LET'S GO TO NOLA! Part 3.

One evening we walked a long way to Canal St. and got on the streetcar down to the Mississippi River and then got on another streetcar that traveled along the water and past the Quarter down to Frenchman St. It's the newer hip place to go instead of the FQ. We caught the end of "Satchmo-fest". It's a yearly celebration on Satchmo's birthday. Then we walked down Frenchman past dozens of bars and restaurants that had live music...we were looking for this "artist's alley"...finally found it. This picture is in the back of the outdoor space. The local artist's sell their stuff until 1a.m.! They don't like you to take pictures of their stuff.....

But I did get a shot of this tub-couch. Nice bead tree....They weren't for sale...just decoration.

Walking back we saw a fire station and C.J. hadda stop and buy her husband a t-shirt. The 2 firemen there were real fun to talk to.

I went to the Civil War Museum one day when C.J. was working. It was AMAZING! It's been there since 1891! It used to be called the Confederate Museum. No photos allowed so you should google it and check out their great website....for SURE check it out. They had a good movie there to watch all about the history of the museum. Of course the uniforms are tiny....but I was surprised how big and heavy the epaulettes are. Cool flags. And a few tree/logs from Chickamauga full of schrapnel and mini balls. Lots of other good stuff.

It's not a real big place but I was impressed and enjoyed it very much.

This is the Napoleon House in the FQ. It's a 200 year old bar/cafe where the Mayor of N.O. (Nicholas Girod) lived. He offered it to Napoleon in 1821 during his exile. He didn't come but the name stuck. C.J. and I found it particularly intriguing because it's SO old and SO dirty! We were on the hunt for a cocktail called a Pimm's Cup but were denied because Napoleon House was closed on Monday.

We got our Pimm's at Herme's Bar which is part of the famous restaurant Antoine's.

BEST sign ever! The OTHER side says "haunted"...hahaaaaa.

We went shopping and eating at the French Market which is pretty full of souvenirs made in China but we did find a guy who sold sterling silver jewelry that we had heard about. Ate some fried oysters and then went to Molly's at the Market for a famous Frozen Irish Coffee. It was dessert in a glass.

So back to the State Museum next door to the cathedral. Downstairs is a good exhibit all about Hurricane Katrina. Nice movie to go with it. This is Fats Domino's piano after the storm. It's the only picture I took at the Katrina part of the museum.

Upstairs is dedicated to Mardi Gras...all kinds of cool stuff! Costumes, parts of floats etc.

Vintage jewels...sorry for the glare. I forgot how to turn off my flash.

I like the way this display is accented by the background photo.

Sorry again for the glare but try to read this as the next picture is connected to this info.

These are the style of masks used in country type courir. They're made from SCREEN...like you'd find in a window or door. They are very simple and not like the sequined and feathered city ones that you're familiar with.

Wouldn't it be very hard to move around much in this costume?

Same with this huge monster. I think you'd just sit or stand on a float...and that's it. These were all presented very nicely with videos and/or text to go with each costume.