Grand Kitty

 Meet Darla, our new Grandkitty!  Katie adopted her from a rescue in L.A.  The Warner Brother's studio had a problem with mice/rats and brought in a bunch of cats.  Well, the cats multiplied and now there is a program to adopt out some of the cats from the studio.  Darla is one of those cats.  She is very loving and sweet.  She comes when you call her and she follows Katie all around the house.

Darla is a Maine Coon.  

New Orleans - Day 4 WWII Museum

Everyone we talked to told us that we must go see the WWII Museum. Did we really feel like going to a museum? Well, I'm so glad we did because it was fascinating.  Why is there a WWII museum in New Orleans? was my first question.  The answer is below:

 The Higgins flat bottom transport boat.  Higgins, a New Orleans local boat designer, designed and built this flat bottom boat that could land right on the beach.  President Roosevelt credits this boat for the success of the D-day beach landings and said the war wouldn't have been won without them.  That is why the museum is in New Orleans.  This boat is out in the lobby of the museum and there were a couple of WWII vets hanging out by it with pictures and stories.  So great to listen to these men.  They are the last of their generation.

The museum tackles the European war effort and the Pacific war effort separately. 

 Military aircraft and tanks.  This was really fascinating, because there are walkways up by the planes and you can see into their cockpits and shooting bays.  At each plane, they also show a short movie of the plane and how it was used.  Actual footage of the planes flying, shooting, taking off the aircraft carriers, etc.  They also had ambulances, half tracks, tanks and The Higgins p-boats.

German motorcycle used to dispatch orders and messages between the front lines. 

 A comparison between the uniform and equipment of an average American GI and that of a typical German soldier. The Museum required special mannequins for this display because regular ones bowed under the weight of the supplies. The museum also highlights the role of women in the war and what rationing was all about.  It tells the story while showing you the actual uniforms, letters, guns and ammunition (which HH loved),  flags they carried, medals they earned, everything you could imagine was there to help tell the story.  

 The Japanese were a scary bunch.  They would rather die than be captured and were called upon by their emperor to do just that.  Kamikaze pilots flew their planes into our ships causing great harm.  We hear so much about what we did to Japan, but our children need to know the torture that the Japanese did to our military men.  These things were touched upon and it was devastating.

We also paid extra to see a 45 minute 4D movie narrated by Tom Hanks.  It was incredible.  Definitely see this while you are there.  They offered another movie, but we didn't have time to see both.  We spent 4 hours there and I could have spent all day there, but give yourself at least 5 to really see everything.  The time flew by.  Every American should have to visit this museum.  

New Orleans - Day 3 Swamp Tour

 We took a Swamp Tour on a flat bottom boat on our third day.  You can also take swamp tours on air/fan boats.  We did that in the everglades, so we opted for the more quiet and covered flat bottom boat.  The swamp was much nicer to tour when you are not dying in the sun! Give me shade any day.  Throughout Louisiana, there are these canals.  They are not natural, they were dug by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Now they are over grown and lush and full of animals.

 Our first sighting of an alligator. We saw at least 10! We saw one box turtle and an egret.  HH was disappointed that we didn't see any hogs or swamp deer.  

 This little shack backed up to private land.  While we were there, a movie crew was setting up to film for an episode of Star Crossed.  I talked to one of the guys and he had a lot of family in the Orange County area.  He told me about all the filming that is being done in New Orleans since Katrina because of the tax breaks the state is giving them.

We really enjoyed this outing.  It was about an hour and a half in length and even though I put mosquito repellent on, I got two mosquito bites!  

The tour picked us up at our hotel, included in price.  Also, on the boat as we were coming back in, they let you hold a little alligator and passed some other swamp animal skulls and such around.  It was good value for money. The tour outfitters are Jean Lafitte's swamp tour and we purchased our tickets across from Jackson Square where we bought tickets for the hop on / hop off bus. 

New Orleans -Day 2 w/Katy Larson

 Nottoway Plantation

I met a blogging friend years ago through Tablescape Tuesday at Between Naps on the Porch, named Katy.  We have kept in touch through facebook and blogging.  We have so much in common. She lives just outside New Orleans, but has a gorgeous apartment in the French Quarter.  She drove in 2 hours to show me around.  Well, she not only drove in 2 hours, but back out 2 hours to visit some plantations with me.  We had a wonderful day visiting and enjoying the plantations.  I am very thankful for her time, hospitality and new friendship. 

