Eating Our Way Through New Orleans...On To Austin, Texas

6:06

The City at 6:08

Morning at Jackson Square

We both decided to get up early because we have another long ride, probably eight-plus hours to Austin, Texas, home of the University of Texas where our grandson, Mitchell, is a sophomore.  I was up and out by 6:00, walked down to the Cafe Du Monde, bought a couple of coffees and came back to the room and Evie was up and ready for bear.

6:30 AM Trumpeter

Yesterday we enjoyed our chicory coffee from Cafe Du Monde in our room before showering, finishing the blog and getting ready for another walk through the streets of New Orleans' French Quarter.  I  saw something about an Audubon Butterfly Garden but it must have been a myth because there was none to find.  We did, however, have good luck for breakfast, stopping at another New Orleans landmark, MOTHER'S.

Biscuits 

It's on a busy corner, surrounded by high rises and has been there since 1938 and is known for their ham.  It's much like a diner, long and narrow and when we walked in, we were given a menu and got in line.  We then gave our order to the cashier and sat down at a table and within five minutes, our egg biscuits were brought to us.  They were amazing, the eggs fluffy, overflowing the flaky biscuit.  Evie thinks it was the best biscuit she has ever had.  Another good choice and a great way to start our morning.

Lafayette Square

We then walked to Lafayette Square in the middle of the Business Section of New Orleans, with a statue of Lafayette in the middle of the square and an impressive building with a front that reminded me of the Parthenon in Athens.  We were a bit confused because once Royal Street runs into Canal, it becomes St. Charles for some reason.  Anyways, we meandered back towards Jackson Square, the center of the French Quarter and stopped to listen to a couple of pick up bands, playing on a street corner. 

Street Band

And Evie sat down with one guy, a clarinetist, and he played her a song while she sat next to him and recorded it on her iPhone.  It was really cool and we met up with him later in the day, playing with a group. After our walk and the music, we decided on having lunch at the Corner Oyster House.

Selfie In A Mirror

We sat at the bar, of course, and I had a Yuengling draft and red beans and rice, a typical Monday dish according to the menu, left to hang out on the stove as the wash dried on the lines.  We got back to our Inn by 1:00, tired from our walking, close to four miles.  It felt good to relax in our room, watch some TV, read and take a nap.

Chicory Coffee And Beignets, Again

We had not yet walked the French Market area which is north of our Inn and it also happens that the Cafe Du Monde was one the way so we had to stop for some more coffee and we split a plate of beignets.  We then walked to the end of the French Quarter, passing Voodoo Mask shops, Praline shops, hat shops, art galleries, and Tee shirt shops broken up by a bar or restaurant and an occasional outdoor cafe with a band playing.  We could not get over how crowded it was despite it being a Monday.  There were lots of families as well, with kids in strollers.  And we cannot help but notice all the homeless in the city, some sleeping on the sidewalks or on benches, many with dogs, many carrying sleeping bags or backpacks, some seemingly with nothing.  How sad-making.

More Street Bands

My other observation is the contrast in the past week between lily white Grayton Beach and Seaside and the multicultural makeup of New Orleans, where you are just as apt to see an African American or Asian as a Caucasian.

We came back to our hotel at 5:00, exhausted from our busy day.  Vacations sure can be tiring, especially when you are having fun. We took it easy, lounging in our big easy hotel room until 7:00 when we went out again into the busy streets of the French Quarter.  We decided to try to find a seat at the Hotel Monteleone's Carrousel Bar but true to form, it was packed, just like the last time we were here.  We then had a hard time deciding on what restaurant to go to, so we walked around checking out those which seemed popular and crowded, those which seemed empty and ended going to the Cafe Pontalba, just off Jackson Square.  Evie had redfish with an artichoke sauce, first rate and I finally finished my Cajun trifecta with a Crawfish Etouffee  We ended up talking quite awhile with the bartender, another retired musician, this time a drummer, originally from New York City. He told us a horrible story about being attacked by two pit bulls in late August; he managed to knock one off, the other he shot with a pistol.  Gruesome story. As he said, he's a big 2nd Amendment guy.  He also had spent quite a bit of time in Austin, Texas, and told us things we ought to do or see, a good guy.  We decided to make an early night of it because we would like to be off to Austin by 8:00 at the latest if not earlier.