I can't quite put my finger on why I like New Orleans so much.
Oh, there are the obvious things -- hanging out with good friends, delicious food everywhere you go, warm weather, good music everywhere you go, good art everywhere you go... but that doesn't explain how, just into town, the feeling of happiness just walking around the French Quarter.
We stayed at the St. Pierre again, which is a cool old hotel in the French quarter.
We saw bunch of live music, including Charmaine Neville at Snug Harbor Monday night, a jazz band at Preservation Hall Tuesday, and the piano bar most nights.
We went on a swamp tour -- it was great! Lots of alligators, but I must admit that my favorite was the nutria. They're an invasive species, and considered a big nuisance (our guide said there was a 5 dollar bounty on them), but just adorable. Who wouldn't want a rodent that's the size of a dog? (Well, Carol, apparently. Sigh.)
Everywhere we went, there was good food. The first thing I had were the meat pies at the Remoulade. Now, I'm rather a fan of meat pies, but the ones at the Remoulade are almost a different dish altogether. The filling is so flavorful that to compare them to the ones we get around here is almost criminal.
At the Acme Oyster House, I had (in addition to some other things) the only oysters that I've ever liked. Julie got the DIY all-you-can-eat oysters, and knocked back 31 of them.
At Coop's, we had fried chicken, whilst an adorable gray kitty enjoyed a single serving of fresh-caught mouse.
At -- why go on? Just about any place you stumble into is going to have great food. Well, if they serve food, as opposed to just alcohol.
Last time, I was amazed at how much art was around the French Quarter. This time, I wanted to see what was in the Art (formerly Warehouse) District. Unfortunately, we went on Monday, and almost everything was closed. There was one large and rather cool open gallery. Next time I'll go on a different day of the week.
I got back Thursday night (or Friday Morning). And then when I woke up later on Friday, I walked outside into what seems to be the start of another beautiful Seattle summer. I hated to leave New Orleans. Yet, I'm glad to be back in Seattle. This is going to be a great summer.