NOLA - THE BIG EASY

New Orleans, Louisiana is certainly one of the world's most fascinating cities and home to a unique melting pot of culture, food and music.  Located on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico it has earned the nickname of “The Big Easy”. 

New Orleans - The Big Easy

Locals attribute the coining of the nickname to the late Betty Guillaud, a gossip columnist from the Times-Picayune. It is said that Guillaud first used the term in the early 1970s, comparing life in fast-paced New York City, “The Big Apple”, to life in New Orleans, “The Big Easy”. 

Embodying its festive spirit is Mardi Gras, the late-winter carnival famed for costumed parades and street parties. 

Known for round-the-clock nightlife,  live-music scene and spicy cuisine, NOLA reflects its history as a melting pot of French, African and American cultures.

Mardi Gras

Having had the privilege of visiting NOLA on numerous occasions, I find that each visit reveals more and more of this fascinating city, like pealing back layers of an onion.

I was scheduled to depart New Orleans on April 8, 2018 aboard the Norwegian Pearl for a 21-day Panama Canal cruise.  Fellow cruisers and special friends, Eric and Anne Kirkby, arrived from Perth, Australia 4 days early.  This would give us ample time to experience some of the best that NOLA had to offer.  

Accommodations in the NOLA area are very expensive so I opted to rent a 3-bedroom house for 4-nights through VRBO “Vacation Rentals By Owners”.  There would be myself, my cabin partner Marci Inman, and my Aussie friends.  This proved to be an excellent choice.  In addition to good accommodations at a good price, the location was fair.

Chef Marci on the left - Aussie friends Anne & Eric Kirkby on the right.

Back yard of house - lots of parking space

We purchased all of our food at a nearby supermarket and prepared all our meals, including packed lunches, at the house.  This saved considerably. 

Airboat Adventure Swamp Tour was the first activity on our list.  There are different styles and types of swamp tours offered so read the print carefully.  We wanted the high speed airboat.   This company is located in Lafitte, LA and operates at least a dozen boats of various sizes.  Our boat for the day seated 15-30 and you are given ear protection due to the extreme noise from the engines.

Entrance to Airboat Adventures

The company is located about 30 miles from downtown NOLA and they do offer transportation from the downtown area but at an additional charge, typically around $10 per person extra.

We had a rental car and driving to the Lafitte location was easy.  We left our house at 10:30am, taking 37 minutes for the trip.  You will find plenty of FREE parking and the check-in counter is located on your left just as you walk in.  We each received a yellow colored wristband, identifying us as occupants of boat #17.  Inside is also a small store, some marketing items for purchase and most notably, a rare white alligator. 

inside main building

Rare white alligator inside

This tour is 1.5-2 hours in length and provides you with ample opportunity to view alligators and other wildlife.  You will see turtles sun bathing on fallen trees, snakes, egrets, herons and ibis.  You are also likely to see bald eagles, owls and hawks, along with deer and raccoon.   A flat bottom airboat can reach speeds of up to 60mph gliding on top of the water as if it were a sheet of ice.  

Stops are made along the way to draw in the wildlife.  Alligators especially like marshmellows and the guide brings them “up close and personal”. 

One of the highlights o the trip is the ability to hold a baby alligator. 

Marci Inman

Eric Kirkby

Our tour ended at 1:45pm.  We immediately headed to NOLA Brewing.Brewery tours are offered every Friday from 2-3pm and also on Saturday and Sunday from 2-4pm. 

NOLA Brewing, officially known as New Orleans Lager and Ale Brewing Company, was founded in 2008 by Kirk Coco.  They have 24 beers on taps and all are uniquely brewed.  They brew 5 days a week Mon-Fri and anywhere from 1-3 brews in a day.  They offer 8 basic beers year around but they also produce seasonal brews, in addition to a very small batch of specialties.  Production is in cans only with a shelf life of 3 months to a year. 

After a quick tour we headed to the tasting room and ordered two flights of the various beers offered.  A standard flight is four beers at a cost of $12. We ordered 2 flights for a total of $24.  Of the eight beer samplings, the general consensus was that not one of us would buy any of the eight.

Back to the car and downtown to find a parking space.  Three hours of parking was $24.  We strolled along the scenic Riverfront but unfortunately it was undergoing extensive renovations which certainly distracted one from the normal beauty and views along this stretch. 

Next was a stroll down the famous Bourbon Street.  We walked up Canal to Bourbon and turned right.  From here we took our time allowing the mystic and fun of this famous street to soak in.  We walked as far as Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, located on the corner of Bourbon and St Phillip Streets.  We turned right again and walked toward the river, ending up at Joan of Arc Statue.  Turning right on Decatur we walked back to our car park, passing Café du Monde, the French Market that runs all the way down to the U.S. Mint building.  America’s oldest market dates all the way back to 1791 and used to be part of the Choctaw Indian Trading Post where the French, the Spanish and the Creoles all came for their groceries, fresh fish and fruit. 

Steamboat Natchez would be our next adventure.  Located by the Tolouse Trolly station, around Decatur and Tolouse,  you can’t miss the historic red, white and blue colors of the beautiful Steamboat Natchez.  

When the New Orleans Steamboat Company launched the Natchez in 1975, they revived more than a famous name. They created one of only two true steam powered paddle wheelers on the Mississippi today.

Her copper bell, smelted from 250 silver dollars to produce a purer tone, once graced the S.S. J.D. AYRES. Her 32 note steam calliope was custom crafted and modeled after the music makers of the Gilded Age.

Her daily two-hour jazz cruises depart from the Toulouse St. Wharf, behind JAX Brewery in the French Quarter, at 11:30am, 2:30pm and 7:00pm.   

