Day 5&6: New OAR-linz

What to say about New Orleans. My initial reactions or my final thought? Both are extremely different. 

My first impression of New Orleans was that I was obsessed with it. I loved the buildings, the charm, the narrow streets, and the balconies. I could see myself having a lot of fun in the city and falling in love with the architecture. It looked like Madrid and Venice had a love child and it was raised by Barcelona.

While there, we discovered that the city was unbearably humid and hot, causing the entire city to reek of hot garbage. Homeless and drug addicts slept under the route 10 bridge. Once you get passed that, it is a very interesting city, with the French Quarter offering restaurants galore, sleezy bars, and upscale art galleries. It's an eclectic mix. 

The Garden District, which we visited several times, has old style homes with bright colors and wrap around porches. Magazine St. offfers shopping and bars that are much more our style. We checked out NOLA Brewing Co. and each had an interesting combination; Marcus opting for the pineapple and jalapeño beer and I chose the stout aged in whiskey barrels. 

We ate at the Cochon Butcher, a deli that serves hot sandwiches, beer, and cocktails. I had a pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut on marble rye toast and it was the best sandwich I have ever had. It gets 5 stars on our book. 

Nighttime is when I disliked the city. It was scary, even for me. I have traveled to places that would make an average person squirm, that didn't affect me at all. I like cities and I see them as all having their issues and scary parts; it just depends on how you behave and handle it. I did not like walking around at night in the French Quarter. We checked out Frenchmen St. for a few hours and headed back to the hotel. Addicts lined the streets and drunks shouted at you as you walked around. 

Leaving the city, I look at it as having a vibe and style all its own. In the beginning, I compared it to the European settlers that inhabited it, but the atmosphere of New Orleans is all New Orleans, both good and bad. Would I go back? I would. It was a fascinating place and I think I only just skimmed the surface of it.