REMINDER: NEW BLOG

A reminder that I have started a new blog since my New Orleans chapter has come to an end. You can keep up with all of my latest antics at www.KatiesAdventureContinues.blogspot.com. Follow or bookmark to continue the adventure!

Packing Up & Parkway

Once we had everything in the back of my car, back of dad's truck, or in the U-haul trailer my room looked pretty empty (everything seen below was left for the next tenant). I think I downsized some since I moved to New Orleans, but packing up all of my belongings (as well as reading the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up) has made me realize that I could easily get rid of more items! 

The U-haul ready to roll.

On our way out of town we stopped at Parkway for poboys. Nothing beats a good ol' fried shrimp poboy! Perfect "last meal" so to speak.

Panoramic Parkway

YUM!!!!

Willie Mae's

You may have heard about Willie Mae's Scotch House on The Food Network, on a "What to Eat in New Orleans" list, or maybe even a local has recommended the famous fried chicken joint to you. I knew about the Treme restaurant for the majority of my time in New Orleans but for whatever reason I never made it through the doors. 

Front & back of the menu

Standing outside waiting in line. We went at a semi-off time so the line was only a few people deep. 

An order of fried chicken with macaroni and cheese comes with a mound of peas as well!

I liked the chicken and mac & cheese (not a big pea fan), but I still stand by Kenney's fried chicken. Willie Mae's had a little kick to it, but a lot of food in the south does-they love their hot sauce in those parts! I certainly did not dislike the chicken and I am glad we went, but it is nothing that I will be craving in the future. 

Another NOLA Bucket List item checked off with the parents!

China Lights: Round 2

I enjoyed China Lights at City Park so much the first time I went with Brie and Sara that I decided to take my parents back to marvel at the craftsmanship and witness the live show. There were a lot more people wandering around the exhibit this time and the show was packed! 

I described the show as a circus without the animals! Here are a few videos I shot:

Pharmacy Museum

Yet another item on my NOLA Bucket List was to visit the Pharmacy Museum located in the French Quarter. They offer a "tour" on the days they are opened so we made a point to be there in time for that. The guy spoke and showed us different drugs and contraptions for over an hour! He was very knowledgeable about 19th century pharmaceutical practices in New Orleans. After hearing everything he had to say I honestly do not know how anyone survived their first year of life in that disease infested swamp town! It is absolutely mind blowing how far medicine has progressed in the last few decades compared to the non-sense they thought they knew two hundred years ago.

There were lots of displays for interesting "medicines".

Hundreds of jars filled with herbs, leaves, minerals, dead animals (beetles, butterfly wings, etc.), and more were displayed on tall shelves. These ingredients were combined and ground up with a mortar and pestle then administered various ways. Because the concoctions didn't taste very yummy, pharmacists were constantly coming up with new ways to make their medicines palatable. The affluent could afford to have their prescriptions encased in gold or silver. There was just one problem with that method: the human body cannot break down gold or silver so the pills passed right through folks! We were told that these pills were often procured once passed and re-taken numerous times. Nasty. Less well-off people could get their remedies wrapped in chocolate, a much tastier option and one that actually allowed the medicine to be absorbed. They eventually began using thin rice paper to create little packets for the doses: this too could be absorbed.

A cool poster you could purchase.

A soda fountain that was used to mask the bitter and unpleasant tastes of the concoctions the pharmacists created. It was also seen as more acceptable for women to partake in drug use when in the form of a flavorful beverage!

I cannot begin to remember everything we heard while listening to the man talk, but the overall gist was that mosquitoes were bad, sanitation was next to non-existent, and if people couldn't figure out how to get better they just made the symptoms "in style". I highly recommend anyone visiting NOLA who has an interest in history or medicine to check this place out. $5 was a steal!

Ferry to Algiers

The Monday evening that mom and dad got to New Orleans was a pretty one so we set out to check another item off of my NOLA Bucket List: ride the ferry to Algiers. Its a quick glide across the Mississippi River to the western shore where Algiers is located. We walked up and down a bike/jogging path along the river and snapped some pictures before riding back across.

Waves created by the ferry.

A statue of Louis Armstrong greets folks as they exit the boat. Crescent City Connection seen in the background.

Houses and buildings along the river.

The Smiths :)

A time lapse of a barge going up river. We had to wait for it to get far enough away to cross back over.

The sun setting behind the New Orleans skyline.

A panoramic picture from the front of the ferry showing the river and eastern shores of downtown New Orleans.

I'm glad we were able to make the trip over. $4 a person well spent ($2 each way).

CHANGE OF PLANS: NEW BLOG

I changed my mind about how I am going to proceed with my blog since I no longer live in New Orleans! I am going to leave www.KatiesLifeInTheBigEasy.blogspot.com up/active and begin a NEW blog for my next chapter in life. The NEW blog will be:

www.KatiesAdventureContinues.blogspot.com

Be sure to follow that link or bookmark it to keep up with all of my new stories. I have a few more NOLA based posts to add to this blog before switching over, so you have a few days.