The French Quarter

The French Quarter is almost exactly as I remember it; clean streets with a touch of wind throughout as you walk down the narrow streets. Drea loves historic areas, museums, and such so the center of the city was perfect to see the French influence and how it’s changed. Our hotel was quaint and we headed just a quarter-mile away toward the famous Bourbon Street just to be greeted by a marching band playing some jazz to get the mood right.

Take in the New Atmosphere During Covid-19

We are always safe and consider others during the whole pandemic. This trip didn’t make us relax that much so we wore our masks around larger crowds where we couldn’t separate and took them off when we could breathe outside and to eat. There were no distractions that made us feel too uncomfortable. And looking at the old architecture and the unusually large crowd of young people had us wondering why they were all here? Us? We just kept snapping photos, taking videos, and looking at the sites. Eventually, we ended up at the St. Louis Cathedral and walked through to Cafe du Monde for some beignets.

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Bourbon Street at Night!

Bourbon Street at night is always an adventure. Drea finally found out why there were so many young people on the streets this weekend. An LSU vs Florida Gators football game was scheduled and everyone came out to party. And they got started pretty early because once nightfall hit that Saturday night, they all came out and acted like it was Mardi Gras! The streets became one big party! Anyone who hadn’t flooded into the bars or nightclubs, were outside doing everything from partying and dancing in the streets to earning beads the N.O. way…which was strange since people were giving beads away for free regardless.

Continuing the evening

But through it all, they had a great time and would live to regret most of it the next day. The food consisted of po-boys, married couples were in on the celebration, and plenty of people were coming up to us as if they knew us. One was claiming us and wanted us to follow him into the bars because he was well-known and can cut the line. He was cool as hell with his diamond Jason Voorhees hockey mask (pictured). Shoutout to the bars and clubs that wouldn’t let people in without a proper Covid-19 vaccination card showing at least one dose. We stayed out late knowing the next day would bring more fun.

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Our Long Walk to City Park

Drea and I walked from our hotel to a much calmer Bourbon Street and through town looking for the easiest way to get to St. Louis Cemetery Number 1 and City Park. There were buses and other places but we would’ve missed them according to our schedule. So, after seeing how far it was (about 5 miles), we decided to walk through town and try to make the cemetery before it closed.

Away we went and let me tell you….It was a BEAUTIFUL walk up Esplanade Ave from the French Market. The day was absolutely perfect and the sites and old houses were a marvel. It was historic in the sense we stood in places that were once the largest slave ports on this land. Standing in the exact places where so many were forced to be separated from families and sold as property was humbling. There I was standing in the same place freely walking where people who looked just like me were in chains for their entire lives.

St. Louis Cemetery Number 1

The walk continued 4.5 miles north to the Cemetery and we made it with 15 minutes to spare. Of course, Drea was in awe of the architecture of the mausoleums and gravesites due to its historic references. Even though I had been there before, it didn’t make it any less awe-inspiring. Seeing a gravestone marked as born in 1846 and dying in 1929 was thought-provoking. My dad recently died but at the time, was alive while I was reading this. He was born in 1929 and died on November 13, 2021. At the time of this trip, he was back-to-back by only two lifetimes of someone alive during slavery. It’s not that long ago, people.

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Anyway, we headed further north up to City Park. Now…I’ve walked Central Park in NYC before since I lived there. But this park is HUGE! There was no way we would be able to cover all of this ground without our feet falling off. But we walked a large distance and took it in. It’s a beautiful landscape with a lot to see and do. We took photos on the calm afternoon and sat by the water to watch turtles and the large weeping willow-type trees.

After a while, we walked back toward the Museum we saw coming in and needed to get back to our hotel which was probably 3.5 miles away. So, thankfully, the city trolley was right in front of us! At only around $1.50, it saved our asses! What a calm and cool ride back into town and only walking distance from our hotel. That night, we went back out to see some foolishness on Bourbon Street, saw Touchdown Jesus, and enjoyed the cool night before turning in.

End of our Trip

We ended our trip the next day with a calm Sunday walk around town and wound up at the Riverwalk. We had previously met some people the day before and saw them again. They allowed us to photograph them both times. We ate at a little restaurant and knowing my dad wouldn’t be around for too much longer, ate some crawfish etouffee in his honor. We enjoyed every second of our trip and plan to go back to eat some more food suggested by our friends. It was very memorable wedding anniversary trip and just another Zod & Drea adventure!

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