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.