With the Mardi-Gras season being upon us, I thought I would write this blog about my visit to New Orleans! Being a Southern girl I had always heard stories about New Orleans, the history, the music, the decadence but I had never actually visited the City until last fall. Steeped in fascinating lore of exotic people both good and bad, I was very excited to experience all that I could over a two day weekend in a wheelchair. Being physically disabled required some planning which is really against my true nature because I thrive on spontaneity. However, it was the smart thing to do and made for a lot less disappointment and stress. Before I plan any road trip I always like to pick up some special music to listen too while driving to get me into the mood. For this trip I chose some zydeco cajun music from Amazon as well as a Dixieland Jazz cd. I knew right from the beginning that there were several things that I really wanted to see and experience. I just needed to make sure that everything on my list was wheelchair friendly and then make adjustments if needed. My list consisted of seeing the French Quarter, Experiencing Bourbon Street, taking a guided walking tour, visiting the cemetery, eating real Creole and Cajun food at a place with live zydeco music, breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, and a riverboat cruise. That was a lot to pack into a weekend but we made it happen and I’m so glad we got to finally experience the Big Easy!
There are several really nice Hotels near the French Quarter. I searched until I found one that was close enough to everything I wanted to do without having to rely on finding accessible transportation. I also needed it to be within my budget, have availability for the dates needed and have a handicapped designated room with a roll-in shower. We chose the Homewood Suites by Hilton on N Rampart St. and were very pleased with the accommodations.
That first night we pulled into our destination a little late and tired so we decided to just crash at the room and get refreshed for the next day. The next morning we started out fresh full of anticipation for the sites and smells of the French Quarter. Our first stop was Cafe Du Monde. I had grown up hearing about their Chickory coffee and powdered beignets and today was the day to actually get to try them. There are several places in New Orleans where you can order beignets but we wanted to go to the one best known. It was farther away than the other places but we were on a quest to see and experience as much as we could in a short amount of time. So we decided to take a Streetcar to get there. Because not all of the Streetcars are wheelchair accessible we had to do some research on which lines went which direction and whether or not they were able to accommodate a wheelchair. Luckily our hotel was just a few blocks from the Canal Street line which ran down to the Riverfront line where we transferred. The Riverfront line ran down to Toulouse Station which allowed us to get off right near Jackson Square and the Cafe Du Monde. I had heard it would be crowded and they weren’t joking. People were lined up in the street waiting for a table to open and packed in like sardines! I’m not going to lie, being in a wheelchair it was a little intimidating seeing the crowded cafe. It was one of those things where you just decide you are going to make it work because you had already made such an effort to get there. We actually got pretty lucky and got a table close to the entrance. Don’t get me wrong it still took a little effort and determination to squeeze in between the crowded tables and chairs but we did manage to get us some beignets and enjoy their delicious cafe au lait. After rejuvenating with caffeine we walked across the street to Jackson Square. There were all kinds of Artisans displaying their artwork and entertaining the visitors. Vendors of all kinds were set up to entice you to spend your money. There was even a line of mediums, psychics on hand across from the St. Louis Cathedral a gorgeous 18th century Church open for tours. Unfortunately, it was only partially wheelchair accessible. After enjoying the creative spirit of Jackson Square we decided to catch the Riverwalk Streetcar back to Spanish Plaza where we jumped onto the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen for a historic tour down the MS river on an 1850 replica of a passenger paddle wheeler. The best part about this boat being a replica and not original is that they had installed a lift to make the boat accessible to wheelchair users. We decided to take the historical cruise. An interpreter told us all about the history of New Orleans, the French Quarter and Jean Lafite National Historic Park. It was very enjoyable. Next time I think we will choose the Dinner Cruise with live Jazz music!
After we returned to shore we headed back up to the Canal Streetcar line, jumped on and rode back to our hotel to rest. It wasn’t long before we were raring to go again. I still wanted to taste some authentic Cajun or Creole food while I was here and tonight was the night to do it. From the Hotel we walked/rolled about 4 and 1/2 blocks to Antoine’s where we had reserved a table. (Highly Recommended). Antoine’s is billed as New Orlean’s oldest restaurant circa 1840. It specializes in French-Creole cuisine and is definitely a fine dining experience. There is a dress code of collared shirts for men with jackets preferred. I had escargot for an appetizer and grilled fish with crawfish tails for my main meal. It was delicious and so filling that none of us could imagine ordering any dessert, which really was a shame because it looked absolutely sinful! We had every intention to hit up Bourbon Street upon leaving the restaurant but after taking a peek down it, we decided to put it off one more day. It was just too crowded, and we were too tired to fight sidewalk imperfections in the dark. We decided to tackle it in the morning with a fresh start, plenty of daylight to see, less crowds and rowdy tourists.
Sunday morning we took our time getting up. We went ahead and packed up everything and took it down to the van. Checkout time was at 11 a.m. but they allowed us to leave our van in the parking garage while we spent the rest of the day sightseeing. I still wanted to take a walking tour through the French Quarter and visit Bourbon Street. There were a lot of interesting walking tours to choose from. We wanted one that we could take in the daytime so we chose, the New Orleans Cemetery, Voodoo, and French Quarter tour. It was a lot of fun, took about 2 hours to complete and was rich in the history and lore of the Creole people of the French Quarter including the infamous voodoo queen Marie Laveau who’s grave is actually visited at the St. Louis Cemetery. The cost is nominal compared to everything else and well worth the money. After finishing our walking tour we headed over to Bourbon Street which had been thankfully washed down from the night before and was much less crowded and easier to navigate. I personally enjoyed it very much but then I love music and Bourbon Street was full of live music. We stopped into several of the clubs playing authentic blues and jazz music, it was incredible, Bourbon Street definitely has a party atmosphere. The drinks are flowing, the music is playing and the people are having a great time.
We had to hurry back to our van after our time on Bourbon Street because we still had a 7-hour drive in front of us to get back home. It made for a really long day and night but we got to see and do just about everything on my list and had such a great time doing it all. New Orleans is pretty accessible and they have a lot to see and do in the City. I was a little intimidated at first being in a strange city and not really knowing my way around but we managed just fine and would love to go back again sometime and spend a few more days there. We did make one more stop on our way home to finish off the last thing on my list. We stopped in Beaux Bridges, LA for dinner at Pont Breaux’s Cajun Restaurant and enjoyed some authentic Cajun food with live zydeco music. List complete! What a trip!
Laissez Les Bon temp rouler! “let the good times roll.”
