Our Day in NOLA

We woke up and got cleaned up and made our way from our hotel to Jackson Square. Stopping for a few pictures here and there. We soon saw the Green and White awnings of Cafe du Monde. Where the coffee is strong and the beignets are too hard to touch, but when those sweet goodies cool I am such a fool I eat till I eat way to much. They are good for sure and messy but that is part of the experience.

After having an order and coffee, we walked to Jackson Square and enjoyed the gardens. We then visited St. Louis Cathedral, I love the painted ceiling. 

We then walked about the French Quarter see at a nice quiet time of the day. Just enjoying the architecture. 

We had tickets for the New Orleans School of Cooking, for the 10:00 demo. We got there a bit early and wandered about their store waiting for the class to start. Our Chef was Pat. She did a simply amazing job of blending the history of NOLA and the development of the cooking in NOLA. She went into detail about the influence of the many ethnic groups who came to NOLA and they how left their mark on the food of NOLA. 

She then prepared a gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding and pralines. I picked up some great recipes and cooking tips. This was a great experience and well worth the price. What is cooked is served to the participants, the portions are ample and the beverages include, lemonade, tea, coffee, and Abita Amber beer. You also receive a coupon for the gift shop. 

After the class we opted to take a cab to the WWII museum. This gave us more time there and I was glad we did this time enhancing move. 

The museum is very well done and there are many great exhibits and artifacts. It covers the Pacific and European Theaters of WWII. While it mainly deals with US involvement our allies are also mentioned.  

An Enigma Machine

A Rupert, dropped on D-Day to fool German troops as to where the landings would be. 

The two main exhibits are housed in the building where the Higgins boats were built. There were the landing craft used during WWII. Ike praised Higgins for developing these boats.  Andrew Jackson Higgins won the war for the Allies, at least according to General Eisenhower. 

"If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel), we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different."

We did see one of the feature 4D movies titles “Beyond Boundaries”. Very moving. There is no doubt whatsoever that was the Greatest Generation our country has ever seen.  

After the movie we went to the Boeing Building, here they have a B-25 and a B-17, a Corsair, and a P51 hanging form the ceiling. There are several displays of WWII aviation history and an area dedicated to the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Between the films, displays, interactive exhibits, and static displays four hours passed rather quickly. If one likes history and WWII history, 4 or more hours is needed. 

While taking pictures of the C-47 located in teh entry to the main exhibits, I was approached by an older gentleman who works at the Museum. We chatted and he then asked if I could guess where they found the C-47. My guess was South America, he smiled and said no. He went on to tell me it was found on Ebay, in Finland or Norway. Their research indicates it had actually flew as part of the D-Day invasion. 

After the museum we walked back towards our hotel looking for a place to get a bite to eat for the evening. In the area of Royal Street and Canal we found a bar named Ole Saint. Plenty of good craft beer on tap, like 46 or so, and a limited menu. We opted for their pressed pork sandwich. This is made with ham, pulled pork, bacon, and onion, all on multi grain bread. It was great and they had great fries, real fries not frozen in any way shape or form. We did have desert of an apple crumble, very good. 

We walked back to our hotel catching up here and starting to pack up. 

Tomorrow we will have breakfast at Mothers.  

South Bound Odyssey

 

Our Sleeper Car Host prepared our beds and due to limited space we moved our carryon bags to a storage area. 

As mentioned I called dibs on the top bunk, which was easily accessed via sturdy steps on the side of the forward facing chair. Once in the upper bunk there is a cargo safety net which you put in place.  The bedding was tucked in tightly and took a bit of doing to make some room for my feet. The bed was firm and comfortable albeit a pinch narrow but not bad at all. 

The rhythm of the train lulled me to sleep only waking up a couple of times as we pulled into a siding to allow other trains to pass. All considered I slept rather well. 

I woke up at about 0500, gathered my clean clothes and headed to the shower room located on the first floor. I had a nice hot shower and there was plenty of room to dress. I do need some practice standing in a shower in a moving train. I keep looking for the fasten your seatbelt light to be illuminated. 

