Garden District
May 13, 2009
Cemetery across from Commander's Palace
I toured the Garden Disctrict today. With all the beautiful southern homes and fancy shops, it's much more my speed than Bourbon Street. The street cars are a nice nod to the past and everyone riding bikes lends to a nice neighborhood atmosphere. I went by the Wedding Cake House and I will happily move in there if anyone will let me. I also saw the smallest house with it's own postal address. Save your time and skip that. It's basically a kid's playhouse. Other attractions I visited today include Loyola and Tulane. They are right beside eachother. I almost missed the second one because I thought it was still part of the first school.
We went by the Creole Creamery and guess who was there. Food Network. I guess we have the same taste. If you're in town, I would take a trip by for some ice cream. They have some unusual flavors that change daily. I tried the Nectar sherbert, Red Velvet Cake and Cookie Monster. Other items that grace the menu include avacado, cracked pepper and more. Although the ice cream is more daring than most, the decor is drab.
Later in the day, it was back to Bourbon Street. Ya know, one thing I've noticed about this town is everyone smokes. I've never seen so many people lighting up everywhere. I thought that was so old school.
Cemetery across from Commander's
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Cemetery across from Commander's
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view of downtown New Orleans
The Legend Lives
Let’s face it, a trip to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without a night on Bourbon Street. Although it wasn’t quite what I had expected, it was interesting to see. Most of the bars are a little sleazy for my taste and I don’t think I saw one restaurant on the whole street where I would be willing to eat. There’s something about a restaurant located next to a strip club or “live love acts” club that just doesn’t do it for me. As for the strip joints, I know that’s a big pull for many people but the ladies promoting the clubs didn’t look too appealing. Plus, it was a little strange to see some of the pictures plastered outside of the clubs for all to see…especially walking by the “love acts” club. This defiantly isn’t the place for children. On top of that, be prepared for street performers and all forms of disguised beggars. Some guys even put slices of aluminum cans on the bottom of their shoes to tap dance for money. People came up to me at least ten times trying to “cite me” for various reasons…aka trying to get me to give them money.
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Wild Flavors
The Creole Creamery offers nontraditional flavors of ice cream like red velvet cake, nectar sherbet and cookie monster. They also make ice cream with some wild items you wouldn’t expect, like cracked pepper and wedding cake champagne. Flavors change daily. The ice cream itself is worth a go, but the décor could be improved upon to make this place really stand out. As I was leaving the creamery, the Food Network was setting up to do some filming. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.
The Creole Creamery
The Creole Creamery
Smallest House in New Orleans
I saw this house advertised in some travel books as the smallest residence in New Orleans with its own postal address. I don’t know what all the fuss was about. It’s basically a child’s playhouse that sits right next to the regular house. It just has its own address for some reason. Don’t go out of your way to see this, but you may very well pass it while looking at other homes in the area.
Beautiful Houses
The Wedding Cake House is a beautiful example of the architecture in New Orleans. This house is just one stop along a street of gorgeous homes that you shouldn’t miss. The homes are located a short distance from Magazine Street, Tulane University and Loyola University. Also, a trolley runs along the street if you want to take a ride.
Downtown Transportation
If you are staying in a hotel near Bourbon Street, you will be doing lots of walking. The streets are cramped with buildings and very little parking. Plus, parking at most hotels is valet only and costs around $30 per night. Even if you wanted to move your car, you wouldn't be able to drive too far and you'd have to pay for parking again. So bring some good walking shoes. Many locals ride bikes and the streets are very flat, so you may consider that as well.
