We pulled into the Big Easy and stayed at the New Orleans RV Resort and Marina. We had stayed there years ago back when it was called Lake Pontchartrain RV Resort when we attended Mardi Gras. The place sits on the lake (obviously since it also was a marina) and hosts a restaurant, bar, pool, and hot tub.
Much less hectic this time!
We took the shuttle into the French Quarter where we got beignets at Cafe Du Monde, purchased new hats from Chapel, and grabbed a muffuletta from Central Market which I ate (Katrina is not a fan) on a bench along the Mississippi River.
We walked around a bit and took in some sights:
Since we were in NOLA we had to eat some Cajun food so we went to Mambo’s and dined on the rooftop.
Afterwards we stopped and listened to some music at Bourbon Heat and the Famous Door:
We headed home after those stops. Back at the Busse Bus for an evening of relaxation.
We constantly were keeping our eyes on the weather watching where hurricane Helene was going to hit. We decided to stay put in NOLA and extended our stay. We had planned on moving over to the Florida panhandle and we were sure glad that we stayed put! We spent the entire day around the coach not doing much of anything.
Since we had an extra day we decided to take a city tour from Adam, the resorts’ shuttle driver. He took us to many places other than the French Quarter and Bourbon Street.
We started at City Park which was beautiful with a lot of activities to do.
The waterways, paths, museums, playgrounds, amusement park, art sculptures, and ball fields truly make this city park a wonderful place for both residents and visitors alike.
We took a short hike to see this granite work atop a small hill that has the entire plat of New Orleans carved into it.
We also stopped at Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets with another couple on the tour.
Then Adam took us through a cemetery and he explained how they bury people in New Orleans.
Since New Orleans is mostly below sea level they cannot bury people six feet deep as it would be in water and the coffins would “float” up over time. Therefore they build crypts for above ground burials. Once a crypt is opened to place a coffin and body into it, it cannot be reopened for two years allowing the body to completely decompose. After that period they bag the remaining bones and store them in compartments within the crypt. Now, you maybe asking yourself “What if another family member dies before the two year period is up?” Good question! They have two options: 1) cremate the second person and then place the remains into the crypt after to two year period has ended, or 2) put the body into cold storage until the two years expire and then have the funeral and put the body into the crypt then. Very interesting!
From there we drove through the Garden district where celebrities like Sandra Bullock and John Goodman own houses. Beautiful area!
Adam then dropped us off in the French Quarter where Katrina and I had dinner at Mr. B’s (one of the Brennan restaurants). It was delicious!
Got to really get the feeling of Newlins:
From there Adam took us back to the resort. Adam was fantastic! His insights and stories were great and the fact that he took us to lesser known parts of the city were very interesting. If you are ever staying at the New Orleans RV Resort, I highly recommend taking this tour.
Watching the weather the next morning cleared our way to move closer to Florida so Katrina booked us a place in Orange Beach, Alabama.
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