See the duel staircases?  One for the men and one for the women.  Back in the 1800's, women where not allowed to show their ankles.  To ascend the stairs, they had to lift their skirts, thus the men had to use a different staircase so they wouldn't see their ankles!

 This was a beautiful, well appointed plantation that is now a resort.  The original owners spared no expense when building the house and the family survived the civil war without loss of money or property.

 The porch 

 The White Ballroom.  This picture does not do it justice.  It takes your breath away when you enter.

Katy and I in the White Ballroom.

 View of the river.  Originally the house had 8 acres of land between it and the river,but the river has encroached on the property.  The levees were built later, back in the 1800's they would have been able to see the water.  All guest arrived by river. 

 Oak Alley Plantation

This plantation was saved from ruin.  It was taken over by the north during the civil war and it was used as a barn to house cattle in the early 1900s!  The cattle ruined the original tile floors and staircase. Can you imagine!  It is now lovingly restored and the grounds show plantation life and there is a civil war encampment on the property. 

 The houses on the side are slave quarters that house a small museum showing life as a slave.

 On Friday night, after dinner with Katy and her charming husband, Dave, we went to a little club to listen to Dana Abbott.  Thanks Katy for such a great time!!!!

New Orleans - Sights Around the City

 As I mentioned before, we took a city tour on the hop-on / hop-off bus.  It went through the Garden District.  Above is a beautiful mansion in the Garden District where they are filming An American Horror Story - Coven.  The Garden District had many beautiful homes and a lot of celebrities live in this area, Sandra Bullock, Archie Manning, and John Goodman to name a few.  These mansions were known for their gardens that were sometimes multiple blocks long.  This area was mostly settled by the Americans, while the French were in the French Quarter.

 This is a statue of Joan of Arc, a copy of the one in Paris, given to New Orleans by France. It was recently moved to this spot and I think it looks really good here.  It used to be over by the Super Dome where the Harrah's is now.

 St. Louis Cemetery #1.  The voodoo queen Maria Laveau is buried here along with other notable people. Nicolas Cage has bought a tomb here and a scene from the film Easy Rider was filmed here. The filming harmed the tomb they were filming in front of and they did not offer to pay for damages, so no filming is permitted now.  All the cemeteries are above ground because their water table is so high, and there is a huge cemetery in Metarie that looks incredible.

 Cable cars run throughout the city.   The cable cars on St. Charles in the Garden District are green.

 This is the Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints.  It looks wonderful when it is lit up at night.

 There are reminders of Mardi Gras all through the city!

 The Mighty Mississippi River

This is an abandoned plant where they are currently filming Escape Plan with Arnold Schewarzengger and Sylvester Stallone.  There were hundreds of movie trucks there.  Last year they filmed over 88 movies in New Orleans.  

New Orleans - Jackson Square

 First Glimpse of The St. Louis Cathedral

It's about a 20 minute walk from our hotel on Canal Street (at one end of the quarter) to Jackson Square and the mghty Mississippi river (the other end of the quarter).  We set out about 9am before it got too hot, so that we could appreciate the scenery and the exercise.  

 St. Louis Cathedral
Beautiful cathedral on the square facing the river.  The Pope has even visited!  It burned down and/or collapsed at least 3 times from the first time the original settlers built it until its final design now. 

 Statue of Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square
The square was named after the Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson in 1815 and the stature erected in 1856.  The statue is one of 3, the others are in Nashville and Washington D.C. 

I loved the bright green vine against the black.   These urns were stationed at all four entrances.

These buggies are available for tours of the french quarter.  They wind in and out of the narrow streets. We didn't opt for one of these this time.  We caught the big hop on hop off bus that gives you a tour of the city.  This bus is across the street from the buggies.

 The Mighty Mississippi
The church used to overlook the banks of the Mississippi, but they raised the levees and now you see these green banks.  There is nice platform that you can stand on and view both the cathedral and the river. 

Inside the Cathedral. 

Cafe Du Mondé the home of the infamous Beignet.

These musicians were fantastic.