The Big Easy And the Mobile Surprise



You didn't hear it first from us, but New Orleans is a fun place to visit. We logged a lot of miles bicycling and walking nearly everywhere, plus just a little bit by trolley and our rental car on the last day.  We drank well, and ate even better--too much better!

Our Air B&B on Esplanade

We stayed in a 150-year old mansion halfway between the French Quarter and City Park.  The place was cluttered beyond belief, but at least it was interesting clutter.


Clutter view from the dining room

Our hosts, Bob and Jean were delightful, and we hit it off right away when we discovered our mutual Peace Corps connection.  He is a retired art professor and she is active in the NOLA arts and Maris Gras scene.  They connected us to their favorite restaurants and waiters and even got us plugged into a gala reception for The Creative Arts  of New Orleans foundation.  The event was black tie or toga, and since we didn't pack formal wear, we took our sheets and went toga.

Does this make us look fat?

We went on a fascinating two-hour walking tour, spent a whole day at the impressive WWII museum, rode our bikes through City Park, walked and rode through depressing flooded out neighborhoods, toured the sculpture garden, listened to jazz in the French Quarter by day and on Frenchman Street at night, rode the trolley, walked through neighborhoods of 150-200-year old homes, walked through above ground cemeteries, and visited one of the oldest plantations in the US.  Oh yes, we ate Creole, Cajun, French, and more.

At the Spotted Cat Music Club,Frenchman Street

One of countless sculptures in the garden

Above ground cemeteries because of low water table

Homes in our neighborhood

Just a small part of the WWII Museum



Two more (now broke) celebreties for John's collection
over the past 40 years at Galetorie's

For both of us, our full day at the WWII museum will stick with us the most.

The slave auction site, circa early 1700's.  Look closely and you
 can see the  word 'Exchange" above the closed arch doorways.
 It's now a hotel.  Lincoln visited this twice  as a deck hand in his youth.

It was so eucational and well done, and we left with a strange mix of pride, gratitude, and sadness.




The plantation was second.  They didn't gloss over slavery and the huge mortality rates that people of all races faced 300 years ago from disease and hardship.

The Destrehan Plantation, completed in 1790. 
Site of the 1810 slave rebellion and subsequent executions



Slave quarters for two families.  White board is a list
of all slaves from that plantation

After three full days drove through miles and miles of casinos, strip malls, and rather boring beaches to the city of Mobile, with a brief stopover at an alligator preserve, including an air boat ride.

We knew the New Orleans would be good and it was.  But we were totally unprepared for Mobile. We loved that place!  It had a very vibrant downtown, even for a Sunday night.  Once again we ate well, too well.

1860 DAR Home
in Mobile

On Monday we took a one-hour private tour of a mansion built in 1860, but the tour conducted by two aging southern ladies of the DAR morphed into a two-hour experience, which was a mix of antiques roadshow, southern culture, and  sorority organizational politics.  We could touch or sit on anything, but we cringed when they touched some priceless French paintings.

Afterwards, we spent three hours touring the HUGE USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum, which was a good way to put some of the WWII Museum into even more perspective of what it was really like.  We don't know how those sailors did it, but they did, and we are grateful.  Both vessels saw a lot of combat in the South Pacific.  Makes my casualty of a cut head going through the bulkhead of the submarine seem pretty small.

The big guns!

The USS Alabama

Tomorrow,we depart Tallahase, on to Tampa for two or three days.

PS:  Update from our July "Racine Car Wash Blues" post:  My wallet was finally found as they cleaned out the carwash.  Only the plastic survived.  The cash and everything else turned to mush.  The stench took several hand washings to get it off my hands.