Jackson Square.

A wedding party NOLA-style; from the church to the reception, singing down the street followed by a lively brass marching band.

There is a new word I’ve learned while back in New Orleans, lagniappe. It means “a little something extra.” Some say it describes the “attitude” or “vibe” here.  Thought to be Spanish in origin, pronounced “lanny-yap” I think it’s an appropriate adjective.

Everything here is a bit exaggerated.

Certainly the weather has also fit the moniker. I can’t think when I’ve been this hot and sticky.  But I am not complaining. Even though New Orleans is humid, we’ve been lucky as the weather held up and we had a sunny day for our walking tour of the Garden District.

St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line, a National Historic Landmark, the oldest continually running streetcar in the world.

We started with a mad dash to the Café Du Monde for some of their fabulous warm beignets, and then caught the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District. Our tour started in the Lafayette Cemetery No.1 and wandered up and down the lovely residential streets of the District. The homes and gardens were beautifully restored and maintained, and the live oak trees simply majestic.

The history here really is amazing, interesting and there is always something new to learn.  In Miami-Dade, we work so hard to protect, save and preserve what little history we still have, while here history is everywhere you turn.  There are more than 20 preservation groups, and we saw restoration work on practically every block (even, inconveniently, in our hotel).

We used “Historic New Orleans Tours”, who promise facts-not sensationalism, and I thought our guide did a good job.

Afterwards, we walked over to Magazine Street, grabbed a Po’ Boy sandwich (which is really about the crunchy bread) for lunch, and eventually made our way back to a streetcar stop.  Once on, we stayed for the entire historic St. Charles route, seeing even more beautiful homes; some charming, some cute; mansions and shotgun bungalows; Loyola and Tulane Universities; and Audubon Park, before arriving back at Canal Street.

Eventually, we worked our way back to the riverfront, quickly checked out the Harrah’s Casino, and made an even quicker stop by the historic French Market (featuring unappealing flea market merchandise). Finally, we checked out nearby Frenchman’s Street, considered by some to be a trendy music/artistic area.

For dinner we feasted at Emeril’s fabulous NOLA.  They even have Pappy Van Winkle’s on the menu.

“Laissez les bons temps rouler!”

The Vieux Carre (French Quarter).

Mardi Gras was three months ago, but they say they have better things to do than get the beads out of the trees.

Garden District.

Family crypts in the Lafayette Cemetery No.1. I should’ve given them some cleaning tips!

Daily Trivia Questions (answers next post):

Which Manning has a home in the Garden District?

How much does NOLA charge for a shot of Pappy Van Winkle’s?

Last post’s trivia answers:

Which celebrity has a home in New Orleans? Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Nicholas Cage   All 3.