Funny story: My mom and I had plans to go on a tour of the city this morning and had to set an alarm for 7:30am. I wake up to my mom blow drying her hair at 4:30am and beginning to make coffee...I finally ask her in a groggy, grumpy voice " What in the world are you doing..its freaking 4:30am!!!" She had NO clue. She apparently heard an alarm go off on tv or in her dream and just assumed it was ours and went ahead and got up. Hilarious. She was thankful to know she still had 3 hrs of sleep left :)
We did an AMAZING 3 hour tour where we got to see so, so much! The French Quarter, Jackson Square, The Wharehouse district, downtown, The 9th Ward (heavily effected by Katrina), the infamous levies that broke during Katrina, the French Market and on and on. It was incredible to hear so much history about the city. I think even more amazing was the facts about Katrina...it is soo different hearing it from a local tour guide (born and raised in New Orleans) that portrayed on the news. It will be 5 years since the hurricane in a few weeks (Aug. 29th) and I can still remember sitting in my college apartment watching the coverage like it was yesterday. It was sad to see many schools and hospitals have still not reopened since Katrina. We went through the area where Oprah and Habitat for Humanity are building houses....they are so cute and colorful. We also went through the area where Brad Pitt is building homes...he has pledged to build 150 and has completed 30 so far! They are all so unique, funky, and contemporary. His organization is http://www.makeitrightnola.org/ and after seeing this effort first hand...I def. have a whole new respect for him...it was truly awesome to see. When you hear a local talk about all the politics and other stuff involved in rebuilding and moving on...it makes you wonder if Kanye West was so wrong...maybe a lot of people don't care....it makes me wish I had come to visit long before now. People and the city are still in need of help that is for sure.
We took a streetcar (apparently calling them a trolley is a "no-no" and such a tourist thing to do! ha) back to our hotel area after eating at a cool pizza place my mom had eaten at almost 15 years ago! It was delicious. While always fun, I imagine a streetcar is a little more enjoyable when it isn't 98 degrees outside with insane humidity. Back to the hotel for a little break from the heat and to check on the pup of course. Then...off to the St. Charles Streetcar route http://www.inetours.com/New_Orleans/St_Charles_Streetcar.html which locals and tourists both ride. It was so cute and crowded! For a mere $1.25 each you can ride the entire 13 mile route and see such beautiful neighborhoods. We got another look at all the amazing houses in the Garden District (I learned Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Nic Cage and a few other famous people have homes here) It is also the neighborhood where Brad Pitt filmed Benjamin Button. I posted some pics. If you know me...besides sailboats my favorite thing to take photos of is houses...ever since I was a kid I have been obsessed with houses and architecture! We got off the streetcar at the Superior Grill...just "Yelp It" Heather (my friend from middle school) now lives in New Orleans and this was her recommendation for "THE BEST MARGARITAS IN THE CITY" boy...she was NOT kidding! Amazing. Every city I go I am always in search of the best margarita and Mexican...it did not fail me. Thanks Heather! A taxi back to the hotel and we are in for the night.
We plan to sleep in tomorrow as check out isn't until noon. The drive to Dallas proves to be a hot one so we want to be in good condition for the trek. Last stop in the morning will be the famous Cafe Du Monde http://www.cafedumonde.com/history.html as we were too full, hot, and tired today to try the coffee and beignets...apparently this is a New Orleans staple that I must taste before I leave.
Day 2 down...5 to go...probably won't be much to report from Dallas as we won't be doing any tourist activities there :)
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