Stotts and Tots: N'awlins

Fun fun fun!

We had a total blast in New Orleans for spring break. We were in between carnival and spring break season so it wasn't too crowded which, for our mild mannered little family, worked out really well. We only stayed two days but we saw a ton of stuff and got to try all the good food. :)

We hung out for a bit at Audobon park, right on the river/lake/ocean or whatever it's considered there. We were serenaded by a lovely man who referred to himself as 'The Human Jukebox' which would have been accurate if a jukebox produced music that sounded nothing like the artist it claimed and only gave you 6 artists to choose from. But he was sweet and very entertaining. Unfortunately we only got a video so no pictures...

The Avenue Garden Hotel was cool! It was made up of two or three old shotgun townhomes. The floor was so uneven it could give a girl vertigo but that just added to the charm. We thought it smelled a little weird but I assured Kyle it was a completely smoke-free hotel. His suspicions were confirmed and my hopes dashed when we found a cigarette butt under the bed. Overall, still a fun place to stay.

Milo was a total champ the whole time. He only had one massive blowout and luckily we were right by the car so there were no casualties.

City park was AMAZING! We strongly recommend it to anyone going to New Orleans. It may not seem like the must see tourist destination but it was really great. It's huge and beautiful and has lots of cool attractions like the sculpture garden, Museum of Art, Storyland playground, and lots more. We could have spent all day there. It would have been a great place for a run if we had the time.

I'm guessing this is what being a missionary might look like.

Arachnophobia

The graveyards there were amazing! This one was right in a residential neighborhood close to the hotel. I couldn't help but think of Vampire Diaries :) It must have been so much more expensive to have to bury the dead above ground. But I hear New Orleans funerals were quite fun!

We stopped by 'Cafe Du Monde' for beignets and let me tell you, they were out of this world. Kyle and I want to attempt them on our own but I'm sure they'll pale in comparison.

St. Louis Cathedral was absolutely beautiful. We went on a walking tour and learned some of the history behind this cathedral and it was quite fascinating. No building in the entire French Quarter is allowed to be taller than the cathedral because 'No one is higher than God.' I think that's a pretty cool idea.

There were, of course, musicians all over the streets. This guy was actually really good. And I like this picture. I think it captures the 'Bob Dylan/homeless' vibe he was giving off.

'We'll always have Bourbon Street'

The architecture in the French Quarter is to die for. We learned that, although it is called the French Quarter, most of the iconic architecture occurred during Spanish occupancy. I learned what a 'shotgun house' is. The house is set up so that the front and back doors are perfectly aligned so when they are both open, air will flow most effectively through the house. Our front door and back door are almost aligned so perhaps Kyle and I will use this technique to survive the humid summer. Or perhaps the AC will do...

This was my favorite meal of the trip. Muffulettas, from 'Central Grocery', are deli sandwiches with 'olive salad' and they are killer good. The olive salad tastes like a big mess of green olives which, to me, is heaven.