New Orleans - Fri

Ok, so armed with information for the Gray Line Bus Tour, we agreed to meet IN THE LOBBY at 8:30am. To ensure we can get on a bus tour by 9:30am. Let me assure you, New Orleans does not run on Randy time (aka party until the wee hours and still get up at 7am). We couldn't find a place for a quick breakfast. But no matter, turns out they have cancelled all the tours that day until 2pm. So we will find something else to do!...

- Breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, including cafe au lait and bignettes (which in my opnion taste a lot like funnel cake, but acceptable for breakfast)

- Shopping: Harley Davidson store (of course), tourist store for sunglasses for Dad, a ladies' store where I got a beautiful bejeweled compact, and other artsy stores

- Mule-drawn carriage tour through the French Quarter, narrated by a tough-talking lady who gave the finger to a car that honked at us

- Lunch at a diner where the burgers are cooked under hubcaps

- Finally, the BUS TOUR! We saw all the historical haunts in the French Quarter, where the Louisiana Purchase was signed, some Katrina areas still with damage, levees and canals, the above ground cemetaries (and walked around), the historic homes, the business district...a ton of things over the course of 2 hours (and about a 10 minute nap. I was Tired.)

- Shopping in the French Quarter, including a real perfumery (mmmmm), art galleries, drinking at the oldest bar in America, and meeting a witch doctor / vodoo priest

- Watching the cargo ships and barges on the mighty Mississippi; dad got his shoes shined by a transient

- Dinner at Deanies with one of Dad's hunters and his wife that are from Louisiana. Amy won the honor of ordering BBQ shrimp and having a bib placed on her by the waiter

- Bourbon St (again. of course.), most of it spend at Pat O'Brien's, home of the original Hurricane Drink. It is delicious, fruity, red. And 4 shots of rum. Let it be declared from now on "pulling a Jeff" is when you look at your drink, it is 7/8 gone. And everyone else has about 1/8 gone. And the nice waitress rubs your back gently and says, "you like that, don't you honey?".

- Stumble back from Bourbon St about midnight. Amy, Jeff, and I are not quite ready to turn in, so we go out to continue the party around 12:45am. Let me tell you, a different kind of folk appeared in those 45 minutes. We walked a couple blocks, decided we did NOT need a pimp or a ho, and thought it best to get back to the hotel. Sleepy time!