Getting the Road Out of Our System - Cross-Country Road Trip 8.1

Our stay in New Orleans was just what the doctor ordered, lots of relaxing walks, great food and a little bit of regular life again. We got to stay in the Garden District with James' friends, Heather and Turtle who were also hosts to Tim and Rachel during the Jalopy Tour. In fact, it was an extended stay while the traveling duo earned enough cash bartending to cover the 2nd half of their tour. Sounds like fun to me and if I didn't have 2 cats at home that I'm looking forward to seeing soon, I'd be very tempted to do the same.

We spent our first day walking around the French Quarter admiring the architecture. I guess we are both suckers for buildings, we seem to take many pictures of them wherever we go. We started with a nice breakfast at a french bakery in the Garden District before catching the street car to the Quarter. And just to remind us that we are true tourists, we didn't know we had to have exact change, so the driver let us off and we had to wait for the next car. It was a scenic ride and I couldn't help but chuckle at all of the beads hanging from the trees and electricity lines. We missed Mardi Gras by a week but the energy was definitely still there.

After the Quarter we met up with Heather and she took us on an eye-opening auto tour of the area, details of which will be in a separate blog. Then we did a little shopping on Magazine Street which is lined with eclectic stores, restaurants and even a few vintage shops! My bargain-finding blood couldn't resist and I ended up buying a sundress (it's nice and warm here!). Next it was a nearby pub where we shared the best waffle fries I have ever had in my entire life. They were so good I had to take a picture.

James and I were really in the mood to stay in and unwind, so we all ordered Indian, watched some tv and commented on how great it felt to just sit on a couch again. Ah, the little things. Their dog Abbey battled me for a position next to James on the couch (she won) so I decided to catch up on some LOST episodes before calling it a night.