Our 3nd day in New Orleans (read part 1 - part 2) included some obligatory sightseeing, Mardi Gras floats, and more tiki fun!
Cafe Du Monde
Everyone said we had to go to Cafe du Monde, one of the original and most well known cafes in the area, so we did. We were also told that it isn't that great, you just have to go. That was pretty accurate (spoiler: beignets at Cafe Beignet are better!) They really only sell coffee and beignets. I do not drink coffee, and I wanted a hot tea, but they didn't have tea, so our waitress gave me a hot water. Lame. The beignets, were not nearly as good as Cafe Beignet. We inhaled our food and got out quick.
Completely unsatisfied, we went for 2nd breakfast at the Grill -- a diner less than a block away from our hotel. Its a local hole in the wall, we were delighted to have discovered ourselves, with a marble counter that weaves through the restaurant and servers with lots of personality. It was a good diner breakfast, and I got my morning hot tea.
Mardi Gras World
Ok, now with breakfast out of the way it was time to go to Mardi Gras World! A giant warehouse that stores and creates the Mardi Gras floats. It's one of 15 warehouses that houses the massive structures for the Mardi Gras parades. At the start of the tour you watch a movie about the history of Mardi Gras and get to see and try on what the costumes are like.
The second half takes you through the warehouse where artist are working on float designs and finally you get to see the completed floats. So many photo ops!
Lunch and Shopping
On to lunch. While we were walking it got cooler and started raining, and we ducked into the Mojo Lounge for lunch. It was a small cafe / bar with tasty food. I enjoyed the local canned Abita beer and the bartender walked over to the jukebox on the wall and played some great 80s underground music for us.
While on our walking tour a few days ago we passed a hat shop that Andrew wanted to go back to, one of the largest hat shops in the US: Meyer The Hatter. We walked in and Andrew described the hat he wanted. The worker asked him what size he was, Andrew didn't know. The clerk said, “Here, try this one.” Of course the hat fit perfectly. Talk about knowing your customer's size-it was impressive! And that was the hat Andrew ended up buying.
With all of this walking and shopping, we needed a recharge with a tropical libation. So we ended back at Beach Bum Berry's Latitude 29, just for drinks this time!
We sat at the bar and took in all the sleek tiki décor and mural behind the bar mapped out with tiki mugs (this trip ahs been entertaining and educational!)
Be sure to read about our previous adventures: Day 1 - Day 2
~Julie Ann