Our first night in the city we spent on Bourbon Sreet. The missionaries were not allowed on Bourbon Street, and for good reason, it is one crazy place! It has tons of bars (and drunk people), street performers, restaurants, strip clubs, and souveneer shops. Live music blares out from everywhere. I couldn't believe how strange and crazy it was. But so much fun.
It was mostly quiet during the day, but it sure came alive at night. We stayed in a hotel just a block away, so each night we walked up and down the eight blocks of the most popular section of Bourbon Street. Our first night in the city we ate at a place called "Pier 424" and had authentic Cajun seafood, so delicious!
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The street is blocked off from traffic, so crowds of people walk right down the middle of it. Partiers line the balconies, some of them holding strands of brightly colored beads. If you do something wild and crazy for them, they will throw the beads down to you. You can imagine the things some people do to get a strand of beads!
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We left Rachel in charge at home and spent four days playing and sightseeing in the Big Easy. We took a riverboat cruise down the Mississippi river, went shopping and sightseeing at the French Quarter, rode a trolley car through the Garden District, walked through an above-ground cemetary, ate lots of cajun food, and enjoyed listening to the sounds of live jazz music. Kent was so happy to show me the city he grew to love on his mission, I'm so glad I finally got to experience this place for myself! More posts to follow...