New Orleans, "NOLA" has some of our favorite foods and great music to listen to. NOLA has special flavors born from the blending of people from different regions and countries. We always bring home spices and ingredients from the New Orleans area but the atmosphere seems to make the food and experience more magical. We take a break from Elemintal Photography to go photograph for our own enjoyment. Here, people are friendly and you can alway find someone playing music, especially Jazz, in the streets in the French Quarter.
This trip we knew we would catch a few Mardi Gras parades and they never disappoint. There were several parades in and around the New Orleans area. We even caught a boat or barge parade as they call it in Slidell. As always the folks were friendly and having fun as we waited for the floats to come by. The excitement of Mardi Gras always draws children and the throws are always interesting.
We stopped in to Conservation Hall to hear some wonderful Jazz music. Each night different players gather to jam and perform. You never know who might pop in to play with the band.
We ate at several new location to us. These restaurants have been there but it is difficult to get to all of them as there is so many. One of the first was Commanders Palace where is enjoyed Fish and Shrimp. Of course, we did try the .25 cent martini's. We also enjoyed brunch at Court of Two Sisters where we were able to enjoy many specialty dishes and listen to live jazz. Pascale Manale was another great restaurant known for their barbequed shrimp. We could not miss a couple favorites though, Cafe du Monde for beignets, Acme Oyster House for Oysters, and Napoleons for a Muffalata to go.
All in all it was an amazing trip and we came home full of all the tasty sites and smells of New Orleans in our thoughts.