After our conference, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit. We were all exhausted from the conference and our early morning start. Before the conference, we walked to the French Quarter to Cafe Beignet and had those delicious powdered sugared French pastries and some cafe au lait. I was content with beignets after that and our first night's escapade to Cafe Du Monde; however, the majority of our group couldn't get enough and ate them every day we were in NOLA. I really enjoyed our Friday afternoon and evening. It was probably one of my favorite evenings of this trip. After our rest, we took the street car all the was down the St. Charles line. There were so many beautiful houses and scenery up and down this line. I even picked one out for me to live in one day.
We at the Camellia Grill. It is an old fashioned diner where the waiters wear white coats and bow ties. You sit around a counter while the food is cooked on large grills behind the counter. I had a mushroom swiss burger. It was large and delicious. I shared some fries and had a couple of bites of their famous pecan pie that is grilled on the grill. The outside of this restaurant was really nice.
Next on our journey, we stopped at Tulane University and walked the campus until we heard rumblings of thunder and decided to cut our campus tour short. In 2005 after hurricane Katrina, several Tulane students attended college where I was attending at the time (the fabulous TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY). It was great seeing the support for Tulane in our red raider shops. You could get your Tulane gear right alongside your red raider gear. The girls' basketball team hosted some of their games in the United Spirit Arena. Walking through the campus we noticed Mardi Gras beads strewn through all the trees. Only in NOLA!
To end our night we enjoyed a real treat: Live NOLA jazz in a famous old barn in the French Quarter. The famous Preservation Hall was a real treat. The music was so alive. This small building has a couple of rows of chairs up front with standing room only in the back. For 45 minutes we were transported to a different time. The music definitely had you tapping your feet and gettin' your groove on. We even had the privilege to meet the band and get a picture with the lead trumpet player, who happened to be a 2nd grade math teacher earlier in his life.
Saturday was the final day of our conference. We gained even more nuggets to apply in our classroom. We even took away some door prizes! I won a classroom set of small plastic clocks, but my ultimate win was a set of weighted numbers. These are used with a bucket balance for students to determine greater than/ less than or different combinations of numbers that equal one another. For example, if you but the 6 and the 2 on one side and the 8 on the other side of the balance they would balance out. I can't wait to use these in my classroom.
Also on our journey...the original Popeyes. I did not eat here, but those that did couldn't get enough.
After the conference, we walked a long way down to the French market. It was like a large flea market, but better. We also walked to Praline Connection to get some pralines. I will agree with others in my party...the pralines at the Candymakers was way better. The Praline Connection did have some wicked appetizers, namely a huge foam tray of fried pickles for $5! We had dessert reservations at 9 at Palace Cafe for bananas foster, again! The highlight of the evening was eating dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel and a restaurant called Dominica. It was gourmet pizzas for $13 that were huge! We had mushroom pizza, margharita pizza, and even duck pizza! There was also deli meats and cheeses with some fried kale. For dessert, they served small cookies that tasted of mint and expresso topped with powdered sugar. The picture below is the foyer of the hotel.
We spent some time exploring Bourbon street, where I ran into a friend I used to work with. What are the odds? Then back to bed because we were leaving the next day. Sunday morning we woke up at went to Desire for breakfast. I had bananas foster french toast and jambalya skillet. Delicious! We decided to walk to the St. Louis Cathedral down in Jackson Square. It is the oldest operating cathedral in the United States. I've never been to a Catholic mass before, so this was a new experience for me. The inside of the church was stunning. All I was able to get was a picture of the outside of the church, courtesy Vanessa.
After mass, we went back to Desire for Lunch since some of our party didn't make the breakfast run. I declined food since I was still super full from breakfast. We did a little more walking around so I could buy a couple of things for myself and my hubby. He got a Bourbon street shirt with a flaming guitar while I got a really awesome mask. While we were walking, I stumbled upon this place in the picture below. Who knew my husband had a place in NOLA? I wasn't able to go inside, but now I'm curious.
Then it was back to the hotel to await our driver to take us to the airport. It was a great time filled with lots of good information to use in the upcoming school year and new experiences. I can't wait to go back and take Cooper with me!
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