David Sipher's World: Spring 2018 Southern Trip: New Orleans

Thursday 4/19: 205 miles and parked at New Orleans West KOA

The traffic today was reasonable and the drive was easy. This section of I-10 is a good road to travel. We arrived mid afternoon, set up, and just relaxed the rest of the day. We're loving this southern warm weather, especially after a Northern New York winter.

Friday 4/20:

Today was beautiful, sunny and 70. We signed up yesterday, as soon as we checked in, to take the shuttle to the French Quarter the next morning. We were put on standby, but we lucked out and got on. Apparently a couple people dropped out and we were able to have their spots. I'm glad we did because the downtown traffic was a zoo.

First thing we did was sign up for a Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour. It was excellent. We had a top, outside seat, and the guide was excellent. She was knowledgeable and very humorous. That tour gave us an overview of the city, and helped us decide where to spend our time. It was well worth the two hours and the money.

View of the New Orleans Super Dome from the bus tour.

We decided to spend most of our day in the French Quarter. We have mixed impressions of the French Quarter.

On one hand, it is old, historic and unique. We were there during the day, so the famous music scene was not out in full measure. There is probably much more music in the evenings. On the other hand, it's definitely geared for tourists. Lots of places to spend your money on things you don't really need. But.....the architecture is amazing!!

We splurged for lunch at an upscale, restaurant, Antoine's. They advertise as the oldest French-Creole restaurant in New Orleans, having been in business for 175 years.

Antoine's Restaurant

After lunch, we wandered down to the French Quarter Market. There are shops galore here, ranging from food, to crafts, to clothing, to jewelry. You name it, and it can be found here. We meandered among the shops and booths, and did pick up a few things.

The market is located near Jackson Square, which is a very nice open park on the south side of the Quarter, located near the riverfront.

The shuttle was going to pick us up at the waterfront, near the Market. The waterfront is interesting and historic.

The tall ships were in town for NOLA Navy Week to help celebrate the 300 anniversary of New Orleans. In a "small world" episode, my cousin's daughter, Rebecca, was a crew mate on one of the ships. While we didn't get to connect with her, it was neat to think that I had a relative helping sail one of the ships.

We got back to the campground around 6:00. It was a long day, but fun and interesting. Time to relax!!

Saturday 4/21:

Today was another sunny and warm, 78 degrees, but becoming overcast later in the day. We decided to drive to a National Historic Landmark, Oak Alley, about an hour away. In the early 1700's an unknown settler planted 28 evenly spaced live oak trees on the property. In 1839 a mansion was built by Jacques Roman and the property became a sugar plantation using slaves as workers. The Oak Alley Plantation was a truly fascinating visit, as we got to see how the "well to do" lived, as well as the primitive accommodations of their slave help.