Just a little street dancing: French Quarter, New Orleans
For those who love to wander, coming home can sometimes be a “downer.” But what perks us up after a good trip is looking through photos and reliving and re-evaluating what we saw. Thus it was after a brief but fun visit to New Orleans, a place we’ve seen numerous times, but one that always shows us something new and delightful.
And this time was a nothing-special time — no festivals, no conventions we had to attend, no national holiday celebrations. Just pure New Orleans . . . if there is such a thing. Sort of reminds us of this Bob Dylan quote, “There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans better.”
Maybe it’s the people . . .
A little cell phone pre-occupation!
Pedaling the tourists — New Orleans
Checking for messages — French Quarter, New Orleans
Or it could be the icons. Like St. Louis Cathedral where you can duck in for a moment of quiet and a glimpse of Christian opulence.
Of course, New Orleans is food. Like gumbo at Napoleon House. Or muffulettas at Central Grocery. Maybe beignets at Cafe duMonde. But no trip is complete without stocking up on Aunt Sally’s pralines — a box for the folks back home and at least one apiece for us!
Ready for packaging: Pralines at Aunt Sally’s
And New Orleans is seeing remnants of Mardi Gras still hanging from the trees around Jackson Square . . .
Colorful beads drip from the trees near Jackson Square.
or colorful masks and feathered boas that remind us how dressing up is just part of being in NOLA, Mardi Gras or not.
To some, New Orleans is macabre. A little bit funereal. A little bit voodoo. And a lot of obsessing over death and the hereafter.
Window scene in The Jazz Funeral on Decatur, New Orleans’ French Quarter
New Orleans can be the sadness of seeing the homeless with nowhere to go . . .
Person hanging out with Marilyn Monroe.
or the oddities of structures that probably have tales to tell.
Shards and remnants of glass bottles line the top of a wall around a home in the French Quarter.
Maybe it’s the art of the area — like oddly fascinating little put-togethers . . .
As seen in a window in French Quarter, artwork resembling a hearse with driver.
or fabric art that draws you in to enjoy the cleverness and the handiwork of someone who’s got a handle on life as she sees it.
It’s also the little things you never expected to see.
Whatever New Orleans is to you is what New Orleans is, for your experiences and your views will make up your tapestry of this city, the one Southern city that we could visit again and again.
Looking back can be so much fun!
We’d love to hear from you, our readers. What have you seen that you loved about New Orleans?
For more posts in this Travel Series: New Orleans, click here.
And, as always, thanks for traveling with us,
–Bert and Rusha
bcirclesp
One of my favorite places! I will make time to dive into your posts from the city – and probably from some of the others in your impressive catalogue as well 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much for visiting our site. Hope you enjoy touring with us virtually!
Konstancja
I’m loving your pics of New Orleans! I just posted about my favorite places to eat in Nola, check it out if you’d like, XO
http://vogue-ish.com
Oh, the Places We See
Will do. Always looking for another great restaurant in NOLA!
mybeautfulthings
Oh, I did love that tour of New Orleans – would so love to visit in person. Thank you! 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for traveling to NOLA with us! We’d go back in a heartbeat because no two days/nights are ever the same in this city for us. Always something new to see and do.
dawnkinster
These are absolutely wonderful shots and express the “Orleans” that you love. So glad you shared them and the city with us!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much for commenting. We love this city, and there’s still so much we haven’t seen. Next time! 🙂
gallivance.net
BTW Rusha, we did a post of the NOLA street musicians that we saw when we were there. These guys were great fun. Also, there’s a link at the bottom of the post that has some fabulous dancing. Check out both videos:
https://gallivance.net/2013/11/21/one-minute-on-why-we-love-new-orleans/
Oh, the Places We See
Love that video! That’s the same place we saw other dancers and musicians. But the scene was the same – fun in the Quarter! And, by the way, thanks for mentioning Maspero’s. See? We need to go back!!!
gallivance.net
Rusha, as you’ve probably gathered from my comments, NOLA is one of my favorite cities on the planet. New Orleans is a complex gumbo of sights, sounds and experiences, and it’s hard for me to pick favorites. But I must admit that I get a warm tickle in my heart thinking of clanging along St. Charles on the streetcar with the breeze in my hair, or wandering in the cool of the early morning around the Garden District. I have lots of other favorites, but if I listed them all, this comment would be longer than your post. Nice photo montage. ~James
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks, James. I have even more photos — it’s a colorful place for a girl with a camera. Colorful people, old sites, Creole food on a plate — many things to take pictures of and share. Would love to be there right now!
Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread
I haven’t had a real praline since a visit to Savannah many years ago. I think I’d like to reacquaint myself with the experience. 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
As you can probably tell by now, Judy, we love to eat. Anything local. And mostly anything fattening. Is it any wonder I have to diet when I get back home!
ourfrenchoasis
So so true, sometimes we feel a little sad coming home after a great trip, but we can look through photos, we can remember the fabulous times, memories are so important, and then we can plan the next trip!
Oh, the Places We See
We love the memories. Aside from the excitement of planning and actually visiting a site, writing the blog is the next best thing. It helps me process what I saw! Best wishes for good summer days!
anotherday2paradise
Your photo gallery is wonderfully eclectic! It must have taken you ages to download all the photos, Rusha. Wonderful post which makes me want to return there. 😃
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for the comment. I wish I were faster in downloading pictures, putting them into categories and then sending them on to Flickr, but I’m like those slugs in “Zootopia.” Whew! Hope you’ll get back to NOLA soon.
anotherday2paradise
I’ve never sent anything to Flickr. Sounds intriguing. 😕
Jodi
Oh – you took me right back there- makes me want to go through my photos which I don’t think I ever posted from last year! 🙂 What a fun colorful place!
Oh, the Places We See
It takes time to go through all the photos we take, but it’s a great way to relive. And also find pics that don’t fit other posts!!!