Last day in New Orleans

Friday March 6th spouse and I woke up in this room at Hotel Provincial in New Orleans. We had 1/2 a day to spend together in New Orleans before we left for Brandon, Mississippi to stay with spouse's Aunt L and Uncle G. That afternoon we headed back to the airport to get a rental car and drive about 3 1/2 hours to George and Lorene's home. So that morning we took the cable car from the French Quarter to the Garden District. The weather was nice. We didn't have plans however we were very lucky that just as we were coming out of a random coffee shop in the garden district we basically stumbled on to what turned out to be a great 1 1/2 hour neighborhood walking tour. Here is some of what we saw on the walking tour.

This is where it started.

Our tour guide had lived her whole life in this neighborhood. She was so knowledgeable and just really a great guide.

According to the cemetery preservationists this next picture is where they believe the most bodies are buried. Several movies have been filmed in this cemetary. At least one based on an Anne Rice's book. Anne Rice used to live in the neighborhood.

This home was used in the movie Benjamin Button which was just filmed last year. Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett were in this movie with a reverse aging theme. Our tour guide said she and her neighbors thought the cast and crew for this movie were very nice.

Some amazing architecture and history about these homes as well.

The last picture is of the Manning's home, where Peyton and Eli grew up. Archie Manning and his wife still live there. Our tour guide had the nicest things to say about this family.

Below is a description of Antoine's (from their website) where we went for lunch. This was spouse's idea. He had been there with his co-workers and thought I would love it. And it was fun. Also afterwards the restaurant staff told us we could wander around (see below description from http://www.antoines.com/). We ran into our morning tour guide with a tour group while we were wandering around.

Last picture is the wine cellar. Although Antoine's did not suffer a lot of Katrina damage b/c of lost power the restaurant lost $1M in wine.

Since 1840, world-renowned Antoine's Restaurant has set the standard that made New Orleans one of the greatest dining centers of the world. For over 160 years, Antoine's Restaurant's excellent French-Creole cuisine, service, and atmosphere have combined to create an unmatched dining experience for both locals and visitors to New Orleans. Antoine's has a selection of 15 dining rooms, each with their own unique history and charm, for private parties and events for up to 700+ guests. Memorabilia from its many notable guests line the walls....and include General Patton, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, President Roosevelt, Judy Garland, Carrol Burnett and Pope John Paul the II...to name just a few.... We invite you to experience the culinary delights which have made Antoine's Restaurant a living history!

So after lunch we walked back to Hotel Provincial to get our luggae and a cab to the airport.

We got to George and Lorene's in time for dinner and to go to bed early. The next day the four of us went to see the plantation homes in Natchez