Today is catch-up day, which rvers need once in awhile. We were so busy doing things in NO, that we need a day just to relax, heal, clean, do laundry, go for a walk (not much around here to walk to, as we went 2 kilometers up along the highway last evening, and not a bar to be seen). We have a little front end problem with the rig, as it was chattering all the way from NO. The man on the desk gave me a reliable alignment outfit in town, so first thing tomorrow that will be the prime order of the day.
As for NO, we tried to do some things we hadn't done before, rather than just wander about. So we did the WWII Museum, the Aquarium, and the Zoo. We were also planning to do the Mardi Gras Museum and the Museum of Southern Art, but ran out of time. Thoroughly enjoyed all three attractions. Could have spent the entire day in the War Museum, which is excellent. We focused on the Invasion of Normandy, and the Pacific War, both of which were very informative, and presented in quite a balanced way. It wasn't all "Look how we Americans saved the world", which I had feared it might be.
As for Aquarium and the Zoo, you can buy a combined ticket, which saves some bucks. Both were very good. In addition to the exhibits in the Aquarium, we saw two large screen films, one dealing with the Antarctica, and another Hurricane Katrina...both films excellent. As for the zoo, we closed the place down, and managed to see nearly everything. Both facilities are produced by the Audubon Society, a guarantee that quality is the word. Lots of pictures at both facilities, which I always enjoy.
Aside from that, we spent time on Frenchmen's Street, visiting our favorite bar/music places...The Spotted Cat, Maison, and Bamboulas. A beer, some food, and good music, rather than the noise and rock and overthetop stuff that goes on on Bourbon Street. Not to say there aren't some good places on the main party drag, but we prefer Frenchmen's. Also saw an excellent concert at the Jazz Museum, featuring Wes 'Warmdaddy' Anderson, who has worked with the Marsalis band for 30 years. He was very good (alto sax) with an excellent quartet.
Riding the bus in from our r.v. park was always interesting, as we were generally the only folks of whiteness on the ride in. People always treated us with courtesy, and were interesting to observe or chat with. The last day, however, the bus was very late for some reason, and as a result, it was packed by the time we got midway to Canal Street. And there was a lot of chatter and anger aimed at the bus driver, for being so late. No riots or anything, but the riders had lots to say. And of course, a guy in a wheelchair had to be set up when he got aboard, and that took time. And an old gal with a walker took forever to get off at her stop. And another old guy took quite awhile to get his bike off the front of the bus when he got off. So it was a long but entertaining ride into town.
There were a lot of homeless people on the streets as well, many of them young people with their dogs, generally clustered together seated on the sidewalk, maybe playing some tunes. And there were also the loners sleeping under their layers, sad to see on the very cool evenings. But we have this too, but with a slightly different character, because there's really no place like this city. Characters abound.
So a good week once we decided what to do that we hadn't done before. And now we move on, anticipating the arrival of our grand-daughter Anna, who is going to join us in San Antonio. She'll travel with us for as long as she can put up with our ways, and will no doubt bring a whole new dimension to our wanderings. Being vegan, she plans to bring lots of recipes. Who knows, maybe she'll even convert us.
That's more than enough of my prattle for now. Glad it's warmed up at home, although the possibility of freezing rain isn't appealing. Stay warm. Stay tuned. More later.
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