I Heart New Orleans!

Oh, I love this city!  Today is our only full day in New Orleans is today, and it is the last non-travel day of our holiday, so we have a lot to squish in!  Luckily, I was up early.  Actually, I was up most of the night.  Andrew has a cold, so his snoring was about the same volume as a Boeing 747 landing.  Even wearing earplugs and with a pillow over my head, it was loud.  Andrew is typically not a snorer, thank goodness, so I'll forgive him this time.

Once Andrew woke up we got ready and walked over to my favorite New Orleans bakery, Croissant D'Or Patisserie, for breakfast.  I didn't take any pictures, so you'll have to take my word for the fact that this place is straight out of a little Parisian neighborhood and they have almond croissant to die for!

After coffee and croissant, we continued our walk through the quarter and poked around in a few shops along Royal Street.  We eventually ended up at the Museum of Death.  They have all kinds of macabre items on display - crime scene photos, letters and art by infamous serial killers, shrunken heads, etc.  We found it entertaining.  About 10 years ago, this place would have been quite shocking but, now that everyone has a cell phone camera, crime/death scene videos/photos are commonly seen on line.  

Our lunch spot today is a New Orleans institution.  It will come up on any Google search for where to eat in New Orleans, and it is reputed to be the best fried chicken in the country.   Willie Mae's Scotch House was first opened in the 50's, and has remained a family-run business.  I like the fact that it's has always relied heavily on the women in the family - first Willie Mae, and now her great-granddaughter (the current owner).  I am always a supporter of women-owned businesses.  I'm also a supporter of fried chicken, so this place was a must-do on this trip. 

We arrived about 1:30 pm and there was a bit of a line under the iconic sign.  The building itself is not much to look at but, as we've seen, Andrew and I will eat food out of a box off the street if there's a line in front of it.  A line is one of my favorite things to see in front of a dumpy restaurant.

The sign!

We didn't have to wait long to get inside and seated.  We had already seen the menu online, so knew what we wanted.  Chicken!  I had mine with butter beans, and Andrew had his with mac and cheese.  We didn't have to wait long to get to chicken heaven.  The chicken was so good!  Really.  So good.  I've never had butter beans before, but they were also pretty darn good.  You could taste the pork and peppers they were cooked with.  Yum!

Fried chicken with butter beans.

We made our way back to the hotel, after a brief stop at the store to get Andrew some cold medicine.  Keep your fingers crossed!  Andrew wanted to relax in the room, but I wanted to squeeze in as much of the city as I could so I set off on foot around the quarter.  I spent the better part of two hours just wandering around and taking in the sights, sounds and smells that are New Orleans.  Did I mention that I love it here?  If you haven't been, hurry!  If you have, hurry back.  You won't be sorry.

The pickles, olives and capers section of Central Grocery.  AKA my happy place.

St. Louis Cathedral & Jackson Square.  There were several brass bands playing and a few singers.  Mix those in with the fortune tellers, magicians, and artists and it's a real feast for the eyes and ears.  

View of the square and cathedral from the riverwalk.  

The Mississippi.  The water is really, really high this year!

Fountain along the way.

The French Market.  Mostly junk in the stands but fun to walk through and is great people watching.

The infamous Lalaurie Mansion.  Did you watch American Horror Story:  Coven?  It's empty now, but one of the more recent owners was Nicholas Cage.  Rumor is that he only spent one night there with his family before being scared out by all the ghosts.  

It's Carnival time!  Mardi Gras is less than 2 weeks away so the houses are all decked out!

Last night in New Orleans deserves a Hurricane!  Or a Monsoon, as Port of Call dubs theirs.  Either way, they are delicious and potent.  We shared this one!