Tours

Another busy day.  Took the shuttle bus in town today.  Our driver took us on a mini tour.  We took a two hour steamboat cruise on the Natchez.  It is a paddle boat powered by steam.  On the left is St Peter's Church in the French Quarter.  There can be no buildings higher than the  church.  The streets in the French Quarter are only 39 feet wide.  Makes for some pretty tight traffic patterns. 

View of New Orleans from the Natchez.  Domino Sugar factory, not sure if it is still operational.

View of the River Walk from the Mississippi.  A new cruise ship dock is being added to access the shops.
We did a Super City Tour in the afternoon.  The highlight for me was the stop at the cemetery.  The sign at the entrance.

 A few shots of the above ground tombs.  These were all under a couple feet of water during the Katrina aftermath.  Would have loved to spend more time poking around.  There are actual walking tours but it is so hot and humid that we just can't take it.

 A couple of tombs from the early 1800's. 
Lake Pontchartrain, it is huge with a causeway that crosses over it.  If I remember correctly the guide said it was like 18 (or 24) miles long.

We went down the parade route.  The tree on the left is a myrtle tree with beads hanging and on the  right is a live oak, again with many beads hanging.



Our driver this morning took us through the Garden District and pointed out celebrity houses.  He showed us Sandra Bullock's, John Goodman's and a couple that Nicholas Cage bought but lost due to unpaid taxes.  Also saw Anne Rice home she bought but never lived in and the one she grew up in.  There is a great deal of re building going on.  Thousands of people have never returned to New Orleans (making Baton Rouge the largest populated city in Louisiana) and many businesses have failed or not rebuilt.  One notable one is a Borders that stands empty.  Didn't walk as far today but did manage to get to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets.  Swamp and bayou tour tomorrow.