Day 32: Nothing going our way… until the beignet.

Today we hopped on the ferry and then hopped onto a Riverfront streetcar. Our streetcar driver told us to hop on and she would tell us where we needed to hop off in order to catch the St. Charles line. So we sat down and enjoyed the sites of the city. And man is this city proud of their Saints. Who dat? We dat!

After awhile on the streetcar, our driver didn’t seem to be saying much. And then all of a sudden we were far from where we needed to be. And when she did speak up, it was to tell us that this was the end of the line and we needed to get off of her streetcar. Say what? Grumble grumble. So we all got out, watched her shut her doors and began waiting for a new streetcar. Not a minute later, the same driver opened her doors and yelled for us to get in. WTF. Someone needs a new job. So we start rolling back in the direction we came from and eventually got to our transfer point. I’m not even going to complain about how long she made us wait while she slowly walked to the store to buy herself some snacks. Don’t get me started.

As we walk towards our first destination of the day, the Lafayette Cemetery #1, we notice closed gates and people peering through them. Closed on Sundays. Ahhhhh! Today is not our day I guess.

We all had grumbling stomachs so we decided to check out this recommended restaurant, Commander’s Palace, which happened to be right across the street. But they were booked. I guess no mint julep for me today. Again. But it was probably a good thing because it looked a bit too fancy and Dan forgot to wear his sports coat today since it didn’t match his beloved flip flops.

So we walked and walked and got to see some truly beautiful homes.

We ended up back on Magazine Street just blocks away from our burrito destination from yesterday at a place called Gott Gourmet Cafe. And you know what? We picked another winner. Dan finally got some gumbo he’s been craving and Ava and I pigged out on sandwiches with homemade french fries.

And then we hit the road again. And passed beautiful homes after beautiful homes…

… here in the Garden District of New Orleans.

But the walk was not easy. The sidewalks sucked as much as the streets. Poor Ava almost flipped out of her stroller several times thanks to all the potholes and rough patches. Good thing she loves wearing seat belts.

We somehow made all the right turns to end up at the spot that Dan has been most looking forward to all day. The National World War 2 Museum.

And me? I wasn’t really looking forward to it… but when I walked in I was floored by this room. Hmmm, this might not be so bad after all.

There was a old veteran dude there that talked Dan’s ear off (much to his delight) about these landing crafts. And how he spent every Saturday for the past 3 years working on building it for this museum.

And then there was Ava. Who was expecting all museums to be Children’s Museums. The old veteran dude could tell she was getting antsy so he gave her permission to take the stage. And she gladly did.

Ava performed a dance show for everyone around. And for her little sister too.

And Mila ate it all up. Her shrieks and giggles echoed through the building.

And each performance ended with hugs… and a few giggles from the audience too.

We actually got to the museum a hour or so before closing time and decided that it was too much to see and take in with so little time left. So we just checked out this free bottom floor and decided to come back again tomorrow for the more intense stuff. So Ava got to run some more.

And Dan got to check out all the tanks and other war stuff that I know nothing about it. Correction: That I know a little about thanks to this museum.

After a few minutes, another little boy decided he had enough and needed to run. So these two ran and ran some more… while all the parents sat and sat some more.

We then walked back to the French Quarter to get a little snack. Can you say Cafe Beignet?

Finally. A planned activity that actually went our way today. Yes!

And within 10 minutes, the workers closed up shop while we were finishing up our treats. How’s that for timing! We couldn’t exit through the front doors when it was time to leave so we had to use the side entrance. And where did the side entrance path led us? Right to the front steps of the police department! LOL. Cops and donuts.

The sun was setting and we needed to get back home to our Airstream, the Mali Mish. We passed by some fabulous little boutique hotels.

And got a little reminder of the drink I have yet got a chance to try.

And back on the ferry, my kid showed us that she is not tired one bit after all that museum running. Oh wait a second. Maybe it was all that powdered sugar she just wolfed down for dinner. Bad parents!

Why are we so happy to be back at the parking lot? Because we see New Orleans in the background? Nope. Because it was a beautiful sunset? Nope. Because our car was not stolen? You got it!

Back at camp, we figured out that we actually walked four miles today. Wha what? And Mila has the red cheeks to prove it from the baby carrier.

Not sure if you’ve noticed but for the past couple days, we have had orbs on all of our pictures. Yup, ghosts. Like this one on our cat. But who am I kidding, it has to be scratch, right? WRONG! It’s not a ghost. It’s not a scratch. It’s POWDERED SUGAR! From the beignets! From like two days ago! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Awe. Some.

the end,
marlene