A Long Ride

New Orleans French Quarter balconies by night....



...and by day.



The nightlife is great fun, but daytime in the tourist areas is far too much like Disneyland, complete with rides and tacky souvenirs. I did really enjoy some of the sarcastic Katrina t-shirts for sale: there's "N.O.P.D. - Not Our Problem Dude" and "F.E.M.A. - Fix Everything My Ass." I'll also definitely purchase the Times Picayune's Katrina photography book - what I saw browsing in the store was very powerful.



The highlight of the city had to be Cafe du Monde. It's the only tourist attraction that lived up to the hype. The cafe au lait and beignets were excellent. And yes, there really are beignets underneath all that powdered sugar!