The Muddy Mississippi

We arrived in New Orleans at about 9:30 and strolled down to Cafe du Monde on Decatur for some cafe au lait and beignets. A jazz trio played in the street while the kids bathed in powdered sugar. We had about an hour to shop before we needed to head down to the lighthouse to board the Steamboat Natchez (rhymes with matches...). Abby and I managed to pick up a couple of dresses from the Sweet Pea & Tulip Boutique on Chartres Street and Abby finally broke down and bought her very over-priced 'New Orleans' t-shirt (boooo). We boarded the steamboat at 11:20 and we set off about 15 minutes later. The tour took us down, then up the Mississippi River and we passed several barges as well as a Domino sugar refinery. We watched as a machine dredged the river bed and listened to the live jazz that poured out of the restaurant. Back on shore, we headed to Johnny's Po-Boy where we ate tasty muffaletta sandwiches and catfish po-boys. Today was the rainiest day of the trip but we were lucky in that when it poured, we happened to be inside, and when the rain let up a bit, we were on the move. After lunch, we headed up to Canal Street to take the St. Charles line out to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the Garden District. The cemetery is largely overgrown and many of the crypts

are not very well kept however there is an organization which is trying to restore some of the hardest hit areas. It seems to me that if they would ask each visitor (who isn't there to visit a relative of course) for a small donation, this could go a long way. We left the cemetery around 4 when we heard the call on the bullhorn that the cemetery would soon be closing (I wouldn't want to get locked in there!). We headed towards Third and Coliseum past the house where Benjamin Button was filmed before heading back to town on the trolley. Tired after our long day out, we headed back to Metarie for a little food shopping, some rest and a well-deserved glass of wine... or beer... maybe one of each...