After a wonderful week in New Orleans (picture album) it was time to say tata you’all, thank you for the memories and catch the plane back to Detroit.

We stayed at Hilton Garden Suites (Detroit Airport) overnight and dined on pizza and beer. We hit the Fairlane Mall on Saturday to shop till we dropped. Tom went his way and I went mine and then we met back after 2 hours. What fun to check out the purchases. I found Victoria Secret.. must I say more! Tom had a quest and he found what he was looking for. He picked up a Bunn 3 minute brew 10 cup coffee maker and a Kitchen Aid Coffee Mill. We crossed the border easily and got home Saturday afternoon.
NOW, Back to the grind!
Laura returns home tonight Sunday at 11:30 pm from her adventures in Spain and Portugal.

Nick surprised me with a two day romantic getaway at “Inn on the Twenty“. It is an elegant exclusive Ontario Inn/Spa in the village of Jordan in the Niagara. We toasted in my new half century with Pol Roger Champaigne and Russian Cavier. It was certainly a dream vacation and one that I will cherish forever. We spent the few days exploring the back roads of the wine region and visiting wine tasting rooms in many of the local wineries. We dined at gourmet restaurants and had a nice relaxing time away from sports and the rigors of daily life. I’ve posted my pictures in my photo album.

While on a walking tour of the Garden District and Cemetery we stumbled upon a wave of green all heading down Third Street. Green beer fueled the annual Parasol’s St. Patrick’s Day block party in the Irish Channel. What fun! What crowds! I got my face painted, enjoyed the Irish tunes and mingled with the party goers. After a bit we headed back to our hotel by trolley to get ready for supper.
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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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*All links are popup pictures*
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.

We arrived in New Orleans around 3pm. It was snowing when we left home
and when we arrived in the Big Easy it was in the mid 20’sC. The hotel
is fantastic and includes free wireless internet in every room. We are just getting ready to leave the room and hunt up a restaurant to have a late meal. Check back tomorrow for an update.