As a change of pace today’s post is a mini-travelogue. Recently my husband and I returned from attending Jazz Fest 2016 in New Orleans. This was our first time taking part in this major annual musical event. Also, it was the first time that we visited The Big Easy since the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to arriving we wondered what it would be like.
Since we spent most of our time at the fairgrounds (where Jazz Fest was located), at our Uptown hotel, and touring the French Quarter, we did not observe any obvious differences from past visits. At the festival we had a lot of fun listening to all of the music and sampling the delicious food which was available onsite.
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us while we were there. Even prior to flying down we were warned by my cousins to bring mud shoes and umbrellas due to the excessive rain. True to form it continued to rain a good bit throughout our visit. The fairgrounds were very muddy and it made things a bit challenging.
The second day was sunnier and hotter, but it was still very muddy at the festival. We were stalwart, but after a while the presence of mud everywhere began to wear a bit thin. So, we began to think of something else to do…
On our third day, John and I decided to skip Jazz Fest and to go see the sights in the French Quarter. We enjoyed a lovely lunch in the courtyard at The Gumbo Shop, and then later had café au lait and beignets at the Café du Monde! It was very enjoyable to roam through the Quarter and to take in the local ambiance.
As it turned out there were torrential rains that afternoon and also significant flooding occurred. As a result, the festival was forced to close early. We were glad that we decided to skip the festival and go tour the Quarter that day; but we also appreciate those who braved the elements to go to the festival too. Stevie Wonder was the final act and we understand that he tried mightily to carry on by singing through a megaphone.
Later that evening we reconvened at our hotel with my cousins. A fabulous poolside Happy Hour and dinner were enjoyed by all! My cousins brought a box of white wine to share, and we all ordered carry-out Po’ Boys from a nearby restaurant. We had the best time chatting and catching up and eating yummy local cuisine! It will definitely go down as a wonderful vacation memory for me.