Jeff & I went with Henry & Liz to the French quarter. We rode the trolley down Canal Street, but had to exit many blocks away from the river due to construction around a building that collapsed. Based upon Henry’s conversation with a local, everything was going fine in the construction until they started putting in the rooftop pool. Apparently there are still two bodies up there.

We cut through the Roosevelt Hotel where the first Sazerac was made. We thought we might use the restroom, but there was a sign that said for hotel guests only. This is actually not true – the door is unlocked (you don’t need to swipe your hotel card!).

We looked for a lunch spot. Jeff & Henry were interested in the Jackson Brewery, but it turns out they only have two options – a tacky tourist food court or a high end event space that you have to rent out. We had also heard Coops Place was the place to go so we walked on. When we got there, Coops was packed – 15 minute wait for a table for four. Doesn’t sound bad, but this was a Tuesday afternoon post Mardi Gras – maybe spring break overlap – lots of families. So, we walked down the street a bit more and found Turtle Bay – a sports bar. They had flights of local beer and reasonable appetizers- we weren’t hungry for more than that due to our huge breakfast back at the Okra Inn! 

Along the river there is a walkway starting near the Aquarium & Casino. We saw riverboat tours, a Holocaust memorial garden & sculpture and a statue to celebrate immigrants which had some graffiti – nothing offensive, they put glasses on the little boy.

We got some advice from a local lady and headed to the market to look for auction basket items (Our University Club had a charity auction for student scholarships scheduled for April 3rd). There was the standard Chinese branded Mardi Gras masks, beads and such for sale, but mixed in were some wonderful local artists. I bought note cards with different pencil drawings of local Live Oak trees and some magnets. The local lady had told us to haggle a bit and we might get a discount. The magnets were priced 3 for $10. Henry suggested 3 for $9 and then 3 for $8 upon the retailer’s counter offer. The final price was then set at 3 for $11 (but he took $10)! We now call him “Henry the Haggler.”

My step tracker said we had clocked about 6 miles and it was getting close to 3pm so it was time to head back to the Okra Inn. We decided to walk Bourbon St and that was actually no fun. It was filled with people and loud with lots of street hustlers trying to entice you into a bar or sell you something. Music was playing in lots of the bars and traffic was confusing. One block no cars were allowed so it was comfortable to walk in the street. The next block cars were coming through so you had to try and find room on the sidewalk.

By the time we reached Canal st. and started walking around the construction, we decided to backtrack and have a drink at the Roosevelt Hotel. The Sazerac bar was just the rejuvenation we needed. It was cool, reasonably quiet and the bartender was delightful! We each had a Gin & Tonic ($18 apiece) and were entertained by the lovely murals and conversation with the bartender who also gave us some salted pecans. All in all we enjoyed our tour of the local, the trashy, the loud and the sophisticated parts of the French Quarter.

Thanks, Randi, for sharing your activities. It sounds like a great day of exploring. Also thanks for being my first guest travel blogger.