We traveled to New Orleans for the wonderful occansion of Debbie and Matt's wedding and decided to go a few days early to see the sights, hear the jazz and of course enjoy the great seafood.

We stayed in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel right in the middle of the French Quarter and started the day off with eggs benedict.

After breakfast we took a walk and saw this impromptu street band in the first block.

Click to hear the music on Facebook. (Note: you may need to log into Facebook to get the video to play.)

Royal street was full of antique shops and we saw this collection of oyster plates plus antique grandfather clocks and furniture.
We stopped at Acme for a wonderful seafood lunch. Carol had the grilled oysters and I had a fried shrimp platter.
Gilded statue of Joan of Arc
Art shop in the French Market
A little more jazz...
A shop of masks for Mardi Gras.
New Orleans is famous for its wrought iron work on the balconies.
As evening approached we found ourselves people watching on Bourbon Street.
We found a restaurant with a balcony and enjoyed another nice meal. Dave had commented that it was almost impossible to get a bad meal in this town. I think there are so many good restaurants setting the standard that a poor restaurant would quickly go out of business.

A trip to New Orleans would not be complete without a visit to Preservation Hall.

 
The Preservation Hall is a musical venue in the French Quarter founded in 1961 to protect and honor New Orleans Jazz.
The day of the wedding, we joined Kevin and Jill at Cafe du Monde which is famous for its chicory coffee and beignets.
Saint Louis Cathedral where Debbie and Matt were going to be married.
The Cathedral was bright and lavishly decorated.
Dave escorting Debbie down the aisle.
Debbie and Matt taking their vows.
Outside the church waiting for the bride and groom to appear.

The second line parade is assembling to lead us from the Cathedral to the reception at Pat O'Brien's.

Click for video of band and parade.

Dave's toast.

Click for video.

This was a spectacular and fun wedding. Best wishes to Debbie and Matt.

 

We spent the day after the wedding doing a little more browsing in the shops and riding the street cars.
We took the Riverfront Streetcar line over to Canal Street then walked up to the St. Charles Line.
The street cars give you a bit of breeze, a chance to rest your legs and do some sight seeing of the nice homes along St. Charles.
We leave you with a view of the best New Orleans has to offer for your culinary delight.
Jerry and Carol