New Orleans 2008

July 26-28, 2008

Cody and Kevin by the Mississippi River

Cody and I in front of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the United States.

e stayed two nights at the Ambassador Hotel, which was an old coffee warehouse renovated into a hotel. The walls had the original old brickwork, and the floors were wood. It was a nice place to stay, very affordable and within easy walking distance of the French Quarter.

Kevin is eating a beignet - a New Orleans tradition of fried dough smothered in powdered sugar.

The walk along the Mississippi River

A street in the French Quarter

I had to take photos by the famous House Of Blues!

Saturday night, Kevin, Cody, and I headed to Frenchman Street to hit every jazz club in the neighborhood. It was great!

"Huge Ass Beers" were very popular in New Orleans, especially since there aren't any open container laws there.

Kevin with his "Huge Ass Beer"

My drinks were considerably smaller!

Musical Legends Park

The famous Preservation Hall, built in 1961. Unfortunately the famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band was on tour in Europe during the month of July.

Peeking in the doorway inside Preservation Hall.

The famous Bourbon Street. The street has a totally different character after dark - definitely "R" rated!

Saturday night Huey Lewis gave a free concert near the river.

Kevin is a big Huey Lewis fan!

St. Louis Cemetery (one of them). All of the graves are above ground. It was neat to see the dates on these stones - most were 200-300 years old.

Plessey's grave (of the 'Plessey vs. Ferguson' fame)

Basin St. - I have personal reasons for getting a photo of that street sign. I have fond memories of a jazz tune based on that street name...

Kevin and Cody on the trolley.

There were many people in the streets painted to look metallic. They would stand still for hours in hopes of getting a donation.

Another view of the St. Louis Cathedral.

Every other storefront was a jazz or blues club. We tried to hit every single one of them!

The devastation in the Ninth ward from Hurricane Katrina 3 years ago is still evident everywhere. Very little has been rebuilt or even cleaned up. It is so sad to see what was once nice neighborhoods become just shells of houses and empty lots.

A view of what was once a street in a populated neighborhood.

Inspirational - the city is coming back very slowly.