Appreciating the New Orleans Experience

When going through my photos of my trip to New Orleans, it puts me back to when I was standing on Lousiana soil taking in all of the luxurious sites and pleasant smells of coffee and beignets. I already miss the busy streets and Christmas lights at night. I would enjoy experiencing New Orleans again as an independent explorer. There were so many positive ideas of New Orleans that I took home with me, the love the people of New Orleans have for eachother, and the feeling of spiritual and physical freedom. What I experienced in New Orleans is much different than any other type of experience I've had. I experienced how many people in the world do not have food, water, or shelter. I experienced what eating gellato at a real Italian restaurant was like. I was able to experience the ghost tour that constantly left me with goose bumps. Overall, the experience was great and I can't wait to go back experience it all again. These are some of the photos I took randomly while roaming New Orleans.

(Picture taken of a little restaurant)

(Picture taken of the Pharmacy Museum)

(Picture taken of a building on the Music tour)

(Picture taken at the Whitney Plantation)

(Picture taken during the ghost tour)

(Picture taken on free day)

(Picture taken on ghost tour)

(Picture taken on ghost tour)

(Picture taken during music tour)

(Photo taken on music tour)

(Photo taken on music tour)

(One of The Voodoo Queen's tombstones picture taken during cemetery tour)

(Picture taken of the Cathedral)

(Beignets!)

(Picture of haunted home taken on ghost tour)

(Picture taken while walking around the city)

(Picture taken on free day)

(Picture taken before taking the street car for the first time with Hannah Pendell)

Expanding on Art in New Orleans

One of my favorite parts of New Orleans was their amazing art galleries. I loved the art galleries so much that I wanted to expand further on what I have seen. When going into the first art gallery, it had art pieces very spread out. You could view several art pieces by one artist and see several other pieces by another artist. One of the most memorable pieces was that of the building at Royal and St. Peter Street. I stood and looked at this picture for at least 2-3 minutes and returned to look at it again. This piece by James Hussey. I previously wrote about this piece and I wanted to write about another piece I enjoyed viewing by Lisa Corbiere. One of the men that worked at the art gallery Rue Toulouse informed me that Corbiere is from Finland and has many pieces that look similar but are very different. Corbiere's piece sets the scene for a day at the beach gazing at the ocean as boats going by. It made me feel as if I was laying on the warm beach enjoying vacation. The way art made me feel was very surprising. If I wouldn't have went to New Orleans, I may have never experienced art that really makes me day dream and think.

(Favorite piece by James Hussey)

(Piece by Lisa Corbiere)

(Another piece by Lisa Corbiere)

(Art piece in PJ's coffee by Frenchy)

Farewell NOLA! See you soon.

• There are many places I enjoyed visiting. Today, we returned to our favorite place to eat called "La Davina." I will definitely miss eating delicious rootbeer gelato. This restaurant allowed me to see the type of cuisine Italian people eat while enjoying it. I have already made plans to come back this summer to enjoy the city with my fiancé  and teach him everything I have learned since being in New Orleans. He has yet to see what all Louisiana has to offer. After falling in love with the French Quarter and all of the sites in New Orleans, I would easily recommend this trip for others to experience. I thoroughly felt like a part of me was left in New Orleans in order to return. Many would be amazed by the amount of freedom the citizens of NOLA have and their care free attitudes towards their everyday lives. It was delightful to watch the mini concerts and side shows in front of the Cathedral. Describing NOLA in only a few words would be very difficult, but the easiest way to describe it would be that it is wonderfully historic, lovely to visit, and eventful no matter what you're doing. I learned many things about myself throughout the trip. I learned that I have this drive to travel and see the world. The thought of traveling far from home used to frighten me, this trip has opened up the possibility of future adventures. I learned so much during the trip and can't wait to return home to tell my family about my experience. My favorite part of the class was blogging on my phone as we visited sites and landmarks. I felt like a real explorer being able to snap photos and share them with other members of the class.  My favorite part of the trip was the ghost tour by far. This was my favorite, because I love to hear about hauntings and the stories behind them. I have a strong belief in what is not seen by everyone. It's is interesting to learn about what is lingering in the shadows as you walk the streets of New Orleans.  By participating in all of the tours, I have learned a lot about the people of New Orleans. The people here are care free and the city allows them to be. I said many times throughout the trip how amazingly free the citizens of NOLA live their lives.
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(Drawing on the board inside of La Divina)

(Delicious baked goods in restaurant)

(One scoop of Rootbeer Gelato Please!)

Rootbeer gelato was one of the samples I tried during the cuisine tour. I decided to come back for seconds! 

