Welcome to New Orleans

Last week, Jim and I took a little vacation to New Orleans where the Saints were opening the NFL season against Brett Favre and the Vikings. It was a great day to fly, and we were greeted by this sign just inside the security area as we arrived at the airport. I asked the guard if I could take a photo, and he happily gave his permission.

The Superdome looked great as we went by, and I took a quick picture with my phone through the cab window.

We stayed at the Omni Royal Orleans, right in the French Quarter, and this was the view from our balcony.

There were even some Mardi Gras remnants decorating the railing.

Looking the other way on Royal Street.

We booked the Cocktail Tour again since we enjoyed it so much last year. It is fun to see the different restaurants and learn the history of each one. We also enjoyed meeting the people on the tour and seeing the sights in the French Quarter. On our way to meet up with the tour group, we passed Jackson Square where they were setting up for the big pregame concert featuring Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift.

The steeple of St. Louis Cathedral looked pretty against the blue sky.

As we were touring the restaurant, Murial's, we got a chance to go out on the second floor balcony there. This sweet family was getting ready to take photographs up on the balcony. I thought they looked so cute.

I might add, it was soooooo hot there! Last year we were there in November, and it was very pleasant. Last week, we enjoyed 95 degree temperatures with 100% humidity. You can imagine how much of a challenge it would be to take those family pictures in that heat!

This was one of our favorite bars in New Orleans, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. They use only candles for lighting (even though they do have a TV). It is cute and quaint.

This mule was waiting patiently with his carriage outside the bar.

And they serve the best hurricanes! Probably my favorite beverage in New Orleans. You even get to keep the cup. In New Orleans, the drinks are served in a plastic "go cup" and you can take them with you on the street. Walking, not driving, of course.

It must have been the day for photo shoots, because we saw this one on another corner.

These guys stand still like a statue on the street, painted silver. When I lifted my camera to take a picture, he quickly turned his back to me. I laughed, and Jim put a little money in his bucket. I'm not sure what kind of pet he has there on the leash.

We decided to have dinner at Acme Oysters.

I started off with an Acme Sunset.

Jim did his part for the gulf coast relief.

I like the char grilled oysters. They are prepared in this awesome butter sauce stuff that is delicious. Of course awesome butter sauce stuff and delicious could probably be synonyms. I went to take a picture of the grill guy, but was told that photos of the grill were not allowed since they don't want to give away their secrets. Hmmmm.... I know I took one last year. Shhhhh...

Jim prefers the raw oysters. They are a little too slimy for me, but I know Pastor Jimmy is a fan!

My sandwich is the 10-napkin roast beef po boy. It was delicious. There was even bread pudding for dessert. Which we shared. Well, I gave him a couple bites.

This group was at the table next to us. They were architect students from Southern Illinois University. They were in New Orleans for a study project in the Treme area of the city. There is currently a TV series on HBO called Treme, depicting the rebuilding of the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

These guys were fun and friendly, and I was giving one of them a hard time because he was a Vikings fan. They had me take a couple pictures for them with their camera, so before we left, I had to snap one of them with mine.

This is the lobby of our hotel as we came back from dinner.

We went up to the rooftop area of the hotel, and took a few pictures up there. This is the cathedral looking toward Jackson Square.

The pool looked pretty at night too. Definitely a good place to cool off on those hot NOLA days!