Panorama looking south from the rooftop terrace of our hotel on Gravier Street
This is the first page covering our 2024 trip to New Orleans. Click here for page 2.
On January 30, 2024, we flew to New Orleans. For a long time, I had resisted visiting La Nouvelle Orléans, mostly because of the bad press the city got after Hurricane Katrina did major damage to it in 2005. Entire neighborhoods were said to still be under water years later, and countless people lost their homes and possessions. However, mounting pressure from Eric (who lived in New Orleans for a short time when he was a student) finally convinced me to give New Orleans a try—and I'm very glad I did.
Our hotel was located in the Business District, two short blocks from Canal Street which is where the French Quarter begins. We followed a sign for the French Quarter that, oddly enough, pointed in the opposite direction, so for that first day, we ended up exploring large parts of the Business District instead. We ate at Good Catch, a Thai seafood restaurant we liked so much that we returned there for dinner a couple of days later. We walked quite a bit and went back to the hotel in the late afternoon to rest for a while before heading back out for dinner. We decided that we would explore the French Quarter the following morning, this time relying on the map furnished by the hotel rather than trusting street signs.
Click on any image to see a larger (2400 x 1600 pixel) version!
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Panorama looking south from the rooftop terrace of our hotel on Gravier Street |
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Wrought iron bannister by Carondelet and Perdido Streets |
Façade at the corner of Carondelet and Union Streets |
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Building at the corner of Girod and Camp Streets |
Streetcar at Carondelet and Girod Streets |
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Façade on Gravier Street |
This parking lot is being watched! |
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Cigarette break on Poydras Street |
At the corner of Girod and Magazine Streets |
View from our hotel room |
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At the intersection of Baronne and Canal Streets |
At the intersection of Dauphine and Canal Streets |
In the morning of March 31, we began exploring the French Quarter with its many shops and wrought-iron balconies, many already decorated for Mardi-Gras in the traditional purple, green, and gold colors. We enjoyed coffee and beignets at Café Beignet on Royal Steet and wandered around until it was time to head to Brennan's where we had reserved a table for brunch at 1 o'clock. This had to be done several weeks in advance as the place is incredibly popular.
When we arrived, our reserved table was the only available one in the place, but by the time we left an hour-and-a-half later, things had calmed down as Brennan's was about to close. When we exited, I spotted a plaque on the wall that informed me that we had eaten in the home of legendary chess master Paul Morphy who died here in 1884! Knowing this, my excellent meal tasted even better in retrospect! We also walked along the Mississippi and admired a Riverboat with a paddlewheel, but those photos will have to wait until the second page documenting this trip.
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At the intersection of Royal and Bienville Streets |
Store on Royal Street |
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Façade on Royal Street |
Walking down Royal Street |
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Sounds like a tasty store! |
Sitting in the garden... |
...of Cafe Beignet. |
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Royal Street is the center of the French Quarter |
Façade on Royal Street |
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Façade on Royal Street |
We had to book legendary Brennan's restaurant weeks in advance |
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There were no empty tables when we arrived, but many when we left |
We ate in Paul Morphy's house! (scan the QR code!) |
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A quiet little garden off Royal Street |
Royal Street by the Appeals Court |
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The New Orleans Court Building |
The French Quarter... |
...is a great place to... |
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...do some window shopping... |
...or to just explore the city. |
Street musician |
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The French Quarter is famous for its great wrought iron balconies |
This one is decorated with the Mardi-Gras colors purple, green, and gold |
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Not all shops have an easily identifiable theme... |
Even in the heart of the French Quarter one can find serene spots |
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This place does not appear to be ready for Mardi-Gras yet... |
...but here they are working on it. |
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There is so much stuff on this balcony that it's easy to miss the Siamese cat! |
The photos on this page were taken on January 30 and 31, 2024.
Photos from both New Orleans pages are also available in a gallery.
The photos on this page were taken on January 30 and 31, 2024.
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