Took a day off from web work yesterday and visited New Orleans. It is about 50 miles from Hammond and is actually quite a pleasant drive via LA51 and I55.  Most of the way you are on a bridge system going over various swamps and water ways.

During my drive around I saw a lot of construction going on but none of the horrific wreckage I had seen on TV. Of course I am not familiar enough with New Orleans to know where those place are. I then headed down to the heart of town, first going by the Super Dome then across Canal Street onto Bourbon Street.

Bourbon Street is a one way (too narrow for anything else) street which I followed almost to the end. Parking was virtually no existent and limited to only two hours.  I then turned off of Bourbon Street onto Orleans and ended up parking on Rampart Street which is only about a 5 minute walk from Bourbon Street.

After walking back to Bourbon Street I decided I had earned a cool one. There were so many so I just picked one. I stopped at Johnny's Hole in the Wall near the corner of Orleans and Bourbon Streets (Rue), for a Heineken.

I walked the full length of Bourbon Street until I hit Canal Street then I wondered around on some of the other streets such as Royal Street (perhaps I should be saying Rue), Toulouse, Iberville. I passed some interesting buildings including the Louisiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeal building, Washington's Artillery Park, Moonwalk and of course The Levee. I ended up over at Jackson Park the French Market where I stopped for a late lunch of some Gumbo at the French Market Restaurant and Bar. Great stuff!

One of the interesting sides for a visit to the French Quarter are some of the street shows. They ranged from a mime character playing a construction worker on a ladder to a puppeteer handling a Rock and Roll singing puppet.

I enjoyed my day and will come back again next week.  The weather is supposed to be wet this weekend so I will make another mid week excursion next week.