Final Day in New Orleans

Once again it was raining and very foggy most of the day. It was tough getting started because of the dreary weather, but it turned out to be a very exciting day for us.

We started by walking to the St Louis Cemetery (No. 1) which was located at the edge of the French Quarter, and right next to our campground:

There were 2 of these, a block apart, so we only went to the first one assuming that the second one would be the same. One visit here was enough anyway as it wasn't a very cheerful place to go. It was an amazing place though. The tombs were all original, with the exception of a few that were updated and rebuilt. For the most part, they all dated back to the 19th century and into the early 20th century:

This was one of the oldest which dated back to 1838:

We didn't stay very long as once you see what it is like, you want to move on.

The French Quarter was alive and bustling. Yesterday was the day that the Saints (pro football team in New Orleans) had their final Monday Night Football game against the Atalanta Falcons. The game didn't start until 7:30 PM, but people were everywhere - wearing their Saints' jerseys, hats and painted faces - at noon which is when we arrived. The Superdome, where the game was being played, was only a few bocks away.

Our plan was to walk down Bourbon Street, go down 2 blocks to Royal, and walk that street to the end, and go back up to Bourbon street to complete the circle. It was the largest block party we've ever seen, and it is this way 24/7 in this place. We took many pictures, some of them below:

Louisiana has an open container law which allows people to walk down the street carrying an open bottle or drinks. Most people were carrying a drink of some kind, and every place along the way was selling them. One place, which we thought was unique, is below:

As you can barely make out on the sign - "Beer for a Bra" - there were bras hanging all over the place. It continued to be crazy, and we stopped in one of the places to get a drink to carry around:

I ordered the "Hand Grenade" on the left and Josie had the "Tropical Itch" on the right. They were so good, we had 3 of them as we walked around Bourbon Street. At the end, the walk may have been a little wobbly.

Our walk took us to Royal Street where there are mostly shops and galleries, and, at the end of the street we took a shot of the high rise to show the lingering fog:

It was then back to Bourbon Street to complete our walk. It was getting even crazier as people were partying from the balconies at some of the locations:

The French Quarter is a fascinating place. If you have never been here, add it to your list of "must do" places. New Orleans will never win a prize for the most beautiful and clean city, but you can't beat the good times you will have here. This was one of the most memorable Christmas holidays we've ever had. It was a wonderful stop along the way.

We move on today to head west on I-10. Our destination is just short of Houston and will be our longest day trip on our journey west - 317 miles. We are suppose to have nice weather for a change...