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Joy in the Big Easy
- February 10, 2020
- 10:20 pm
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Since Meg (my wife) and I have been together, we have enjoyed our time by traveling together as much as possible. With her profession, we have the opportunity to travel at least once per year. Most recently, we traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana. Even though I take time off from my full time job to go on these trips, these are still working days for Meg. Due to this, I keep exploring down to the minimum, as I choose to share that adventure with her when she has free time.
While she was working, I utilized that free time to build and refine my website and some light reading. Our evenings were spent together dining out at local restaurants with the company of friends that we only see during these trips. Our dining decisions relied heavily on how far we could stand to walk from our hotel in the Warehouse District. Both the Garden District and the French Quarter have been revitalized over the last few years. Old, empty warehouses have been turned into shops, art galleries, and restaurants. We walked through the cobblestone streets, checked out some art, and walked along the Mississippi River after taking a stroll down Canal Street in the evening after a day’s work for Meg.
We decided that our sightseeing beyond this District would be on our last full day in New Orleans. This itinerary, or lack thereof, ended up working quite well despite only having one day to truly explore the Big Easy.
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Warehouse District
The boundaries for this district fall roughly between Canal Street to Poydras and from Claiborne Avenue to Tchoupitoulas Street.
So how does this one day exploratory adventure start? None other than with Meg by my side and my camera in my hand we witnessed an impromptu parade coming down Canal Street in the middle of noontime traffic. The parade had dancers that moved fast in brightly colored feathered costumes that made quite the spectacle, followed by cheerful people slinging colored water to the bystanders’ surprise. In the middle of a normal Saturday, I believe this wonderful event could only happen in a great city like New Orleans.
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Parade on Canal Street
Not every Saturday is ushered in with a Parade, but in New Orleans it just might
Next on our journey, we arrived in the French Quarter. This is where the first French colonists settled in the early 1700s, bringing with them the culture and architecture that you can still see there today. A visit to Café du Monde is necessary and it is where Meg and I indulged in a basket of beignets without any regrets. If you have not indulged in this fine delicacy yourself, you may be asking what in the world a beignet is. Well, my description of them as square or rectangular pieces of fried dough covered with a boatload amount of powdered sugar does not do this local treat justice. Be warned that the only way you can pay is with cash, so be prepared to make it rain once you get a taste of these glorious bites of heaven. The lines are long, but don’t worry because they are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Since the café is situated next to the historical Jackson Square, that would be our next logical destination. From there we experienced several local street performances. We saw a young lady posing as a still statue that would deliver a small piece of paper from her basket that read “choose joy” if money was deposited into her donation box. We even met a particularly cheerful man in a less than immobile performance as a silver statue that delivered a kind conversational experience and picture posing that demanded no money but was open to donations. I loved this part of the adventure, as I believe these pieces of art are often overlooked due to the panhandling that is common to the area. These people were kind and creative nonetheless and I respected them coming from a creative background myself.
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French Quarter and the Street Arts
Not a second went by without the joyful sound of jazz bands playing their tunes and street performers adding character to an area of New Orleans that already flourished in that regard. Simply put, it was incredible.
Overlooking the square is the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral adorned with amazing architectural details that dominates this area of the French Quarter. Despite the busy and energetic events that were taking place just beyond the steps of this place of worship, the interior of this holy place is quiet but still provoked a state of awe. Upon the ceiling were elaborate paintings that were just as beautiful as the stained glass windows that illuminated this peaceful atmosphere. While the visuals were truly breathtaking, the history is interesting itself being that this church was built in 1724 and is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States.
The timeless detail in this place was remarkable from the visuals to even the sounds of the light music playing.
Moving along, Meg and I decided to stop at a nearby restaurant and were seated on those iconic wrought iron balconies that overlook Royal Street. While the food was delicious, the sights were just as entertaining. As we had just observed a parade on Canal Street, I would not have expected to see a police escort of a foot parade with a wedding party down this narrow busy street. I managed to barely capture this moment as I quickly traversed down the stairs and onto the street. Once on the street, I was able to capture and witness this happy, newlywed couple and their family marching to the sound of the accompanying jazz band.
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After lunch and letting our feet rest it was time to continue. Obviously, one cannot visit New Orleans and not step foot on the infamous Bourbon Street. Despite the reputation, Bourbon Street during the day is not like Bourbon Street at night. If party life and drinking isn’t your thing, then it won’t hurt to have quick walk down the street during the day so you can at least say you have been there. However, I cannot say the same for the fellow that managed to lose his nice dress shoe in the middle of the day on this street. Wherever this person is, I would like to think this person at least had a great time and had a backup pair of shoes with him.
At the end of the day, I can say this is a city that one must put on their bucket list to visit as it has a life of its own and a worthwhile experience. As part of this blog, I would like to share my adventures with my potential clients to show that my photography is not confined to the jobs that I perform. I enjoy this profession so much that I choose to capture these moments of my own life. I guess I did follow what the bronze statue woman on Jackson Square said –Choose Joy.