We were up and out early this morning. We are heading to the French Quarter and wanted the full day to explore. We left at 8:30 and made our way to Algiers and the ferry that crosses the Mississippi River over to the French Quarter. 
There is a big parking lot beside the ferry where we parked the truck and after paying $5...to a fellow that had such a strong accent, we couldn’t understand a thing he said...to park for the day, we walked over to wait for the ferry. It is free for foot passengers and $1 for cars. It runs every half hour; we caught the 9:30 ferry. It takes all of about 7 minutes to cross the river and docks at the foot of Canal Street.
This is a picture of the ferry coming in...with downtown New Orleans in the background...
We walked to the end of the walkway and then crossed the streetcar tracks to Decatur Street...time to find Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets...”The French-Creole colonists who came to inhabit the city in its earliest days originally introduced beignets to New Orleans in the 18th century. The concept of the dessert is simple – dough is fried then covered with mounds of powdered sugar – but the result is extraordinary. As a precursor to today's doughnuts, beignets are made from square-cut pieces of yeast dough and do not have a hole in them like most doughnuts. When served hot, they are absolute perfection, especially when accompanied with café au lait or chocolate milk.”...and although beignets are served at various restaurants across the city, Cafe Du Monde is the most famous place in New Orleans to get them. They are served 3 to a plate and icing sugar is just heaped on top of them. Had we known that there were 3 to an order, one order would have been fine for us...they were tasty but one each would have sufficed.
While sitting at a small window-front table, we noticed a line of horse and mule drawn carriages across the street...all waiting to take tourists on a tour of the French Quarter. What a good idea...so after we finished our coffee, we wandered over to see how much it cost. The first fellow we spoke to just had a carriage for 2 and it was $75 for a half-hour tour. Yikes, that’s a bit rich. So we continued along the line and spoke to a woman who was actively trying to muster up some business. She charged $15 each for a 30 to 40 minute tour...she just needed a minimum of 5 in her carriage. She convinced us to climb aboard because she said she’d be able to get more people for the tour if they saw others on board. She was right...before long, 2 more joined us and then another couple...and just as we were starting our tour, another couple climbed aboard...so she had a full carriage for her tour. She gave a great tour, providing tons of information about the history of the area...she spoke the whole 40 minutes while we slowly navigated through the narrow streets. It was well worth the $35 (including tip) we paid!
This is the Cornstalk Fence Hotel...see the cornstalks on the fence....
After the tour, we basically walked the tour route plus more...we walked and walked... We went down to Canal Street and then up to Bourbon Street...there were lots of “girlie” bars, lingerie boutiques and a bit of a red light district “hub” of the French Quarter. Most streets contained lots of boutiques, shops, restaurants and bars.
As you got further away from Canal Street, the area was more residential. Many of the roads and sidewalks are in disrepair....you really have to pay attention when walking.....as I did a 180 and fell....luckily uninjured other than my pride, as the couple in front blamed it on my shape ups.
Speaking of shoes.... as we were walking a black fellow said hey..... I can tell you what state what city what store you bought your shoes at. Not wanting to be rude we stopped and before we knew it he put a liquid gel on our shoes and went into a rapid spiel that we couldn’t understand. He now wanted to be paid for his half assed 3 second shoe shine! Steve offered him a buck just to get rid of him and he said where are you going to get a she shine for a buck.....it’s $10.00 each! He now knew that Steve was pissed and accepted the buck.
Mardi Gras celebrations were starting...
We stopped for a beer...and a welcomed rest...at this bar. It is an old blacksmith shop that they have left as original as possible. Built between 1722 and 1732, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop is reputed to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the United States. It is very cool inside.....
We continued our walk, stopping in Jackson Square to listen to some musicians playing and singing for donations. There was quite a crowd in the square on this sunny afternoon...the sun was really warm as long as you were out of the wind.
Amazing....
It was close to 2:30 by the time we decided to go into The Gumbo Restaurant for lunch...the tour guide had recommended it as having some of the most authentic southern food. Steve had the Creole Combination Plate...Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya and Rice and Beans and I had Crawfish Pasta.
Totally stuffed, we continued our walk around the French Quarter...
This sign is on the building in the following picture
Too funny!
...finishing up at The French Market.
Then we walked back up to the Riverwalk retracing our route back to the Algier’s Ferry...we were “all walked out” by the time we climbed back into the truck.
We made our way back home through rush-hour traffic...that was fun...getting home at 5:15 p.m. We had had a full day and were exhausted!
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