Louisiana & Mississippi: Seafood, Music, & Katrina

Fried Green Tomatoes with Creamy Shrimp Sauce 

The reasons we love the South: warm weather in winter, lots of seafood dishes to taste, and music venues to visit. We cooked a lot while in Alabama for a month, but as we passed through New Orleans on our way back home, we stayed in a hotel and had to (?) eat at restaurants. It was hard to rein ourselves in on the budget and diet, but we managed to enjoy some great food, as well as music. 

Hotel Richelieu, at the edge of the French Quarter

Great View

If you get to New Orleans, be sure to stop at either of the Felix's restaurants. 
You might have to wait in line, but it's worth it. 

Garry had the gumbo as well as fried oysters and I tried the
artichoke soup with fried oysters on top. 

Those dishes are kind of messy. I should have wiped them off. 

Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street at Legends Park is a nice place to stop and rest, have a drink or coffee and beignet. They have live music all day long. 

You never know what's going to walk by on Bourbon Street. 

This Bluegrass band at the Tropical Isle Bayou Club was great entertainment. 

Bourbon Street- Busy early on a Saturday evening.

The French Market has some interesting shopping and of course, good food. 

Take a carriage ride with Suzi and her mule, Cajun, and get a history lesson on the French Quarter. 

We drove through the historic garden district on our way out of town, heading towards our friends in Breaux Bridge, LA.

Historic Double Shotgun Home

Saint Charles St. Streetcar

Lafayette Cemetary

Garden District Home

 We stopped at the Davis Bayou Recreation Area in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. 

Five-lined Skink 

Bullfrog

Egret

No problem, I'm not going in. 

He's behind me on the bank in the first picture. 

As we drove west through Mississippi, we started to see many empty lots from hurricane Katrina damage, as well as some new construction. This ocean-front restaurant in Long Beach, MS is built about 3 stories above ground. Some rebuilt homes are almost as high, with elevators on the outside walls.

Seaside restaurant, Long Beach, MS.

Empty lots & new construction, Pass Christian, MS