New Orleans

Our first day in New Orleans was spent taking a shuttle to the French Quarter to enjoy the French Quarter Jazz Festival. As you would expect, the place was jammed with tons of people eating, drinking, dancing, and being merry! We walked to Jackson Square where one of the music venues was located. We heard an amazing ensemble group whose lead clarinet player Tim Loughlin was just amazing....I think we stood by the bandstand for almost an hour listening to incredible live jazz. All the members of the band were fabulous as each one had their solo performances. One of the drinks we had was called a Category 5 from the Pat O'Brien's tent which was a hurricane margarita...wow..those puppies went down wicked fast...we must have been thirsty from all the walking. Surrounding Jackson Square were numerous artists displaying their work and loads of different boutique shops. One of the boutiques called Ooh La La was wicked funky with amazing pieces of blown glass, jewelry, and, would you believe, Judaica pieces. There were menorahs, Shabbat candle holders, etc. I came across a Star of David with a Chai which I had to have...it had crystals and enamel..It was so me...I call it a floating star...I have included a picture of it. Lee also spotted a piece of art which intrigued both of us....we had a lot to think about! For lunch we went the the famous Central Market which is the home of the muffuletta sandwich...a muffuletta is an Italian on special bread filled with meats, cheese, and their renowned olive salad...it was simply delicious. As we made our way back to the shuttle to go home, we stopped to listen to a couple of street musicians, a violinist and guitarist duo, Tanya and Dorise. These gals were fabulous especially Tanya, the violinist. We were so taken with their music, we purchased one of their CDs. All in all....not too shabby for our first day!