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Land Snorkeling

New Orleans, Louisiana

On our last 24 hours in New Orleans, we wander around the city to see what we can find.  After the WW II museum, we had planned on going to lunch at a po’ boy place Siri’s cousin Karla had suggested.  But, we had taken too long and now it was closed.  That does seem to be part of our own poor planning or eternal optimism. 

For example, we missed the free jazz concert on Monday, because it was in a different park and missed it again on Tuesday because the park was closed.  We wonder why museums/parks close on Mondays and Tuesdays.  We are here and want to see them, doesn’t everyone else want to as well? 

So, we decide to take Karla’s other suggestion and head all the way back across town to the Elysian cafe (and hotel) in an old renovated Catholic Church, school and convent.  We take the trams, so after walking quite the distance (we couldn’t just walk the whole way?). We wait and guess if Google Maps or the online  schedule is more correct, will it be 10 minutes or 25 minutes?  We are feeling better once some locals join us at the previously deserted tram stop.  Google wins this one and we hop on and use our day pass (a steal at $3!). 

Along the way we remember we need to buy some pralines, so decide to jump off a bit early and purchase some as thank you gifts.  We ask about the dollar bills pinned to the staff person’s blouse (the second time I’ve seen this) and she informs us it is a local custom supposedly based on wife’s pinning the property taxes on their absent minded husbands shirts. (?)

While meandering, we stop in at the Cajun George Rodrique store, a local artist famous for reinvigorating pride in being Cajun as well as a fun “Blue Dog” pop icon.  A bit too expensive for us to purchase such popular art, so we head down the street and meet up with the artist we learned about on Sunday night at the outdoor art show.   We end up talking to him for a while and leave with one of his large prints. 

We walk across the Esplanade and discuss if we are going to bike up this way tomorrow or just drive and then bike around City Park as we leave the city.  We decide to drive, then bike, which will give us time to stop in at the other po’ boy place Karla suggested for lunch (and it WAS delicious).  I notice two (!) historical plaques – one talking about New Orleans dark history as the busiest trading area of domestically enslaved people after 1808 when international slave trade was banned and the other mentions on this spot is where the Solomon Northup of “12 years a slave” was first imprisoned.

We walk through Washington Square next to Frenchman street – where the locals hang out and actually live nearby – and notice families and kids enjoying their bit of green space. 

A few hours after deciding where to eat, we finally make it to Elysian Cafe and have a fabulous dinner.  Afterward, we ask and get a personal tour of the old church, which is now the event venue.   

Later that evening we decide to take the short ferry across the Mississippi, timing it just right for the sunset.  (Much cheaper than the paddle wheeler dinner cruise leaving at the same time).  We notice the banter between the captain and the man in front of us, and he tells us he is a daily commuter and he has a running joke with the crew about their terrible parallel parking. 

Back on land, we head back to our place on the Riverwalk and notice nother plaque and take a detour to check out the intricate, ever changing Holocaust memorial.  We finish up with a few beignets for dessert and get in as they are closing, so we eat the fresh hot pastries on the go as night sets in.

We both agree it has been a good day of “land snorkeling.”

This is a new term for us, created by artists Clyde Aspeviq and Carol Guzman, and brought to our attention by my brother-in-law David.

“Land snorkeling is taking the time to savor aspects of nature we ordinarily don’t see or pay attention to. Land snorkelers wander thru nature with no intention of hiking to a destination.”

We decide to embrace this term and do more “land snorkeling” on this cross country journey.

One can never tire of the fun French Quarter architecture
So this is how they plan to move the furniture to the second floor – not sure that rope will hold that larger couch
We didn’t realize that Chicken and Daiquiris go together – a few other similar billboards proclaim this is a real thing here
A good artistic repurposing of an old public phone
The famous Cajun artist and the story of how he created his “Blue Dog” based on folktales and his personal dog
Blue Dog and Aoli dinner – notice the large Oak Trees in the background from the Cajun swamps
Our nice courtyard – check out the frogs in the fountain.
Someone made little hats for them – reminds us of our niece Anna who knotted similar hats for chickens one time
The “Tree of Life” art piece we just purchased, shown off by the artist.
One plaque
Two plaque
Elysian Cafe in the former courtyard of the Church of St. Peter and Paul
Bright murals all around us – this from Mardi Gras
The sternwheeler dinner cruise
Our sunset cruise on the local ferry
New Orleans
The “broken” Star of David as part of the Holocaust memorial
Our last morning in New Orleans, we bike through City Park – their Central Park
Lots of Bayous – held back by levies
And they have swan boats too!
We have yummy Po’ Boys, BBQ meats and shrimp on this one, at the historic Parkway Tavern
Since we are close by, we visit the nearby lower Ninth Ward which was devastated during Hurricane Katrina – 20 years ago and it still has not recovered.  Here a local tour group is also visiting the place where these flood walls broke.
Our final view of the Lower Ninth Ward, you can see the water is actually above the houses to the right with the flood wall in the middle.  When the wall failed, over 3,000 families were inundated with six to ten feet of water.

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sirianddavid

Siri and David live in Redmond, Washington, and enjoy living, traveling, and learning about different cultures.

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