New Orleans - August 29 and 30

From Galveston, we headed to New Orleans. We stopped for the night on August 28 at Iowa, LA. There is not much there; it was just a place to stop.

In New Orleans, we stayed at the French Quarter RV Park. It is the only one close to the French Quarter, and charges $96.00 per night. This seems exorbitant, but if you want to see the French Quarter, it's the place to be. The other parks were around $45.00 to $50.00 per night, and if you had to take a taxi to and from the French Quarter (you do not want to drive there, and there is precious little parking), it makes the $96.00 per night reasonable.

The RV park was only about a block from the French Quarter, and we were warned not to walk that block after dark. 

The first day we were in New Orleans, we walked around the French Quarter and over to the French Market Place. That night, we went to see the action on Bourbon street. Lots of partying going on there. And, a lot of people trying to do anything they can to get your money. The whole French Quarter (especially Bourbon Street) smelled of trash, old booze, and vomit. Lovely odor.

One of the employees at the RV park recommended Deanie's seafood restaurant. We ate dinner there and had barbeque shrimp, seafood boiled potatoes, and bread for dipping as an appetizer. For the main course, I had the crawfish ettoufee and Mike had a combo plate of shrimp and catfish. My ettoufee tasted okay, but I was sick for the next two days. Never again.

The following day we were going to take a river boat cruise, but since I wasn't feeling well, we skipped it. In the morning, we walked through the St. Louis Cemetery #2, which is right next to the RV park. It is one of the oldest above-ground cemeteries in the area. We found out afterward that it's safer to visit the cemeteries in large groups. I guess they have had some problems with robberies.

In the afternoon, we walked through the French Quarter to Woldenberg Park at the edge of the Mississippi River. Next to the park is the Aquarium of the Americas and an IMAX theatre. We then walked over to Harrah's Casino and played the slots until we cooled down.

The AAA TourBook Guide has been really helpful. It gives a background on the cities, attractions, restaurant descriptions, and so forth. One of the items in the book was how to sound like a local in New Orleans. I've posted it below:

Cajun - a descendant of the French Acadians who fled Canada in the mid-1700s and settled in the Louisiana bayous.

Chartres (CHAR-ters) - don't use your French accent with this street, or with Burgundy (ber-GUN-dee), Conti (KONT-eye) or Calliope (CAL-lee-ope).

Cher - a Cajun endearment.

Creole - strictly speaking, the original French and Spanish families who formed the elite of New Orleans society, as opposed to English-speaking immigrants who came later.

Fai do-do (fay doh-doh) - a Cajun street dance that lasts all night.

Krewes - private social and civic groups that organize Mardi Gras parades.

Lagniappe (lan-yap) - an elusive term for "a little something extra", like a baker's dozen.

Laissez les bon temps rouler (LAY-zay leh bawn tawn roo-LAY) - let the good times roll.

Pirogue (PEE-row) - a long, narrow swamp boat, originally made from a hollowed cypress log.

Neutral Ground - the grassy median separating street lanes.

Tchoupitoulas (CHOP-a-TOO-lus) - pronouncing this street is the true test of a native.

Vieux Carre (VOO cah-RAY) - the "Old Square", or the French Quarter.