Big Fun in the Big Easy: Part 1

Tessie's Mom had a conference to attend in New Orleans, so just as we did in Copenhagen, Tessie and I chose to tag along and extend the trip into a family adventure. Experienced traveler that she is, Tessie has got waiting in the airport lounge while wearing a jaded expression down pat:

We arrived  in the Crescent City on a very pleasant St. Patrick's Day in the early evening and, after checking into our official conference-approved lodging, set out to find a late dinner in the French Quarter.

As we walked, we began to notice a larger crowd than we had anticipated, which grew as we approached Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter. We had no idea that New Orleans hosts a St. Patrick's Day parade; I guess we shouldn't have been surprised since the city has a well-deserved reputation for taking any excuse to party. Because of the crowds, most restaurants had long waits for tables, but we did eventually find a place off the parade route. We finished our meals in time to catch the tail end of the slow-moving parade.

For those not familiar with New Orleans' parades, they feature gifts tossed from the participants to the observers. Called "throws," these items are usually cheap plastic trinkets or beaded necklaces purchased in bulk from factories in China. (I recommend the documentary "Mardi Gras: Made in China.") Tessie scored quite a haul in the short time we followed the parade down Bourbon Street before we returned to the hotel for the night.

Day 1
With Tessie's Mom engaged in her conference, Tessie and I set out to explore on our own. Back to the French Quarter! Tessie took this photo of yours truly:

As I mentioned previously, Tessie has a National Parks Passport woefully in need of stamps. The French Quarter has two National Park visitor centers, both of which feature free admission. The first one we came to was part of the Jean Laffitte National Historic Park and housed displays of New Orleans' history, culture, music, wildlife and cuisine. There was plenty of information to absorb, but Tessie's not much for standing around reading when there are things to do. So she pushed all the buttons at the music listening station and we headed off again. The other sites of the Jean Laffitte NHP are scattered far and wide throughout the Mississippi River delta, but without a car at our disposal, we wouldn't have the opportunity to visit them.

Leaving the NHP, we continued along Decatur Street to Jackson Square, named in honor of the hero of the Battle of New Orleans and the seventh President of the United States, General Andrew Jackson. The square is the focus of non-debauched activities in the French Quarter, filled with buskers, artists selling their works, and people simply looking for green space. We passed through, with Tessie commenting on the art as we passed. Fortunately her critiques did not inspire any hostile rejoinders.

Pressing on, we wandered through the French Market, dismayed to find nothing but Chinese-made trinkets and locally-produced alligator heads, none of which we thought suitable as souvenirs. Just south of that, though, we entered the Quarter's other NPS Visitor Center, at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.  Nothing to do with the NBA franchise now known - however improbably - as the Utah Jazz, this micro-park celebrates the role of New Orleans in the development of Jazz music, that most American of musical genres. Regrettably, the park is an opportunity missed; while there are occasional live performances, when those aren't scheduled there is little more to see than non-functional interactive displays of various jazz instruments and a gift shop. Still, Tessie enjoyed the "Jazz Christmas" selections at the listening station:

Walking back along the riverfront, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Jax Brewery, a former brewery now housing a shopping mall, then boarded the steamboat Natchez for a cruise on the Mississippi. Tessie had recently learned about steamboats from a library book, and was looking forward to this trip. There was time for a quick snack along the riverbank as we waited:

We boarded and found excellent seats near the port bow for the downstream leg of the trip. We watched the landscape slide by, and Tessie seemed to be enjoying things right up until we turned around to head back upstream. The wind, which had been blocked by the bulk of the ship, was now directly in our faces and I hadn't thought to bring warm clothes along. Tessie, chilled, huddled against me as I moved about the boat looking for leeward shelter. Still, on the occasions when the wind died down, we enjoyed the scenery and the feeling of motion, as well as the busy workings of an authentic steam-powered sternwheeler.

That's Jackson Square below, with the spires of the Saint Louis Cathedral forming a backdrop. Right along the water are the steps on which we had our snack (above):

After the cruise, we walked back to our hotel along the Moonwalk (which, to my surprise, was named after a person, not a planetary satellite). Since Tessie's Mom was still busy with a conference dinner that night, Tessie and I were still on our own. We had dinner at Daisy Dukes, again in the French Quarter, with Tessie's rapt attention held by the "World's Strongest Man" competition on ESPN 2 showing on the restaurant's big screen. How's a doting father supposed to compete with that?