Today was our free day! It felt like home because it was
absolutely freezing outside! Mackenzie, Anne, and I got to take on New Orleans
without a schedule, guide, or even so much as a plan. We started by going to
the Outlet Mall, which may have hurt my checking account more than I would have
liked, however, there are some great deals! We took the street car down to the
French Quarter and as soon as we turned the corner we started seeing street
performers. There were these guys that were trying to draw a crowd for their
performance and they got our attention right away! They were just calling out
random people that were walking by and making jokes about things like their
appearance, their clothing, the way they were walking by, and other random
characteristics, that were funny! We sat down on the stairs to watch and were
pretty much blown away. They told jokes, they were break dancing, they were
doing head spins, and one of them jumped over a group of 6 volunteers. They really
got the crowd going with their loud music, pop culture references, hilarious
jokes, and seriously talented dance and acrobatic moves. Everyone was clapping
and cheering and the performers even came out into the audience a few times. I wasn’t
able to donate any money to them since I didn’t have any cash on me at the
time, but if I come across them again, I will make sure to throw a couple
dollars in their giant tip buckets, because they very much deserve it.
When that
performance was over, we just started walking around the quarter checking out
art galleries and little shops that we had been past before but hadn’t had a
chance to go into. We each found artists that we really liked, which was so
easy to do, because literally every other store or street corner is featuring
some type of artist or another. Honestly some of the buildings themselves are
works of art, so it wasn’t difficult to find someone that inspired us.
We did a
little more shopping, stopped at a restaurant to warm up with a hot coffee or
hot chocolate beverage, and then continued to walk around. We got to see a
Wedding Parade! It was so cool to see the bride and groom leading a band,
complete with a tuba, a trumpet, and a trombone, down the street followed by several
vehicles holding their family members. I am in love with how big of a
celebration weddings are in this city! I am not in a huge hurry to get married
but I think that it would be awesome to get married in New Orleans and have
this big parade follow me around.
Some people might think that
is morbid, but this one comes with a good message. It says that it’s got magic
to help someone overcome any obstacle they choose, which is essential for a second
grader J.
We ate dinner at Pat O’Brien’s (fried oysters are not my favorite-very mushy, soggy, and fishy tasting)
and went back to the hotel. I loved being out on
our own in the city today and just wandering around without a plan. We got to
see a lot of interesting people and events going on. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
I just
think this place (New Orleans) is amazing. People are creative, individual, spiritual,
powerful, funny, and accepting of other people! We’ve seen so many different
types of people from different cultures, that have many different talents. People
are helpful too! We obviously have only visited some of the best parts of the
city and haven’t found ourselves in some of the dangerous places we have been
warned about, luckily. I feel good about traveling around this city on our own
today. I haven’t really been anywhere far away from home in several years without
my boyfriend. He usually does the driving, planning, navigating, and paying,
which is super nice, but it was also cool to do all that today with my friends.
As I said in a previous post, I haven’t really gone out and done anything like
this for myself or on my own, without members of my family, so I really have
been enjoying this time. I honestly haven’t laughed this hard (till I have
tears in my eyes) since high school!
We stand
out around here like sore thumbs. I have been asked at least 100 times, “Where
are you from?” and when I say, Illinois, they say “well thanks for bringing the
cold down with you!” it is pretty funny that they automatically know we aren’t
locals, but it seems that everyone we’ve talked to says that they’ve been
living in New Orleans their entire lives or since they were very young.
I loved
walking around the city today and getting to stop for free entertainment often.
It seemed like on every block someone was performing or using their talents to
try and make a living. I should have been more prepared and had some cash on me
to give out a few dollars. People are out there in this cold weather that they
are not used to, playing handmade instruments to try and make some money to
survive. I realize that some people probably aren’t homeless and maybe just try
and portray themselves that way in order to make more money, but it also seems
like people around here are more willing to do whatever it takes to support
themselves. I cannot imagine how much time it must take to choreograph these
routines, practice and perfect them, and then spend all that time performing
them for what must amount to a just a small amount of cash per day. I think its
also a great way to try and get your name out there. It reminds me of all the
people that travel to Nashville to try to become famous country singers or
people go to New York to become actors and actresses. New Orleans is like the
melting pot of performers. You could even just walk around New Orleans dressed
as a pirate, take pictures with people, and make enough for at least dinner
that night! This really is such an interesting city with a great history and
somewhat of a theatrical vibe now. Tomorrow is the Hurricane Katrina exhibit
which I have been looking forward to since the beginning. Not to sound
insensitive but I am anxious to get to see and learn about that experience up
close and personal tomorrow.
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