Despite a short night (view from hotel upon arrival on Friday, late evening, on left) we started early on Saturday morning, a warm, very humid morning. First appointment after breakfast: the National WWII Museum, a huge complex of different buildings, squares and exibition halls, just a couple of steps away from our hotel, with an iconic big new canopy (like big wings) on top, to be seen from far away.
Even for "anti-war-fans", this is a highly interesting museum covering many aspects of the 2nd World War, from African-Americans or gay soldiers to the Atlantic and Pacific "stage", from the American to the German perspective. It tells the story of the war that changed the world—why
it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today through exhibits, multimedia experiences, and personal accounts.
After having learned an awful lot, we had a wonderful lunch at "Cochon" (which means "pig") in the Warehouse District, in a renovated New Orleans warehouse. At Cochon, Chef Donald Link serves traditional Cajun Southern dishes with locally sourced
pork, fresh produce and seafood. House-made pickles, mustards and sausages, meats, etc. are on the menu here, as well as at "Butcher", sort of a "deli" and butcher store, next door. We enjoyed their boucherie plate (meats and sausages, pickles, patées etc.) and a nice arugula salad with goat cheese and pecans.
Well fed and feet rested, we took the famous green St. Charles Streetcar to get to our Garden District Tour. Though, we knew the „American sector“ - the neighborhood, where once the wealthy Americans settled –, pretty well from previous visits, we learned a lot from our tourguide DeAnna with Two Chicks Walking Tours. Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic, all city-owned cemeteries were shut down (like Lafayette #1 across the street from Commander’s Palace - the turquoise building on the photo below), some are only accessible with tourguides (St. Louis cemetery). Lots of famous people like Anne Rice, John Goodman or Sandra Bullock own houses in the Garden District or live here, properties are huge and houses gorgeous in many different architectural styles. Second photos shows a nice free little library in front of one of the houses.
Lots of walking in the sun … after the tour we walked back into town (streetcars aren't
necessarily the fastest, most reliable means of transport, especially not on a
holiday weekend!), and, needed a drink. We got our beloved IPAs - brewed
to perfection and in a great variety - in the Courtyard Brewery in the Lower Garden District (pic on the left shows the inside), a
tiny, simple, down-to-earth neighborhood pub & brewery without the
bells and whistles.
Before and after dinner at good, old
Tujague’s in the French Quarter - the restaurant has moved and the menu
changed, too - we explored the French Quarter with Jackson Square (pics below) and
its musicians, palm readers, artists and other exotic people. A marching band was getting ready for their performance and a Second Line was forming.
Shrimps & Grits (right photo) is a classic dish on N.O's menus. We had it at Tujague's and it tasted delicious!
Bourbon Street - a love-it-or-hate-it part of town- was really crowded on
that evening because of Memorial Day Weekend. No change there.
The
other photos show a food truck in downtown, we saw in the morning, a
mural with a Mardi Grad Indian (attention Germans: „kulturelle
Aneignung“!) and just for fun: the insignia of the city, fittingly in a
little … state.
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