The coffee will be on at 0600 so I got myself a glass of water and went to the lounge car as Lynn is sleeping. 

All I can see at this time is the from the lounge car is an occasional street light. 

We are running late so breakfast is at 0700, so having a cup of coffee in the lounge car sweetened with a little bit of bourbon. Starting to see some color in the sky. Our room host has converted our room back to the two chair configuration for the day. 

I think I could get used to this rail travel, very relaxing way to make a journey. 

The skies were overcast as  we left Memphis.  We made our way to the dining car for breakfast. Railroad French Toast sounded good and was good, with a side of pork sausage. Enjoyed breakfast as we rolled past fields which have been prepared for winter. The fall colors are just starting and is nice to see this transition from green to reds and yellows. 

Traveling by rail definitely gives one a different perspective as compared to air or car. Air travel differences are obvious as one get from point A to B quickly and lacks connection with the land from 30,000 feet. You simply see an airport terminal at both ends of your journey.  Travel by car one tends to travel via interstates, stopping at service centers and rarely venturing away from the Interstate Highway. Where rail travel is different is in the route, sometimes scenic and sometimes not so much. From rail freight yards or maybe through a small community, in what some would call the sticks, past farm fields and downtown canyons of high raises, to the very rural agrarian dwellings. 

In Northern Mississippi we start to see cotton fields. 

As we travel South we pass through several small towns which can only be described as “dying  little towns” . I can not help but think these were thriving community hubs 50 or more years ago. I am somewhat saddened to see this but know change is inevitable. I wonder what we have lost as a country each time these communities become abandoned?  Are we losing some of the spirit and lifeblood of our country? These were places of community, thriving with the spirit of self-reliance and independence. 

Yazoo City is the next stop and lunch was served, I had turkey meatballs on mashed potatoes with a red sauce, very tasty and filling. 

After Hammond, Louisiana we enter the Bayou. These are wetlands with cyprus trees adorned with moss, palmetto , cat tails and other forms of wetland vegetation.  We see several egrets, herons, pelicans and an occasional alligator.  

As we continue South we come to a large body of water. Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain. The day is clear and we can see the skyline of New Orleans.

We arrived in NOLA and proceeded to walk to our hotel which is The Whitney Hotel. We confirmed where Loyola Street was by asking a Sheriff’s Deputy at the Train Station. He asked where we were going and told us it was long way to walk. Having been confined to a train for the past 20 hours we were ready to stretch out a bit. We headed out on Loyola Street to Poydras and then to our hotel. The walk took us about 20-25 minutes.

As we went to check in we learned there was a SNAFU with our reservation. This was not the fault of this fine hotel, rather Wyndham. All is well that ends well. The gentleman at the front desk took great care of us, found us his favorite room at a very decent rate. 

The Whitney Hotel is located in the Central Business District, and used to be the home of the Metropolitan Bank in 1909. This amazing building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The decor of this property is truly amazing, the style is known as Beaux Arts. Think Hollywood Tower Hotel, or a classic turn of the century hotel, with marble columns and floors, fine dark wood trim, and ornate trim. The original bank vault is still in the lobby. 

The gentleman working the front desk gave us a Queen suite located on the corner of the top (7th floor). Great views into the French Quarter to the East and to the South the river front. Just a couple blocks from Mothers - more about Mothers later. 

Tonight we are meeting some local friends and will put dining plans into their most capable and knowledgeable hands. It was so nice to touch base and catch up with friends from many years back. They picked us up at our hotel and drove us to a local place called Mandina’s. Lynn and I shared breaded veal cutlet sandwich that was fantastic. The meat was perfectly breaded and the meat was moist and tasty,  one half of the sandwich was perfect. From there, our friends took us to his work office which he poured his heart and soul into for the City of New Orleans. Simply said he has much to be proud of and his foresight into his project will serve this city for many many many years to come. 

Then we headed to a local gelato shop which had outstanding products. Sorry no pics of these places as we were too busy chatting and catching up. 

We were dropped at our hotel and are calling it a night. 

Tomorrow is a new day and I am a year older, lots to do for sure. Going to bed tonight thankful for so many friends and great experiences, I am blessed.