On 10/10/10 we first visited New Orleans for a wedding and fell in love with the city. So it was kind of appropriate that we came back on 12/12/12.
Our first day in the Crescent City was a cold and damp one. We discovered on our previous visit that the best way to navigate around New Orleans was by bicycle. Rarely does less-than-ideal weather prevent us from our biking plan. So, off we went.
Roadway through the levee
Getting a late start from our campsite at St Bernard State Park, we rode two ferries in, had lunch and visited the Insectarium, then rode two ferries out.
Missed that one! The ferry heads out across the Mississippi.
The ferries were necessary because a bicycle can’t go over many of the Mississippi River bridges. The river snakes through New Orleans like the Grinch around a Christmas tree.
On the ferries, we had an opportunity to chat with some of the locals. We got some interesting inside info on the city, and Katrina.
Bikes and pedestrians only on this ferry.
In varied accents (Creole, Cajun, Southern and folks who talk just like me) we heard stories about the wrath of the storm seven years ago. Ginger spent several months in Georgia, away from her wrecked home.
A cold ride
The would-be river boat captain told a story about the flow of mighty Mississippi that day. The boilermaker, charming as could be, didn’t talk much about Katrina, but his love for his home was evident in his story about industry along the banks of the river.
In the Butterfly Room at the Insectarium in New Orleans. Butterflies fly around you and land on you!
Moth display
Back home via ferry
Day two dawned clear and sunny and quite a bit warmer. We took off on bikes again, skipping the fun but time-eating ferry and driving in to a cheap ($5.00 per day) parking lot just outside the French Quarter.
My daughter, having recently travelled to New Orleans, recommended Betsy’s Pancake House on Canal Street in the Mid City neighborhood.
12:12 on 12/12/12
Betsy’s was yummy. Grits and blueberry pancakes were consumed as the clock read 12:12 on 12/12/12!
Next up was City Park and the Singing Oak. It was magical, standing under the massive tree, hung with wind chimes of all sizes! All tuned to the pentatonic scale.
Here’s a better video of the Singing Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2emTYIHg3bw
Checking out the Mayan art in the New Orleans Art Museum
It being Wednesday, the New Orleans Museum of Art was free, so of course we checked it out.
Next up was a bicycle tour of the French Quarter. Bourbon street was hopping at two in the afternoon! The party, apparently, never ends.
Jackson Square
Lastly, we took refreshments at Cafe du Monde. Cups of Cafe au Lait were raised in memory of my dear mom, who loved the beignets and coffee so much she would visit the Cafe more than once on each visit to New Orleans.
On the way back to St Bernard park, we went over the Claiborne Street bridge.
Katrina’s legacy.
I had read about Brad Pitt’s work for Katrina victims and hoped that we would see some of the houses that his foundation is building.
We were strongly advised not to bike or drive around the Ninth Ward. The pale green house in the middle field is one of Brad Pitt’s houses. Note the plethora of solar panels on the rebuilt houses!
If you click on the bottom photo to open it, you can see the rebuilt Ninth Ward.
– Jane
The Voyage of the Tramper 