Day 16-New Orleans

Today we woke up to blue skies.  We left the campground just before 9:00 AM and started across the Pontchartrain Causeway at the same time as yesterday without the wind, rain lightning , or traffic.

We arrived at the Café Beignet on Royal Street around 10 AM.  Molly and Jeff  arrived shortly thereafter.  We were thrilled to see them.  It had been ten years since the four of us were together so we had lots to share.  The coffee and beignets were fabulous and we lucked out with courtyard table which sat the four of us comfortably.

Around noon we said our goodbyes, Molly and Jeff took off for Jazz Fest.  The Grateful Dead (Dead & Company) and Tom Jones (yes, he's still alive!) were the headliners today, but with 16 stages on the fair grounds, there were plenty of other acts to entertain the masses.  

Joni and I headed to Mr. B's Bistro on Royal Street for a jazz brunch.  We had a great experience, the food was a cut above the best restaurants we've been to on this trip, and the entertainment, a trio that included an upright bass, an alto sax, and a six string banjo, were equally entertaining.

Vodka and grapefruit juice on the left, a blood orange margarita on the right

CRAWFISH FRITTATA

Louisiana crawfish tails, green onions, spicy tasso.

pepperjack cheese, roasted jalapeños & red peppers in a

savory egg bake, topped with nest of shoestring potatoes,

finished with a drizzle of charred green onion aioli

CHICKEN PONTALBA

Pan roasted chicken breast with crispy Brabant potatoes

& prosciutto, finished with Hollandaise sauce

 

Indian Pudding

The band performed their last set right next to us.  Perhaps that was because the bass player's family was there, as well as the family of one of the restaurant's waiters.   Also sitting next to us was a 98 year old gentleman who was celebrating his birthday.  He put us all to shame as he led a conga line of diners around the restaurant. Once he was done dancing, he sat down and continued to celebrate with a glass of whisky and a beer chaser.  98 year old!

Leaving Mr. B's we walked around the French Quarter,  Le Vieux Carré, enjoying the incredible architecture that dominates this city.  It was hot, 86°, and crowded with tourists, but we loved it.  Returning to our car, we tried one more time to find the New Orleans Jazz Museum, but we failed. 

It was now around 4 pm, we were hot and tired so we drove to the New Orleans Botanical Garden where we just relaxed in the shade before returning to our campground in Mandeville.

This plaque reminds all of us of the history of this property, and the role enslaved people, including children, played in industries like sugar cane or cotton.  Without slavery, the South's economy couldn't survive.  

Returning to our campsite we had a healthy dinner of Barbara's oat flakes and blue berries. Noah shamed us into having a healthy meal.