A line cast, a hope followedTuesday, February 15, 2005
Moria (no link, sorry) asked several posts ago how I chose New Orleans as a travel destination.
I have to say it was sort of an accident. It basically came down to being one of the few warmer places I could find a decent airfare to during Spring Break. I waited a bit too long to make plans, and by then most of the cheap flights to places in closer proximity (like Phoenix or San Diego) had sold out. But there are some other factors related to my kids school work... my daughter is on her second year of French language study and my son is on the 4th grade lesson plan about the Louisiana Purchase plus he's learning to play the trumpet and interested in jazz, so I'm thinking that the visit will make some of their studies a bit more "real" and interesting as a result. I think generally people are sort of amazed I'm taking two young kids there, as New Orleans has such a reputation for grown up sorts of entertainment and revelry, but it has many historical and multicultural attractions. But we won't be going to Bourbon Street at night! Frankly, my kids have never been somewhere where there was any significant population of African Americans, and I'm looking forward to sharing and celebrating some of that history with them. Some things we have on our "to do" list include taking a voodoo history walk and possibly a tarot reading, taking a jazz music/paddleboat ride on the Mississippi, going to the aquarium, looking around Jackson Square, doing some birding/nature watching in a swamp area nearby, visiting a plantation, walking/shopping in the French Quarter and at the French Market, eating beignets... in other words, we'll be busy!
You'll notice I've updated my reading list, with the arrival of my vacation reading!
I picked up "Literary New Orleans" and "A Confederacy of Dunces" to keep me occupied before bed the next few weeks, and on the longish airplane ride on the way there. We leave in a little less than a month!
Do you have any must see or favorite places we should visit?
I have to say it was sort of an accident. It basically came down to being one of the few warmer places I could find a decent airfare to during Spring Break. I waited a bit too long to make plans, and by then most of the cheap flights to places in closer proximity (like Phoenix or San Diego) had sold out. But there are some other factors related to my kids school work... my daughter is on her second year of French language study and my son is on the 4th grade lesson plan about the Louisiana Purchase plus he's learning to play the trumpet and interested in jazz, so I'm thinking that the visit will make some of their studies a bit more "real" and interesting as a result. I think generally people are sort of amazed I'm taking two young kids there, as New Orleans has such a reputation for grown up sorts of entertainment and revelry, but it has many historical and multicultural attractions. But we won't be going to Bourbon Street at night! Frankly, my kids have never been somewhere where there was any significant population of African Americans, and I'm looking forward to sharing and celebrating some of that history with them. Some things we have on our "to do" list include taking a voodoo history walk and possibly a tarot reading, taking a jazz music/paddleboat ride on the Mississippi, going to the aquarium, looking around Jackson Square, doing some birding/nature watching in a swamp area nearby, visiting a plantation, walking/shopping in the French Quarter and at the French Market, eating beignets... in other words, we'll be busy!
You'll notice I've updated my reading list, with the arrival of my vacation reading!
I picked up "Literary New Orleans" and "A Confederacy of Dunces" to keep me occupied before bed the next few weeks, and on the longish airplane ride on the way there. We leave in a little less than a month!
Do you have any must see or favorite places we should visit?
