Rest Day in The Crescent City

As much as I like living in the "country", I love being in the city. I had visited New Orleans before but the French Quarter and the riverfront here are always a good visit. I started out the day by doing my "chores". I did my laundry and washed my bike-all before 7-and then set out on a walk along the riverfront and through part of the French Quarter. Now if you have ever been here, you have probably experienced the Quarter at night when it really comes alive. Early in the morning is quite different. You get a good look at the architecture of the grand old buildings and get a feel for their age and deterioration. The nighttime smells of all of the good cajun/creole cooking gives way to a less pleasant after the party odor, especially when the temperatures and the humidity is high. Still quite an interesting experience though.

The Mississippi

After breakfast it was back to the Riverfront to get good look at the Mississippi. As you stand on the banks you get the perspective that the river really is higher than the city, only held back as it winds its way past (in the shape of a crescent) by the man made fortification. You also get a real feel for the force of the river as it flows pretty strong as it passes.

After the Riverfront it was on to another of my favorite places here, St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square.

The Cathedral Sits just off of the square and a short distance from the river. The original church was built there in 1721 and there has been a church there ever since. The current church which is magnificent, was built in the mid 1800's It was dedicated as a minor Basilica by Pope Pius VI and more recently Pope John Paul II celebrated mass there.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is a monument to Andrew Jackson, General of the Union Army for his liberation of New Orleans during the Civil War. I think that we don't often think of the Civil War being fought as far west as New Orleans. The square is a combination of statues, walkways and gardens that is beautifully maintained. The contrast between the cathedral and square and the rest of The French Quarter is interesting.

Beignets...YUM!

After that visit it was time for lunch and that meant finding a good bowl of jambalaya. I found it in a really nice open air cafe just off of the corner of Jackson Square and boy was it good! After that a stop at Cafe Du Monde for a cafe au lait and an order of beignets. If you have never been here, beignets are a fried dough smothered in confectioners sugar. Decadent and delightful.




The Rock, Rhythm and Blues tour kicked off this afternoon with a riders meeting. There are less riders on this tour than on Rte 66 (318) and the only foreign riders are from Canada and Australia The youngest rider is 30 and the oldest turns 83 tomorrow. There are 18 women riders.
The opening dinner was tonight followed by a really rollicking  jazz concert.

Tomorrow I plan on going to the WWII museum here and there are some R,R&B Tour events as well