Lots of poverty, drugs, piss and liquor all around the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street. Not at all what I expected.
Other areas however did not disappoint. The Cemetery tours and Garden District walking tour were probably my favorite part.
If I could, I would spend the entire trip at historic cemeteries learning about burial practices and the people of New Orleans. I was extremely fascinated by it. If you’re into deathly things, mortality and culture you may find this YouTube channel interesting: https://www.youtube.com/user/OrderoftheGoodDeath
City Park seemed a nice place to spend a day, unfortunately we didn’t have enough time and only spend a couple hours there. It houses Botanical Garden and New Orleans Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden. I would have really enjoyed a Gondola ride and a picnic. There is always next time, right?
The food was okay, I’m not a fan of seafood so overall I was unimpressed. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Cafe Du Monde was fun. They have been serving café au laits & beignets since 1862! Very crowded at the time we were there, it was pouring down raining and everyone was seeking shelter. I have a great recipe for beignets which I will attempt to make one day soon.
Cafe Du Monde, City Park
Swamp tour is also recommended if you’re into that type of thing. Bring a hat and sunscreen.
Katrina tour is worth taking. It takes you around areas that were affected the most by the hurricane. The guide provided a chronological refresher of events and stopped at the Hurricane Katrina memorial. Pretty depressing stuff, but worth hearing about from the locals.
If you have time, I would also recommend one of the Plantation tours. Oak Alley and Laura are the most popular ones. Very beautiful and peaceful today, but you can just feel the eerie negative vibes in the wind. Be sure to stop by in the slave quarters, not just the main house. Get a taste of real plantation living (sub)standards.
We stayed at Pontchartrain Landing which is a Marina, Villa rental and RV Park. There was a large restaurant on site, small store, pool, hot tub. Our site was directly on the water with a view of a large retired riverboat across the way.
Overall we enjoyed the culture and rich history.