NOLA and the Gulf Coast Adventure - DAY 3

 Day 3 - In the downpour of New Orleans

The storm has hit, but it hasn't dampened our adventure!

After Banana Foster French toast at the Ruby Slipper, we grabbed our first traditional on this trip at the trolley station!

Creole Cache GCBBQF2

We made our way via trolley along Canal Street to the Audubon Aquarium & Insectarium. Perfect way to while away a wet morning.

From the Aquarium/Insectarium, we walked along the riverfront to see the riverboat and log a Virtual geocache.

From Distant Shores GCD7CB

Lunch at Landry's included oysters and calamari topped off with beignets at Cafe Beignet.

Have you ever had a muffaletta? We were told the originals were at Central Grocery & Deli so we brought some back to the hotel for a rest and meal before our night adventure.

How else do you top off a Saturday night in New Orleans than taking a "Dead of Night Ghosts and Cemetery Tour"? It included walking through Masonic Cemetery 1 at night and being told ghost stories in City Park under the 1,000 YO oaks! Spectacular experience!

I would've loved to have seen more Virtuals in the cemeteries. They were amazing structures above ground and in the walls. So much history here.

SCORECARD

12,000+ steps walked

1 Virtual

1 traditional

1 aquarium

1 cemetery tour

2 fabulous meals

NOLA and the Gulf Coast Adventure - DAY 2

Day 2 - New Orleans. The day turned out to be very gray - but it kept the sun off our backs and the tourists inside!

We started out visiting an AMAZING cemetery - St Louis No. 1!

Nick Cage has a pyramid here...

... and Madame Laveau, voo doo queen, is buried with her husband and her lover.

Zelda, our tour guide, really brought the history to life with the "year and a day" law and burial myths. As we were leaving the cemetery, we saw & heard a jazz funeral procession passing by - we were told they were coming back from the funeral because the music is upbeat, celebrating life.

Afterwards, we were hopping on-and-off our bus to visit the Garden District and Jackson Square.

Reminder for Hurricane Katrina

Lunch and music in the French Quarter (and a little geocaching, too!).

Jackson Square GC9P5TM

Dinner was at Zesty Creole where we continued our foodie journey. We tried so many new things! Gator bites, jambalaya, gumbo, fried green tomatoes, beignets, muffalettas, Po'boys (just to name a few).

We wrapped by exploring Bourbon Street at night (been there done that)...

...and taking 4 spins at the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone.

SCORECARD

12,000+ steps walked

1 Virtual

1 pyramid

1 Voo Doo queen

1 tour bus

1 carousel ride

2 fabulous meals

There are very few non-Virtuals in or near the French Quarter

NOLA and the Gulf Coast Adventure - DAY 1

 

TaGeez, Signal and I just returned from a fabulous adventure south. It was out first time in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast! Let the good times roll!

5 days of history, architecture, and food! I can't wait to share with you!

It didn't take long after landing to arrive at Bourbon Street. If it's this crazy on a Thursday afternoon, I wasn't prepared to how insane it was Friday night!

We were excited to earn our souvenir for Louisiana, and it was a quick stop at Edison Place for a Virtual. The jazz music was already ripping and the beignets smelled amazing!

Edison Place GCA561

A little further down the street was the Old Creole Kitchen, where we experienced gator bites and crab cakes in a mushroom gravy. SO delicious!

And, now that we have been rejuvenated, time to continue exploring the French Quarter, grabbing virtuals along the way. None of the following pictures show spoilers for the Virtuals.

Ignatius J Reilly GCGHQC

The Founder GCA5E3

A Shining Example GCA5A9

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop GCGFJ4

In just a few hours we've already walked 12,000 steps so time for another refresher? Signal loved the beignets and frozen Cafe au Laits at Cafe Du Monde.

Signal had a really good trip. Isn't he photogenic with his new trackable around his neck? Here he was hanging out in a palm tree near Louis Armstrong Park.

As time is ticking away, we Uber'd back to the Garden District for Joey K's Restaurant on Magazine. Our Hop-On-Hop-Off tour guide recommended this as a local gem, and it had been featured on Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives once upon a time.

The food was delicious - we enjoyed the seafood platters!

SCORECARD

1,000 miles flown

12,000+ steps walked

5 Virtuals

1 souvenir

5 Adventure Lab stops logged (airport)