If any of you have not been to New Orleans then you really need to visit. There are still some areas that are no fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina but the people of New Orleans are a tough group and have been able to cope.
It is very hot and humid in the summer but I had such a wonderful time and the people are so incredibly kind that if I had the money to retire I would probably not have come home.
We stayed at a home not far from the French Quarter that is similar to a B&B except the they just supply the room and bed. Breakfast is something you find on your own.
That being said, the food in New Orleans if incredible. You can find restaurants all over that claim Cajun and creole food but while the ones near where I live have good food it is not even close to what you get down there.
The way to start your day is to go to the French Quarter and stop at Cafe du Monde. They have been in the same location for 151 years and they serve Beignets and coffee. The standard is an order of Cafe au lait and Beignets. The Cafe au lait there is half very strong coffee with chicory and half hot milk. They are open 24/7/365 and that is all they serve. 151 years of practice makes it the most extraordinary meal you will have. Very simple but worth quality awards from around the world. They do a pretty good business. I spoke to the current owner at one point while I was ordering and he told me that they have 18 gallons of milk heated and ready at all times for the Cafe au lait orders. That is one hell of a lot of coffee being made and served.
The food in New Orleans is extremely good pretty much wherever you go. We got into town right around lunch time on our first day and our drive to our room took us within a few blocks of Willie Mae’s Scotch House. We have seen it on so many food shows that we had to try it. The chicken is very tasty and they make the best deep fried okra I have ever had. That being said there is far better chicken to be had. In the French Quarter at 630 Bourbon St. is a little hole in the wall place called Willie’s Chicken Shack. I have had fried chicken all over this country as well as the Bahamas, Canada, Japan and the Philippines and I can tell you that this chicken is the best ever. If this recipe is given out and they ever decide to branch out into other locations I can tell you that KFC and Popeye’s are doomed. That is how good it is.
For those that drink New Orleans is heaven. I have not researched the laws but according to a few of the tour guides we say the bars are required to close only 1 hour a year. Something like between 1 and 2 AM Ash Wednesday. I suspect to perhaps give the bar owners a chance to catch their breath after Mardi Gras.
The architecture and history in this town is amazing. When you go by all means take as many tours as you can. I did notice an interesting thing outside the city. We took a plantation tour north of the city along the Mississippi in the bayous. There are probably very few places where you drive along and come across road kill that turns out to be a 6 or 7 foot alligator. Possibly near the everglades but there are many, many roads that run through the bayous so lots of chances to come across something unexpected while driving.
In conclusion, make the trip to New Orleans. A wonderful friendly place that is unmatched by all but a very few places I have been.
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