New Orleans

Jerry and me at the Zoo. There is a wonderful aquarium in New Orleans. We paid for the senior combination ticket which included the aquarium, IMAX theater, insectorium and the zoo. We did not know the zoo was 7 miles away and we had to take the city bus there. That was an education in itself but we got to see some residential areas on the American side. Canal street is the dividing line and when the Americans came to New Orleans (after the Indians, French, Spanish and Africans)there was conflict between them and the Creoles so the Americans built their homes, etc. on the opposite side of Canal Street and the French Quarter. The zoo was nice and peaceful.

In Jackson Square which is part of the French Quarter you can ride on a horse and buggy through the French Quarter. Here the horses or really they were mules were all lined up waiting for passengers.

This is a little history sign near Jackson Square.

There is a great National World War II museum in New Orleans. Why you ask was New Orleans chosen for this museum? There was a Mr. Higgins who lived in New Orleans and persuaded the government to use his landing craft which he designed and built in New Orleans. Dwight Eisenhower credited these boats with winning the war for the Allies.

While in New Orleans I spent one morning at the New Orleans School of Cooking. This was a delightful experience. Not only was the cooking demonstration good but we all got an excellent history of New Orleans beginning in the 1700's. We learned how to make a roux for Gumbo and Jambalaya, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, and pralines.
There is a lot of sausage used in these recipes which can make them very spicy. Gumbo and Jambalaya are the same except Jambalaya is made with rice in it. Onions, celery and green pepper are called holy trinity and garlic is the pope. New Orleans is mainly Catholic and the slaves had to become Catholic.

This is a picture of a live statue. He was very good at standing still and he really enjoyed himself scaring people when they looked at him. I got caught up in that several years ago when Jerry and I stopped in New Orleans on our way to New Hope, Georgia for a SSA convention.

We had a good time, the weather and the food were all exceptionally good. But I would not like to live there. I love Arizona.