dailies

Phew. That was one heck of a trip. Eleven days in a crime-ridden, hurricane-destroyed, and drinking-obsessed city was plenty for us. The city is gorgeous in some spots, and has wonderful potential in most other areas, but almost everything is just run down, abused, and forgotten. Sewage, vomit, trash, beer, and rain water all coagulate on the streets and sidewalks of the French Quarter creating this constant putrid stench. Find the dumpster behind the sketchiest diner in your town, throw beads around your neck, stick your head inside and breathe… welcome to Bourbon Street.

The French Quarter is the heart of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is the main draw here, but it is surrounded by a whole network of one-way streets (goddamn frustrating one-way streets at that!) that play host to fantastic art galleries, cafés, restaurants, and shops galore. We even visited a couple voodoo and witchcraft shops (which is a big part of the history in that area). The French Quarter backs up to the Mississippi River where we found Café Du Monde, which is famous for its beignets (a french doughnut loaded with confection sugar on top) and chicory coffee. Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant is near there as well.

The Garden District (the town of NO is separated into “districts”; the others being the French Quarter, Mid-City District, Central Biz District, etc.) is home to countless stately homes with elaborate gardens. Jess and I stumbled onto a fabulous pizza joint called Slice (it was a major score, NO in general serves only seafood; even the “italian” food can only be had with shrimp and creole). We also ate Voodoo BBQ next door. The sandwiches there were to die for. Unfortunately, while we were there eating, the city got pummeled with about 6″ of rain in a little under 2 hours, and streets where knee deep in floodwater. It was a total pain in the ass, and I ended up throwing away those sneakers by the way.

A city with such rich history, architecture, and people has got to have a good cemetery. We weren’t disappointed. I will have many cemetery shots coming up. All of these photos will necessitate a whole myriad of postings. I didn’t even get to show you the Integro RIMS Booth yet, and that’s what I was there for in the first place!