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Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum

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    • USA RV Trip 2022
      Day 29

      Bourbon St New Orleans

      May 25, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

      Had a stroll down bourbon St to check it out. Stopped for a couple of drinks and some pizza. During the day it’s pretty tacky, but once night came it looked a little better with all the neon's etc. The bad weather wasn’t helping at all either.
      There is a hell of a lot of history here dating back to French rule way back before the Louisiana Purchase was done. Very African American influence from the cajun food, the music, and of course, the Island Voodoo.      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 7

      Walkin' through N'Awlins

      January 13, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      We stepped into our first Mardi Gras parade less than two hours after landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans airport! We literally walked out of our hotel door and into the middle of the stiltwalkers, butterflies, walking dead .... and police cars with flashing blue and red lights. For a moment, I wondered if there'd been a murder (Mark's words about our area "being dodgy" ringing in my ears). But no, it was time to party.

      So, slightly disoriented, we headed off in the wrong direction and had to backtrack to Oceana Restaurant to catch up with James. He was patiently waiting in the queue on the cold, windy street to get a table for us ... at peak hour on the Friday night of a long weekend! It was worth waiting for though. The place was bursting at the seams and buzzing with energy and all the N'Awlins atmosphere I had imagined.

      I ordered the famous crawfish étouffée, Phil had the BBQ prawns, and James had the gumbo and a New Orleans tasting plate. But the food took second place to catching up on the last year years and planning the next few days. Even though we'd finished off with vanilla ice-cream smothered in delicious, rum-caramel sauce, and drunk the first decent coffee in days, and paid the bill, and figuratively fought off all the people queuing for our table, we were still talking when the long week started catching up with Phil. So we adjourned to our deluxe room and talked some more!

      However, we don't have the stamina of Kiki and Craig. The party they hosted in their suite last night kept them up till 2.30am this morning! We travelled across the continent with them (the long flights giving them time to get 40 winks) and shared a taxi into the city. Katrina was front of mind as we drove over bridge after bridge across the swampy, low-lying suburbs. And it was a sobering moment when we drove past Caesars Superdome - the "shelter of last resort" for those who couldn't evacuate during the hurricane ... so hard to believe it was over 17 years ago.

      I knew I was in New Orleans when I overheard the flight attendants making plans as I disembarked, "What's the time?", "Almost 4.30" "Good, let's go have coffee and beignets then".      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      2
      Day 8

      All that Jazz

      January 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      The highlight of the day for me was sitting in The Spotted Cat Music Club, catnip* in hand, listening to Macumba playing Brasilian jazz with rhythm and passion on clarinet, bass and piano accordion. I was in my happy place.

      It capped off a morning of rambling through the picturesque streets of pastel-painted French style houses, shaded by oaks, palms and wrought-iron trellises. Every house was a photo op, and the camera just enhanced the azure blue background of sky.

      We'd started with breakfast in the dining room adjacent to the courtyard - still a bit nippy to brave the open air, and James joined us whilst we ate, making plans over coffee and toast. We meandered our way to Jackson Square via the praline shop, the Sox shop, and the hot sauce shop.

      Of course, we bumped into Ron and Deb in the Square and learned that Ron's suitcase was AWOL! And after checking out the mighty Mississippi and watching Dave and Robyn's paddleboat sail upriver, we stopped at the French market for oysters in the half shell. They were very tasty, but we'll below Bluff raw oyster status. We'll have to check again tomorrow to see if N'awlins can do better!

      Appetites whetted we ambled through the Frenchmen Street neighbourhood and found the Croissant door café selling heated Swiss cheese, ham & tomato baguettes, and very drinkable coffee. It was a good way to fill in time until the music began.

      And later for dinner, we ubered with Linda across town to the Magazine Street restaurants, expecting that they wouldn't be as crowded and over-subscribed as those in the French Quarter. We were wrong. We found an outside table in the little French restaurant Lilette. The food was delicious - I had sizzling shrimps (king prawns) and roasted duck breast, which were both beautifully prepared and full of flavour. We would have liked to sample the very tempting dessert menu, but we were getting colder and colder.

      It was back to the hotel to warm up and plan tomorrow's adventures.

