According To My Voice-recorder)
We awoke from a very deep sleep, about tennish maybe? Mom was aware of the error and rushed through breakfast (Dad went out and got McDoodles for breakfast, whose clown, by the way, my mom helped to design.) Mom got to the exhibit hall where we set up last night, and that's the last I saw of her.
Fast forward to the outside of the hotel. The planes were still landing a mile away, roaring overhead every eight minutes.
So, I find out I'm going to downtown New Orleans, well, not really downtown, but the French Quarter.
We arrive at the South Gate (Basin St. Station) to what looked like an old trolley system, but it had been replaced by a tour bus. In fact much of New Orleans revenue consists of tourism. We bought tickets inside and had a look around. It's not every day you get to see the inside of an antique train/trolley station.
We boarded a double-decker bus, and yes, you read that correctly, a double-decker bus. My dad and I were on a guided tour over the Bowl City. I was taking pictures left, right, and almost through the window. After making most of the stops on the bus, we made a stop in the French Quarter for lunch. We passed the original site. for filming NCIS New Orleans, and wound up at the original Café du Mondé the place to go for French donuts, (translated, "beignets,") but I suggested that we not do sweets for lunch. We walked down Bourbon Street to the The Creole Shop where I had a mixed platter of seafood, rice, and gumbo. I was having a problem with my walker (Later I learned that I was chasing it and all I needed was a cane.
I needed some time to digest, and all they had to eat down there were different types of gumbo. There's nothing different. It's just how hot you want it.
So we continued our sightseeing trip on foot. I was going too fast to keep up with my walker, and not slowing down to really appreciate the sights. Dad was consistently remind me to come to a more leisurely pace. All it did was frustrate me. This continued to build as we tried to come full circle to the South Gate. I was taking the wrong way off of intersections. You see, New Orleans is not built for the disabled. They do not even have countdown numbers on sidewalks at intersections. I did not know on which light to cross. So when I tried to go left at an intersection, I was supposed to go 90 degrees to the right, but my destination lay 180 degrees.That's straight ahead, folks. So I'm mad from chasing my walker and dad constantly on my case. So, we're on the West side of the South Side Station when I finally unleashed on my dad who, it turns out, was an innocent victim of four wheels. He was just trying to show me around the French Quarter.
Once inside the station we went over to the store, bought some drinks, sat down and cooled off. Dad took my walker back to the car, and I finished cooling down. Then it was off to see the above ground cemetery. It was the same one the tour bus passed on the way round robin. The reason they bury their dead above ground was because if they buried them six feet under, they would really be six feet under! Apparently, they stack the bodies on top of each other. When we got to the cemetery, it was closed, but when did that ever get between me and a photo?! I know, that's sick.
We were on our way back to the hotel and mom who was supposed to finish her exposé at five p.m.
I got back to the room and collapsed for twenty minutes. Dad was just concerned about getting mom out of the exhibition hall and getting her something to eat. So finally, at about twilight, we all got together in the main lobby of the hotel and entered the adjoining restaurant, "The Landing. " it was quiet for the rest of the night and an early evening.
Stay tuned for Pt. 3, when I go to the WW2 Museum!
