I cannot believe
that I am sitting in the observatory car of the train that is taking me back to
good ol’ Peoria. This trip went by quicker than the snap of a finger. There was
a whirlwind of things that I saw and did and experienced. I met many great
people as well. I wish that this trip was not over because there is a laundry
list of things that I could write that had yet to be able to experience. This
post, however, is for me to write about the opposite. I will talk about all of
my favorite places about the great city of New Orleans.
My first shout-out
is going to CVS Pharmacy on Decatur. Without this little place, I don’t know
where I would have gone to get some dirty dollars to be able to spend. I could
have gone to any ATM that was all around the area, but there was a charge of 5
dollars to use any of them. Going to CVS, I could get my 40 dollars and get a
pack of gum to keep in my purse. Instead of throwing away a five-dollar bill, I
got to get some fruity fresh breath.
My next favorite
place is Jackson Square off of Decatur. Here there is a quaint little area with
a semicircle of steps leading to a high point, but when performers are in the
center of the area those steps double as seats for an audience. Here is where I
have seen multiple acts perform their skills. One being a break dancing group
that also use comedy in their routine. So many pedestrians walk by this area,
so it is silly to see the performers interact with these everyday people that
are just going about their lives. It was even more entertaining when these people
would actually go along with the act and have fun. It also had a great view of
the horse drawn carriages and the St. Louis Cathedral.
Next is a place
that I visited three times during the four days we were in New Orleans. Café du
Monde was a staple. Every time I saw the green awning with the multi-colored
lights lining the roof my mouth would water. I could taste the (scalding) hot
chocolate and could feel the powdered sugar sticking to the roof of my mouth
without even being in there and eating a beignet. I would say my favorite thing
about this cute little café would be when I get back to my hotel room and take
my clothes off and find powdered sugar in the most peculiar places. One time I
found some on my wallet in my purse. How this happened I have no idea, but it
was a gentle reminder that I really need to go for a jog to work off those
beignets.
The Presbytere is
high on my list of favorite places. The extensive information and the depth
that the accounts of Hurricane Katrina that are put in the exhibit is phenomenal.
The flow from room to room works great moving through the timeline of the
tragedy. It opened my eyes to a whole other world that I never knew how serious
of a situation it was. I did not think something so tragic could happen to an
area like that. I would feel my heart break at each part that accounted
Katrina. By the end, I poured my soul to all of those who were affected by this
great storm. I would suggest that anyone from ages 0 to 99 to take the time to
visit the Presbytere and take in all that it has to offer the same way that I did.
This next place I
have just recently added to the list of favorite places. Spitfire Coffee was a
quaint hole-in-the-wall café that I happened to stumble upon when my group
decided that we wanted to try someplace new for coffee. This place had such
small doors that I had to turn sideways to fit through the entrance. The inside
of the café was rather small as well. To the left was a 2x4 slab of wood with
just four bar stools placed underneath. There was only room for five steps
forward to the counter to order. There was also only one little coffee creation
station that one woman handled all on her own. Although my mocha latte was not very
great, I appreciated the cute little coffee shop for what it was.
Lastly, I have to give
a little bit ‘o’ love to La Divina. I first visited this small Italian gelato
place during a cuisine tour on the first day in New Orleans. I was actually not
a fan of the strawberry or the buttermilk gelato that we got to try. I was
cheering it on for the muffuletta that we got to have though. I ended up having
two portions of it! I never got another muffuletta there since the cuisine
tour, but I did go back and get a different flavor of gelato that I knew I would
be a sucker for: cioccolotta (aka chocolate in Italian). It was just as
cleansing to the palette as a fruit gelato would have been but with a taste
that I was actually fond of. I favored every mini pink spoonful that I had. I
will need to come back to this city in the summer so that on a hot day I will
enjoy a cool dessert to chill me out on a hot day.
All of these
places have made my time in New Orleans a great one. Though there were other
museums that fancied my mind and buildings that caught my eye, these places
stood out to me most and kept me pepped up during the trip. These are also
places that whenever I visit the city again that I will drag my friends and
family by the collar to go to so they can see what I fell in love with when I
was here this time around. I am more than eager to be able to visit the great
city of New Orleans again, and I will surely plan out another vacation here as
soon as my student debt riddled life is able to afford it. Until then…
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
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