A VISIT TO NEW ORLEANS

My family and I, eleven strong, recently ventured south to New Orleans to celebrate three birthdays and one wedding anniversary.  All came within the month of July so, traditionally, we all get together for one big celebration.    New Orleans is a great destination city although the remnants of Katrina are certainly still visible in some parts of the Garden District, the Ninth Ward and along several canals radiating east.  Our second son graduated from Tulane University AND had his 40^th birthday during our visit so it was an appropriate destination for our little band of travelers.  We were there four days and found a great “deal” on a rental in the Garden District. Five bedrooms, four baths, a game room, a marvelous patio and only two blocks from St. Charles Avenue.  The accommodations were completely adequate for our needs and the logistics to and from the French Quarter were quite satisfactory. 

As you might suspect, the food in New Orleans is one of the main attractions for the city and the number and verity of restaurants is truly mind-blowing.   We did not hesitate to “eat our way” from the river to Bourbon Street, and frequently.  One of the most pleasant surprises was the WWII Museum.  Even the grandkids were impressed and it’s very difficult these days to impress teenagers.  The museum is fairly new and details our involvement in WWII from Pearl Harbor to VE Day.  The exhibits are divided in to two sections, the European Theater and the Pacific Theater with ample descriptive information; both visual and text.  The stories were very inspiring, yet heart rending and covered both sides of the effort; i.e. the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers. My father served in the Pacific Theater so it was very interesting to see pictures of the locations he worked while involve those three years. There were many personal letters, memos, documents, artifacts and pictures presented in the museum and you definitely realize that tragedy existed on both sides of the conflict.    In closing, I can definitely recommend to you a visit to the museum if you are  in New Orleans.  Go when you have about three hours because it will take that much time to absorb the complexities of the presentations.  No pictures are allowed but there are many books available as you leave the facility.

Visit to WWII Museum in NO