Today we ventured out with a one-day transit pass to hop on and off the streetcars to see the city and beyond. We went down Decatur Street to Jackson Square and saw the oldest church in North America. We had lunch at a spot called The Corner Oyster Bar and Grill and had our first feed of boiled Crawfish. To eat, you twist and pinch the tail and suck the head. It was a lot of work for a little piece of tail but it was worth it.
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Today we discovered the hotels roof top terrace hot tub and pool. Beautiful spot with a great view of the city. The water temp was just delightful and you could walk right in. I was very comfortable and did not swell one bit. The outside temp is in the 70s, just perfect for walking, no sun, low clouds and slight threat of rain. We are finding it quite humid but just happy to be able to wear shorts and t-shirts.
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Last night Tom and I walked about 3 blocks to the famous French Quarter. For a Sunday night it was packed with tourists and locals. Jazz bands were heard coming from every establishment. What fun! What sounds!
We decided our first meal would be at the Red Fish Grill.

We started with a frosty mug of Abita Amber Lager. We watched a fellow shucking raw oysters and tried one. Not to bad but better with the horseradish and seafood sauce. The locals squeeze with lemon, slide them on to a soda biscut and down the hatch. For starters we ordered a bowl of alligator and seafood gumbo and a bowl of red bean creole chowder (Chili – Louisiana style!) We then ordered the Bourbon Street sampler platter of Coconut Jumbo gulf shrimp with mirliton slaw and pepper jelly sauce. BBQ oysters (Tom’s favourite), alligator sausage, Louisiana crawfish cakes with blue cheese sauce. It filled us up and we had wonderful flavours exploding in our mouths. We ventured onto the street to watch cigar rolling, dualing pianos, and emporiums. What a fun place.