The Husband and I love to go to New Orleans, so we were super happy that our Mississippi River steamboat cruise ended there. My younger brother, Steven, and his wife, Audra, had never been there and grandma and mother hadn’t been there in a long time. As the unofficial travel agent in the family I made lots of plans for our two full days, one night, stay in New Orleans, at the Loews New Orleans.
Of course we had beignets at Cafe Du Monde.
Grandma loved them (obviously).
We went down Bourbon Street and of course went to Pat O’Briens for hurricanes and Erin Rose for their frozen chocolate coffee adult drink.
She doesn’t let a fractured wrist hold her back!
Hey grandma, how did you get those beads?!?
And we took the required photo in Jackson Square.
The only family photo of the trip that doesn’t have alcohol in it.
So once we finished seeing/tasting our basic necessities, we headed out on a private tour taxi.
I love finding a fabulous cab driver and having them show us their city, the way locals experience it. On our very first trip to New Orleans we met Anil, one of the greatest cab drivers ever. Not only does he love New Orleans and love to show it off, he’s also an actor so he knows all about the movie production happening in the city. Check out his IMDB page.
Anil picked us up at our hotel and we headed towards the Ninth Ward.
The family on our taxi tour.
Anil told us about all the devastation, the corruption, and the community involvement that has gone in to the Ninth Ward since Hurricane Katrina. So sad to see so many houses still condemned, all these years later.
There were happier sites too, including “Brad Pitt’s Village,” an area of houses that Brad Pitt has helped build, some 18 feet off the ground, so that another flood wouldn’t ruin them.
We say the area where the levee broke, causing all the devastating flooding.
It’s really so sad there. Really puts things in perspective and makes you thankful for everything you have.
After we had seen enough in the Ninth Ward, we headed to the cemetery. It was really neat to see so many elaborate above ground tombs. And the cemetery was gorgeous. (I know, sounds weird right?)
When we were done admiring the gorgeous resting places, we piled back in the van and headed back to our hotel. Our vacation was finally over and it was time to head to the airport.
Saves Lives Will Travel 