Our reservations were for 11:30am and included the lunch.  We arrived early as we wanted to hear the calliope concert at 10:45am.  The waiting area to board the Natchez is very small with few tables and chairs.  Arrive early or you will find yourself standing. The 2-hour jazz cruise is $34 and if you include the lunch the cost is $46.

The boat has a capacity of 1100 passengers plus another 200 crew members.  Seating for lunch is limited to 225 but typically they book around 165.  

The Captain narrates along the route and points out places of interest. 

You will go past Algiers Point, one of the sharpest and deepest points on the Mississippi.  By length, the Mississippi is the fourth largest in the world. The Mississippi is 2,340 miles in length and drains 2/3 of all waters in the United States.   

The leading export from New Orleans is grain and the number one import is petroleum.  

You will pass the American Sugar Refinery.  This is the second largest sugar refinery in the world behind one in Africa.  This is also the home to Domino Sugar. 

Be sure to go down to the main deck to view the steam engine room which is open to the public.  This is a 92 year old steam engine that is turning the paddle wheel.  There are no propellers or props used, just the paddle wheel. 

There is a gift shop on the top deck with lots of souveniers and snacks.  Also, if you did not have lunch included, their is a Captains snack bar.  

While onboard you can hear the jazz sound of the Steamboat Stompers.  They will be located at the back of the dining room.

Upon leaving the Natchez we headed over to Café du Monde, noted for their beignets and chicory coffee.  Beignets are square French style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar.  The wait here is normally excessive with the line backed up an entire block.  We were fortunate to get in fairly quickly with just a few minutes wait.  We ordered a single order of beignets and 4 glasses of water just to allow my friends an opportunity to enjoy the beignet experience.

The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans. 

Leaving Café du Monde we decided to board the trolley.   First we took the Riverfront Streetcar all the way to the Julia Station.  On the return we got off at the Canal Street Station and headed North.  This trolley will take you all the way to the Greenwood Cemetery which is worth exploring.  We jumped off around Canal and Broad Street and waited for the southbound trolley to take us back to Harrah’s.  By the time we found our car and drove back to the house it was 5:30pm. Chef Marci prepared a wonderful dinner for us after which we relaxed from our long day, going to bed early.

Chef Marci

After a fantastic breakfast prepared by Chef Marci, the skies opened up and it began to pour down rain.  We had an appointment at Mardi Gras World at 9am so decided to call UBER instead of using the local transportation.  I ordered UBER at 8:40am and it arrived within 7 minutes.  We arrived at Mardi Gras World just before 9am and the cost for all four of us was $19.50.  

Mardi Gras World does provide a local complimentary shuttle through the French Quarter and downtown area but it requires that you call in advance to 504-361-7821.  

The first tour begins at 9:30am and operates every 30 minutes.  The last tour starts at 4pm.  The tour will take 1.5 hours.  Tickets are $22 per adult.  Seniors 65 and older are $17.

Since 1947, the artists and craftsmen of Mardi Gras World have designed and built the oldest and biggest parade floats and attractions for every Mardi Gras season, with over 500 floats built and decorated each year. When you begin your Mardi Gras World tour, you’ll get an overview of the history of Mardi Gras by watching a short film.  Then your guide will take you through the float den, where the artists work year-round to build spectacular floats and props. This is the only place where you will see how these amazing pieces come to life each year.  This tour is a must for anyone heading to New Orleans.

If you plan to come to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the best place to watch parades would be anywhere on St Charles Avenue between Napoleon and Jackson Street.  St Charles Avenue is very family friendly and the closer to Napoleon the closer to the beginning of the parade.  The most popular parades are super Krewe parades that start with super Krewe of Muses the Thursday before Fat Tuesday. 

Our first day in New Orleans we drove down Bourbon Street, the next day we walked down Bourbon and now I felt it was time to “drink” down Bourbon Street.  Leaving Mardi Gras World we boarded the complimentary shuttle and asked him to drop us off at the world-famous Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.   Built between 1722 and 1732 by Nicolas Touze, the Blacksmith Shop is said to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the United States. All original with no lights, candles and used at night. 

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Their signature drink and most famous is the “Hurricane”.  Lafitte's Hurricane is made different from the other places.  They use a light rum with 5 natural juices and fill with a 151 floater. Kinda taste like passion fruit.  Most places use sugar and grenadine but not at The Blacksmith Shop.  When you order a Hurricane it comes in a souvenir cup and only comes in 1 size at a cost of $9.  No food is served here.  When the drinks were presented to us the waitress said “Do not stir it. Drink it from the straw.  There is Bacardi 151 floater on the top so if you stir it that overpowers the natural juices." 

We boldly ordered 4 Hurricans and discovered that our waitress was right. This drink is strong and by the time you get to the Bacardi 151 at the top you don't realize how drunk you are and the 151 tastes like water..... Woah!

What were we thinking when we ordered 4 more . . . .

You guessed it.  After downing 2 Hurricane’s we stood up to leave and quickly discovered we weren’t functioning properly.  My job was to find the bus that would get us back to our house.  As I led our little group down Bourbon on our way back to Canal Street, Eric suddenly transformed into Louis Armstrong. 

I had asked our waitress for one of her favorite places to go on Bourbon.  She suggested Erin Rose on Conti, an Irish Pub that serves frozen Irish Coffee for $3.50.   After 2pm everyday they offer 5 different sandwiches, including an aged English Cheddar & Jameson Irish Whiskey on Wild Flour Whole Grain bread for $8. We were feeling the Hurricane's so never made it to Erin Rose.

After 2 Hurricane’s it was time to head home and pack.  We would be embarking on the Norwegian Pearl the following morning so it was time to say goodbye to New Orleans.