Days 11-13 - Oh, New Orleans!

After a rather unfortunate encounter with the idiots of the Livonia Police Department (which delayed our arrival in the Big Easy, grr!) we entered New Orleans just as the temperatures were soaring in the upper 90s.

But all woes and misery were soon forgotten when we were greeted by my friend Ally at her family's house on Jefferson. I was thrilled to see her again! Ally became one of my best friends after we met during my studies at the University of Oregon. She was actually one of my GTFs, as well as my bed-fellow, however in a strictly platonic sense! :)

The family house was once owned by Ally's great great grandfather, J.M. Burguieres. It's a stunning mansion located in Uptown, just a short walk from coffee shops, boutiques and vintage stores on Magazine Street, and the streetcar that takes you from St. Charles Ave to downtown.

Ally, the perfect hostess, took us on several sight seeings around town. I don't think Jamie and I have walked so many miles ever... he he. We toured the campuses of nearby Tulane and Loyola Universities, Audubon Park, drank and ate our way down Bourbon Street, browsed through various voodoo shops, visited the French Market, cooled down with iced coffees and popsicles, and engaged in some questionable activities. Key words: home made ouiji board and hunting for the angry frog who resided in the pool.

New Orleans is an energetic and vibrant metropolis. The city was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, and named after Phillid d'Orleans, who was regent of France at the time. The French lost control over the territory to the Spanish under the Treaty of Paris, but regained it in 1801. Most of the architecture in the French Quarter was build under Spanish control. After the Haitian Revolution in 1804, the city saw a surge in immigrants from Haiti and Cuba. All the new settlers doubled the French-speaking population, as they learned French as their first language in the region. To this day, there's a rich diversity among the peoples of New Orleans, which is what makes the city so unique and alive. Everywhere you go, you see people of different colors, hear different languages, music and rhythms - it's amazing, and certainly better than plain white Oregon! Louisiana is also famous for it's Creole and Cajun cuisine. Trust me, sometimes all you need is a big bowl of gumbo. It's simply delicious!