Thursday, March 22, 2018

NOLA and Meeting up with Friends…

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, closeup and outdoor

New Orleans Louisiana is one of our favorite cities. Nearly every time we make the switch to the East or West coast we schedule a stay at Bayou Segnette State Park. This state park offers spacious sites, clean restrooms and free laundry! How rare is that??? Because our park is across the river from the city and along a swamp, it really has an out in the country feel. We love it.

Image may contain: night, sky, outdoor and water

Anyway, we were afraid the fiasco with our windshield would prevent a trip to the city but thankfully the insurance adjuster finally came through with a visit to assess our damage and begin the process of issuing us a check. Finally! 

With the insurance adjuster visit behind us we had one full day left to see the city We made the short drive over to Algiers Point Ferry, paid $5 for parking and the $2 per person ferry fee. We went straight out to the outer deck where we could see the beautiful panorama of the city as we made our way across.

IMG_20180315_140309MVIMG_20180315_141504MVIMG_20180315_142006

We had a city tour picked out to see some historic sites from the 1700's in the French Quarter. We only made it through four stops on this little tour before the energy of the city pulled us off task. At Jackson Square there was an Art Walk and a wonderful New Orleans brass band which drew us in. After a while we wandered further into the quarter where we were treated to several impromptu musicians playing for large crowds. The city was full of people arriving early to participate in St Patrick's Day festivities. One musical group was very interesting. They were playing what sounded like 1930's to 40's music with a guitar, a fiddle and what looked to be like a butter churning stick on an old washboard. It was lively and entertaining as the female singer had a happy booming voice. Fun!

MVIMG_20180315_144114MVIMG_20180315_155853


Years ago we stayed in a quaint and cozy hotel in the city called the Marie Antoinette. We wanted to see it but sadly it has been taken over, completely remodeled and renamed so we didn't venture inside preferring instead to remember it as it was. We moved on to wander all throughout the quarter hearing various forms of live music wafting outside of the many crowded bars on this beautiful sunny afternoon. A cold front had come through the night before so we were treated to cool temperatures and little or no humidity which was perfect for our walk.

Image may contain: one or more peopleImage may contain: 5 people, including Larry Haskins and Sharon Hinton, people smiling, closeup

As our bodies became tired we wandered over to the French Market to sit awhile for people watching, rest and some water. Again there were big crowds at the market but the energy was so upbeat and happy that though we were tired, we felt really happy to be there. While perusing our social media on our phone we realized some friends from back home in College Station Texas were in town. We messaged them and they were on their way to one of our favorite bars, the Chart Room, so we hurried over to meet them. What a treat it was to hang out with Larry and Elaine.

Image may contain: 5 people, including John Hinton and Larry Haskins, people smiling, people standingImage may contain: outdoor

We talked, laughed and took several selfies before moving on to the Finnegan’s Easy, another of Larry's favorite bars. To our amazement two other friends, Beth and Eduardo joined us there. After more drinks and lively conversation, the afternoon whisked away. We tore ourselves away to take our tired happy selves back to the ferry and our home. Back at home I could not believe my Fitbit that said we walked 8.5 miles that day! No wonder we were tired. Tired but joyful....what a great day. Thank you NOLA...we WILL be back!

NOTE: We left Bayou Segnette State Park for a 15 night stay at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville LA where we are now…

9 comments:

  1. Oh how nice to meet up with good friends. We love NO. So much going on. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Always fun to meet up with friends and enjoy NOLA one of out favourite places to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maybe we need to give New Orleans another chance. We have stayed at Bayou Segnette State Park, and enjoyed our time at the park, but the city itself was a let down and we haven't returned.

    Fitbits (and similar devices) are notoriously inaccurate for calculating distance. I use a GPS program on my phone. If you could not believe you walked 8.5 miles, it's possible that you didn't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually I have tested my Fitbit Blaze with the GPS program on my phone and my Fitbit slightly UNDER estimates mileage so we really did log those miles in the 5 hours of walking in NOLA!

      Delete
  4. We also love NOLA, always some excitement. Kevin and Ruth, the best time to visit NOLA is late afternoon and early evening before the drunks come out. I must admit though, the best Cajun food is not to be found in NOLA but in the real Cajun Country around Abbeville (Betty's RV Park).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated this post. Although we've logged over 50,000 miles with our travel trailer over the past 10 years or so, my husband and I are just now planning an extended trip to several of the southern states for the first time - Louisiana included. Since we're starting from scratch, knowing that Bayou Segnette is a favorite of yours is extremely helpful. State and National Parks are our favorite stops and knowing that there's a lovely one near NO put my mind at ease - I thought we might have a difficult time finding something less commercial near enough to the city. Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it is a great park to not only stay at but is so convenient for exploring NOLA...

      Delete
  6. We love Bayou Segnette!! Can’t beat the location to New Orleans!! It’s always fun to meet up with friends!!
    Glad you all got together!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. NOLA is a fun place. Spent a wekend there lat month. Sure got our fill of parades:)

    ReplyDelete