New Orleans, LA - The French Quarter and Jackson Square

We went to the French Quarter and Jackson Square on both of our days in the city.  Due to the time of year, it was a bot chilly and we had not packed warm enough jackets so both visits were dampened a little bit by the weather.  But, this only made us vow to come back to New Orleans again, this tie when the weather is warmer.  We did have a lot of sunshine and the area was filled with wonderful sighs, sounds and great architecture.

On our first visit, we got very lucky and found free street parking right outside of the French Quarter. On our second day, we opted to park in a pay lot rather than spend time searching for parking.   

We took the obligatory trip down Bourbon Street.  Mid day, the streets were tame compared to the reported crowds and drunken revelry of the evenings.  It was only a week after Mardi Gras and many business sill had the green and purple decorations up.

 

Jackson Square was beautiful.  Anchored by the St. Louis Cathedral on one end and with a grassy park in the middle, the real action takes place in the walkways that form a square around the park.  The sidewalks are lined with vendors, mostly artists and their paintings and sculptures were hanging on the fences.  Evenly spaced throughout the park were street performers which included musicians, magicians, acrobats and jugglers.  We hung around to watch a few of the magic shows and they were great.  There was also an acrobatic team who combined a comedy routine with acrobatic feats and dancing.  They were so great that we made sure to see the show twice.