Expanding on the Cabildo

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Cabildo building and wanted to write more about the experience I had. I felt that this museum was the most interesting to me due to its contents regarding healthcare and the history of New Orleans.  The paintings hung on the walls were of historic people we have learned about throughout the trip. It was amazing to me to see Marie Laveau in a portrait on the wall and being able to connect it with the cemetery tour we had previously. The description next to the picture states that they are not sure if the image is an accurate picture of Marie, but they are pretty sure it is. The art piece of Micaela Pontalba finally put a face to the name of the woman that built the oldest apartments and was known for living after being shot multiple times. Upstairs of the Cabildo, there was a surgeons chest owned by a surgeon of New Orleans during the American Civil War. This surgeon focused mainly on post mortem dissection and this chest had many instruments to perform this act. It was neat to me to see the chest and think about how different it was for surgeons at that time, and what it was possibly like for nurses. Postmortem dissection is commonly referred to an autopsy today, is usually performed by a coroner. I wish I could have met the surgeon that this chest belonged to, so than I could ask about his experiences with dissection.

(Portrait of Micaela Almonster dr Pontalba at the Cabildo)

(Photo taken at the Cabildo)

(Hannah and I enjoying our time at the museum)

Visiting the Presbytere and the Cabildo

• There are many sites to see around the French Quarter, one being the Presbytere. Visiting the Presbytere today really opened my mind to what the Louisiana people went through when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Betsy occurred. Many people had their lives taken by these horrendous hurricanes and lost most of their valuables. Viewing this museum helped me to realize how the people of New Orleans responded to these crisis'. It seemed as if the citizens of NOLA became almost like family and helped one another survive. The New Orleans and Lousiana citizens' sense of responsibility for others warmed my heart. How they cared for one another made me think differently about disasters and the people involved in disasters. The people of New Orleans and the rest of Lousiana, were overwhelmed by the damage the Hurricanes caused but began to deal with the disaster using what survival skills they had previously developed. Although, there were many good responses by the Lousiana people, their were also bad responses.  Many citizens of NOLA knew that the storm was coming and could evacuate but chose not to leave the area and suffered great losses. Many that wanted to evacuate had no where to go and suffered because of it. 
• My favorite part of this museum was understanding what first responders and other healthcare professionals did for these people of NOLA. They helped clean up city streets, homes, buildings, fed the people affected, and aided in the psychological and mental healing of of the citizens. My reaction to the stories of Katrina made me very upset and at times amazed. I was upset to hear that many people died and many were injured. I experienced amazement when I viewed the churches and homes completely demolished and the bagged and bottled diet the city provided for the citizens.
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• The Cabildo
• The Cabildo told more than one interesting story.  It told about the Pontalba couple and how Mrs. Pontalba did not enjoy Mr. Pontalba very much. The portrait explained how Micaela Almonster dr Pontalba of New Orleans built the oldest apartment buildings in NOLA. My reaction to how determined this woman was, was surprised. During the 19th century, many women did not want to branch out and be their own person. Micaela took her fathers money and turned it into many beautiful buildings. This taught me how different the people of New Orleans have been even since her time. Freedom and independence seems prominent in this area of the world.

(Picture taken at the Presbytere) 

(Mardi Gras outfit from Presbytere)

The museum also had a second floor that was full of Mardi Gras outfits, float materials, and masks. It was neat to see how extravagant people made their Mardi Gras attire.

(Another Mardi Gras outfit)

Exploring NOLA On Our Own

As Alexis, Hannah, and I began our voyage of NOLA on our own, we stopped at a coffee shop called "PJ's coffee." This establishment's coffee puts other coffee places to shame. After getting out caffeine fix, we ventured to a restaurant called "New Orleans Seafood and Hamburger Co." At this location we enjoyed gumbo and cheeseburgers, while appreciating each other's company. After eating lunch, we walked around the French Quarter and shopped at ornament shops and clothing stores. It was a lot of fun to site see on our own as persons new to this area. As we walked down the many streets in the French Quarter, we often stopped to watch the attractions taking place on the edges of the roads and sometimes the sidewalks. There were many talented musicians and actors that focused on entertaining bystanders. 

(Picture taken at a small boutique)

(Picture taken looking out H&M clothing store's front window)

(Enjoying food at the New Orleans Seafood and Hamburger Co.)

(Gumbo eaten at the restaurant)

Reflection of the Plantation Tour and Slavery

I enjoyed visiting the Whitney Plantation and I decided to elaborate more on my feelings toward what was happening on plantations. Understanding the hurt and sorrow many slaves in the plantation endured makes my heart feel sad for all the men, women, and children slaves that had no say over what they did on the Whitney Plantation. It is saddening to hear about the pain slaves endured when living as a slave. It is hard to visualize slaves being punished by there owners. Slave quarters lining the yard paint the picture of how living with many people in a small area would look like. When visiting the former plantation owner's home, the ceiling in the upstairs entertainment area is painted by an Italian artist's artwork. I could have stood there and studied the art for hours. This is experience is one I will never forget.

(Taken at the Whitney Plantation)

(Picture from the wall of the enslaved)

(Picture of the slave wall)