you've never been to New Orleans, Louisiana then you are missing quite an explosion of local color, culture and cuisine! You either love it or hate it! Alex and I happen to enjoy it. My first trip was when I was 17 with a church group. Yes, I said church group. Can you believe our parents let us travel to the South's Sin City all those years ago? But I did fall in love with the architecture and the culture of it all.

Since I have so much to catch you up on I'm just going to hit some of the highlights you can't miss while visiting N'awlins.

Jackson's Square & Cathedral - beautiful place to take pictures.
Voodoo Museum we went to all those years ago when I was a teen that made it through the hurricane and all. This one happens to be located on Bourbon Street. (The true "Sin Station" of New Orleans but part of the city's fame) Our Hotel (Avenue Park Hotel) was situated in a lovely part of the Garden District. There was a quaint balcony on the second floor. If you look closely on the street behind me you can see the street car tracks. That was our mode of transportation on the trip. It's fun but quite an education on the stature of the locals!

Here's a local band playing in one of the bars we passed. It's not Billboard standards but it was amazing to see one guy play the accordion and the other play the modified washboard and it sound pretty darn good!! Excuse the poor girl who got to show off her back tat in my picture. I didn't want to go all the way in to take it so just over look her please.


And of coarse the beautiful French style buildings and houses. There's no other place like it and it's situated right here in the South ready for you to visit should you be brave enough.

We also saw the Superdome, street bands playing and dancing, we barely missed the USS New York sail down the river, Oh and there is the Riverwalk, Harrah's Casino, Cafe Dumonde for beignets, great creole cooking and much much more!!