New Orleans snapshots, part 2

So, as promised, the good stuff.
First of all, I have some damn cute cousins.

New Orleans has some amazing architecture. This is one of the many incredible houses in the Garden District. Notice the metalwork on the balcony.

there’s also some amazing history in the city. I like this photo because it mixes recent history and older memories. This is the house of Archie Manning; you can imagine Eli and Peyton running around in the yard tossing footballs. But also notice the marble slab in front: I’m assuming that’s a carriage step, from the days when wealthy residents of these nice houses got around by horse.

this was one of my favorite New Orleans moments. You can’t see it that well, but this is a picture of Galatoire’s, a famous restaurant on Bourbon street. The waiters know their customers by name and by face and keep up a friendly banter. The dress code is fancy (all the men wore jackets, though few ties), yet the atmosphere was festive, to say the least. If you look closely you can see a woman wearing a huge birthday-cake hat. That pretty much sums it up. The entire restaurant sang happy birthday (or happy anniversary, or congratulations for a bachelorette party) seemingly every 10 minutes. It was a great experience, a unique mixture of fuddy duddy and party hearty. We even saw the governor of Louisiana, who was also eating there. I can’t really imagine a similar atmosphere anywhere else. And, then, when you step outside, you’re right in the center of the 24 hour frat party that is Bourbon street (St. Bernard and the lower 9^th ward are still empty, but the Quarter is not).

and while we’re on the subject of food, how could I neglect to mention the famous bounty of the Gulf. This was our first night’s meal—crabs, corn, and shrimp cooked in a spicy boil for who knows how long. Yummy.

And last, the music. I don’t have a picture, unfortunately, but v and I got to hear some chill funk music courtesy of Big Sam’s Funky Nation at a cool little bar called Le Bon Temps Roule. My favorite part came about halfway through the first set, when the band and the crowd all of a sudden erupted into the Saints' who dat chant followed by When the Saints Go Marching In. They not only love their music and their boozing, they love their football. As one bumper sticker said: Finally a Bush we can all agree on.