Fun with Tia Mary.

She's on her way home now, so I can tell you dh and I had a really good time visiting with Tia Mary and her dh while they were in town for Carnival. Saturday was a free evening for them, and it was the one night when the parades take a different route so we could get our car off the street. We all went out to dinner, and although I couldn't persuade Tia Mary to try any REAL Cajun food, we had a great time together.

When is anyone else coming to the Big Easy? We have had the Sugar Bowl, the BCS finals, Mardi Gras and upcoming is some other big sports thing (?basketball, maybe?) plus there are conventions going on all year round. Just let me know you are coming. We live very close to downtown (and the guest room has twin beds).

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

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Olwyn Mary
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Olwyn Mary wrote:

New Orleans IS BACK and ready for fun!!!! If any of you have ever considered visiting The Big Easy, NOW is the time to do so. They desperately need the tourist revenue and ALL of the touristy stuff *IS* up and running. That's a surprising accomplishment just 2 1/2 years after Katrina! We visited the Audubon Zoo and spent a good 4 or 5 hours there. We also went to the Audubon Aquarium which was absolutely breathtaking and right smack on the banks of the river at the French Quarter. Again, you would never know there had recently been a hurricane in the area! The other "big" thing we did was go to the D-Day WW2 Museum. Also a wonderful way to spend a day and quite a well put together museum as well as being within walking distance of our hotel. FYI, we stayed at the Riverside Hilton which is across the street from Harrah's Casino and right next to the Riverwalk (large multi-story shopping arcade). I didn't go to the Riverwalk -- DH walked through just looking to see what was there and he said that was the only thing not yet back to pre-Katrina standards. Of course, The French Quarter is up and running at full speed and that is what most tourists are interested in. My walking is limited because of the arthritis so I didn't walk up and down all of the streets. DH did walk through a lot of it while I stayed in the room and rested my "parts" and he said you would never know there had been a hurricane! On Lundi Gras, after "doing" the Aquarium, we walked down Decatur Street where all of the wonderfully trashy tourist shops are. On Mardi Gras we walked down to the French Marketplace and it is a hive of bustling activity. "They" (not sure who that is -- LOL) are building a wonderful new "building" for the Marketplace which consists of a concrete floor (must be at least 4 blocks long, I swear!), restrooms and a roof -- no outer walls are necessary, well except for the restrooms :-). The old building was like this but was pretty decrepit before "the greedy bitch blew through town" and whisked it all away. The new building is about half full of people selling everything imaginable. The part that's not finished yet -- the front part -- is where the food, fruits, veggies, etc. is sold. There were tours galore offered too. You could do riverboat rides, swamp boat rides, go to the alligator farms and visit plantations. There are "ghost tours" and dinner cruises and tours to visit famous homes, etc. All in all, I will have to say that if you have ever even remotely considered visiting The Big Easy (AKA New Orleans) NOW is the time to do so. This Carnivale was a great one -- the crowds were smaller even than last year but that was due to the Super Bowl being on the same weekend. I didn't mind at all since the crowds during Carnivale can be overwhelming to say the leas -- LOL! I think the thing that amazed me most was Jackson Square where St. Louis Cathedral is. We all saw news coverage of people (I believe even GWB was one) giving speeches there after Katrina. At that time, the square was a total wreck with nary a tree standing but you would never know it now!! It's absolutely beautiful and the work that this took is unimaginable. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the sad, sad state of the housing along Interstate 10 leading in to town. We saw mile after mile after mile of abandoned homes, businesses, apartment buildings, etc. with broken or boarded up windows :*-{ . It was so heartbreaking to think of those people who have had to leave the area for good. There were also loads of refurbished, beautiful homes and businesses in amongst the abandoned ones and an equal number of ones where the trailers were still on property and the buildings were being worked on. These people are working very hard at getting their lives back to "normal" and they deserve all the help they can get!!! As for Olwyn Mary and her DH, well we had a super time, especially with them. We got to visit their home after we went out for dinner and it's lovely -- a wonderful "double shotgun" two story duplex. They were kind enough to pick us up at our hotel so we didn't have to do any driving, THANK HEAVENS -- LOL! While I didn't have any "real" cajun food (the spices just do not MOI) I talked them into trying fried dill pickles for the first time!!! We had a great meal and a wonderful time with them and an equally wonderful time in THE BIG EASY! Photos to be posted as soon as I get them from camera to computer to Webshots. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

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Tia Mary

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