That's actually been New Orleans in a nutshell for us, it has definitely grown on us as we've gone along. We commented today that we feel content with the place, like our feelings towards Philadelphia or Boston, we liked the place a lot but we've had enough time here. There's enough left that if we ended up back here we'd still have things to explore and would have a good time but we wouldn't schedule a return visit in the foreseeable future. (I liked New Orleans and Boston but love Philadelphia though.)
Today was quite a lazy day, as we decided that we really needed to catch up on sleep, which we very successfully did. A little too successfully perhaps as we didn't wake up until after 10... Oops.
As I've mentioned it to everyone I've ever met, I have a Bachelor of Arts that featured an Honours Year in American Studies and I have a huge nerd love for American history. One of my major topics of interest is the American Civil War and New Orleans has a museum dedicated to the Confederate Army which is a perspective you don't often get so I wanted to visit it. We decided to try walking slowly in the direction of the museum and if we got there we got there.
We made a detour on the way to the French Market for lunch, as I've come to a stunning and horrible realisation - you can have too much of a good Creole/Cajun food thing - and we both wanted something simple. Grilled cheese sandwiches sorted that out!
After realising that we were just near the start of a Streetcar line that would take us near where we wanted to go, we decided to cheat and catch that! (Unfortunately the streetcar was not called Desire). So we got to the museum quite easily.
The greeter at the Confederate surprised me as he mentioned that Australians were easily the most common international visitors at the museum. Apparently we stay longer in the city. (Americans seem to not really get holidays, with people employed long term casual so leave is unpaid, based on the people we've spoken to (not necessarily a strong sample!) (A waitress tonight actually said that she's worked out that Americans think they have the greatest country in the role but every time she speaks to an Australian she realises that ours is much cooler. :))
The museum was small but impressive. It didn't really try and push a a South good, North bad agenda that reviews suggested it did. It was full of personal effects including those of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.
A slow wander back to the French Quarter really reminded us that New Orleans is made up of so many varied different neighbourhoods with their different histories and identities in quite a small space (it's about the same size as Adelaide.)
Oh speaking of Adelaide - "props" to the American couple who seriously asked another Australian couple on the tour yesterday if we knew each other because we were both from the same place. Uh yeah...
Dinner tonight was on Bourbon Street, in a restaurant called Channing Tatum's Saints and Sinners. Sadly Channing was not in attendance.
Now we're back in the hotel, packing and prepping for our journey to New York City tomorrow!! (Oh god I'm excited. I feel like I'm going home!). Funny we've only been gone a week, and we still have a month to go but it feels like things are racing and there's a tinge of sadness that we're already two places down. Sadness replaced by the thought that NYC is almost here!
So goodbye from the Big Easy and I'll speak to you next from the Big Apple!
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