An October day in New Orleans

The next to last weekend in October I traveled to Baton Rouge to spend several days visiting with Kate.  That Saturday we drove to New Orleans to spend the day wandering around the French Quarter.  We walked along the Riverwalk, through the open-air French Market, and around Jackson Square. 

Because the line was so long at Cafe du Monde we bypassed that for a cup of coffee at a smaller coffee shop near the French Market.  I was surprised by how crowded the area was ... perhaps the crowds were drawn to town by the "Krewe de Boo" (Halloween parade) that was to take place that evening ... and we saw a lot of prople wearing LSU and Auburn tee-shirts (the football game at LSU did not start until 7pm). 

While we were around Jackson Square we watched a wedding party parade - the strolling jazz band was followed by the bride and goom, then the attendants and parents, then the wedding attendees.  We presume the wedding had just take place either in St. Louis Cathedral or in Jackson Square. 

After walking for a couple of hours we stopped for an early dinner at a small restaurant called the Gumbo Shop (thank you Lia for the recommendation!) on Saint Peter Street.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Crawfish Etouffee, while Kate had the Combination Platter with Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya, and Red Beans.  While dining in the open air courtyard under a huge banana palm we listed to the jazz bands playing for the wedding parties going into and coming out of the Cathedral.

We concluded our day in New Orleans with a drive along Bourbon Street, a drive through a few streets of the Garden District, then across town to a drive through what remains of the Lower Ninth Ward where the total devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is still so evident.

Kate - thanks for being such a good tour guide and braving all the traffic!