Arrival Weekend

As my plane landed at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans on Saturday, I looked out my window, and I didn't see much. The same can probably be said of many people who visit New Orleans for the first time. It's probably easy to miss a lot of what New Orleans has to offer, especially in the wake of Karina, but I hope to see New Orleans this summer. I mean TRULY see New Orleans...

After checking into the apartment Saturday, we were off to Big Joe's, which is a neighborhood restaurant in the Lower Garden District that specializes in crawfish and other seafood. Then we hit up the Wal-Mart to stock up on the necessaries for the apartment. I have never seen a grocery, etc... bill so large in my life.

On Sunday, I felt like I was truly able to get a feel for New Orleans. In the morning, we went to church at the St. Louis basilica cathedral. This involved driving through Bourbon Street for the first time. When going from Bourbon Street to mass at the cathedral, the contrast is truly striking. Perhaps it's a good thing the two are located only a few blocks apart! The cardinal presided at the mass with the assistance of a whopping five priests and four altar servers! As we walked out of the church, the cardinal, the other priests, and the altar servers were greeting churchgoers. It was interesting to see them out there in the presence of New Orleans tourists--most of whom were not Catholic.

After that, we walked a couple blocks to Cafe du Monde for some outstanding beignets and iced cafe' au lait. We ate them at a bench overlooking the Mississippi with a great view of the city skyline. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning, and hopefully there will be many more like this throughout the summer!