      * catnip = mango vodka, orange liquer, cranberry & pineapple juice = very yummy!!      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      1
      Day 10

      There is a house (or two) in New Orleans

      January 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      I'm not sure the streetcar was called "Desire, " but it was standing room only to get to the Garden District - home to centuries-old, live oak avenues and mansions of the rich & famous such as Sandra Bullock and Beyoncé. It's also been the setting for many iconic movies, including the aforementioned Streetcar, and Easy Rider.

      We found Philip['s] Street with one or two antebellum places he could move into, and after checking them out, we'd walked up a thirst which required quenching at The Chicory House. This was our second coffee stop of the day. The French Truck was our first, and of course, we had to sample the almond croissants... very nice!

      There was evidence of where the water level had been during Katrina on some exteriors of the houses - it looked like it was around 3 metres deep. And although the homes and gardens were spectacular, the roads and sidewalks were in poor condition - it would be easy to sprain or break an ankle. The combination of tree roots, building over old canals, and the damage from stormwater, can make pavement walking like intrepid rock climbing.

      After lunch, and the best salted caramel ice cream ever, we ubered with Michael - the retired chef - to City Park, asking for the best meal recommendations on the way.

      We spent a few leisurely hours photographing the c800 year old, Spanish Moss clad oaks that would have been there in the plantation days, checking the bayou for lurking alligators, listening to the Pink Panther theme, La vie en rose, Orsini, and Stevie Wonder played on the saxophone to all-ears boys, whilst we watched Linda, the bubble lady, making magic for the excited kids.

      Sadly, James flies back home in the morning, so it was an early night for all - ready for more adventures tomorrow. Huge thanks to James for showing us the very best of New Orleans and driving us halfway across Mississippi. Not to mention all the interesting conversations and insights. It was really special reconnecting and heaps of fun reminiscing about the good old days 😁      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 11

      I see skies of blue

      January 17, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      I persuaded Phil to have breakfast at Café Beignet this morning, which turned out to be a big mistake. I took one bite of the pastry, and that was it. It tasted off to me ... a completely different animal to the Morning Call beignets. I also tried the grits for the first time ... not something I need to repeat. So breakfast was a bit of a washout, though the café decorations were pretty cool.

      We walked on down Canal Street to the Riverwalk Outlet stores. There were some really nice things to spend money on, but most were outside our price range. The best bargains were at Kate Spade - saw a handbag for $89, and others for 70% off - skechers and Le Creuset - both with 50% discount.

      We walked along the Riverwalk to Jackson Square, listening to some of the street artists singing and playing their music. I particularly liked the guy playing the keyboard and singing "My Blue Heaven," though the guy with the dog on the back of the truck was belting out a pretty good blues medley ... accompanied by melodic barks 🤣

      After some crabcakes for lunch, we headed up Dumaine Street to Louis Armstrong Park. It's so good to see he's memorialized in his home city, with both the airport and the park named in his honour. It was very serene, pretty and quiet there, with just a few people relaxing in the shade under the trees or snapping a few photos of his statue.

      We dined this evening on the Paddleboat "City of New Orleans," catching up with Craig and Kiki for the last time in New Orleans. Yakking away over dinner while we paddled up and down the Mississippi, and listening to the "Dukes of Dixieland" jazz band serenading us, was a nice way to round off our experience. Eventually, we ventured outdoors. It was a warm and clear night, though I noticed tendrils of mist hugging the water's edge. Everyone was out on the open deck, taking photos, watching the skyline, and enjoying the night.

      And that ole man river? He just keeps rollin' along.      Read more

    • TravelerNOLA 2018
      Day 1

      Strolling Thru the Quarter

      November 22, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

      Aaaah! My soul feels so much better when I’m in NOLA. I bet on 7 races and won 5. Too bad it didn’t total to much. I was only betting $2 to show. The weather was beautiful and i had fun people watching.

      Got a cab back to the quarter. Stopped at Pierre Maspero’s for an Irish coffee to wake and warm me up. Then I picked up some chocolate from Laura’s. Just in case I have a sweets craving at night.

      It’s too early for dinner, so I stopped at Bar Vin for a port and to relax with my Agatha Christie book. People are dying left and right! The bar is great. It’s dark and cozy with comfy leather arm chairs. I remember when it was all chrome and neon. LOL. I stayed at the adjoining hotel ages ago. Now it’s part of a boutique chain and costs at least $300 a night for a room smaller than my guest bedroom. Praise Jesus for VRBO.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum

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