Hitting the road, to the Big Easy

Big Easy entertainment on Jackson Square

For the first time since early December, my wife and I traveled outside the state.

Where else, but to New Orleans.

During the course of the past three months of the year we made numerous trips that included Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina.

So it was time, then, to settle down for the rest of the year, prepare for Christmas and then have our sons and daughters-in-law and grandkids over for the holiday season.

Well, that came and went and we started thinking about the new year. And it was time to take a trip.

At least, a day trip. The snow trip that I had thought about was just that, thinking about it, never putting it into action.

An unusually decorated bicycle

But just last week, the skies were clear, the temperatures were cool (the only time to visit the Crescent City) and so we decided to give it a try.

There were a lot of people taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

We did our usual routine, parking just behind the Cafe du Monde, and then took a stroll around Jackson Square listening to the entertainment and doing a little people-watching.

The menus posted on the doors on a number of restaurants  had prices increases with our favorite offering, a po-boy going up another $2 in price, with the fries being extra.

Being involved in having a new home built and the expenses involved, I felt like being cheap.

A Rouse’s supermarket came to the rescue. It was located on the block north of the St. Louis Cathedral.

A small half-muffalata and a Coke, set us back just under $8.

We took the food down to the square and found a bench.

Rouses muffalata and a Coke

Next came beignets at the Cafe du Monde.

An order of beignets, a cup of cafe au lait or a small chocolate milk all cost the same thing, about $2.75 each.

I’ve been going to the French Market so long, I can remember when it was less than 25 cents each. That’s how old I am.

Whole Foods on Magazine was our last spot. We like the drive down Magazine, and oftentimes Whole Foods has a variety of sample items out.

We found a piece of sweet bread of some kind, but that was it.

Can’t say that I blame them for not putting out more. They surely don’t make any money off us.

We then headed home, taking the old US 90 route that was so much a part of my childhood, way before the interstate system came about.

Next post: Feb. 1, 2016