Vacation with baby in New Orleans
Our vacation with baby in USA lasted for almost three weeks. We begun with Orlando and continued with Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee, Mobile. The next place on the list was New Orleans.
In a previous post I was mentioning that a tornado was chasing us after we left Mobile. But a few kilometers after Biloxi the sky was clearing up. And by the time we arrived in New Orleans the weather was pleasant. You noticed patched of water on the road but that was all. Fortunately for us the forecast was great for the following days. Meaning between 17-20 degrees Celsius. After the cold in Europe the sun was like a caress on our faces.
Vacation with baby in New Orleans involves a bed and a roof
New Orleans was the second place where we booked accommodation via Airbnb. I had various reasons in doing so. Some being that what I found on the other sites was either too expensive or it had bad rating or there was no parking. For us parking was very important and I did not want to pay 20$ per day just for it.
And the conditions had to be good because we had a baby with us. Although I admit, I like my comfort too. 🙂
So we ended up renting something like a tiny house on somebody’s property. But not in the center.
Which worked perfect for us. We had all we needed, including a tiny kitchen. In addition we had a place to park the car. And we could observe the other face of New Orleans. The less touristic part.
Vacation with baby in New Orleans-things to see
We missed the Mardi Gras by a few days. But we did that on purpose. We preferred something less noisy and crowdy. Without mentioning that the accommodation was much more expensive during that time.
Parking in New Orleans
Since we didn’t know how the public transport works we preferred to take the car. And we parked the car in a parking very close to Jackson Square. In that area there are quite a few parking places. What we did was to write down the addresses and used the GPS in order to find them. We didn’t want to spend time in looking for parking and getting lost in the process. 🙂 So we parked on 500 Decatur Street, right next to a shopping center. And very close to Jackson Square. It is a paid parking but is in a great location. You need to pay attention to the fine print next to the self serve machines. If my memory serves me right they do not give change.
French market in New Orleans
After parking we headed towards French market. I am fascinated by the colors, the people and of course by the products that you can find at the market.
In my home town there are many things that are not exceptional but the fresh market is one of the best I saw.
So after we parked we headed in that direction. Vacation with baby in New Orleans required also a stroller and a baby carrier. 🙂 When F was getting tired he didn’t want to fall asleep in the stroller. Plus that if you want to admire things you can admire them better if you have a bit of altitude.
The weather was exceptional! My husband wore most of the time just a t-shirt. And although it was a Tuesday and after Mardi Gras there were quite a few tourists at the market.
I particularly liked in the Flea Market the part where the artists exposed their art. The colors were amazing.
French quarter and Bourbon street
After the French Market we just walked in French Quarter without any precise purpose. Other than observing the architecture and enjoying the sun. I think we did see most of the Bourbon street. Which was not extremely populated but for a Tuesday it was quite lively. It was better for us to visit in the middle of the week. Otherwise we think for F would have been to much.
Some houses looked absolutely lovely. Some needed a bit of love and care. And once in a while we could still spot reminders of Mardi Gras and the decorations.
Jackson Square
This placed looked like the heart of New Orleans. Maybe because an ad hoc concert took place when we were there. And they sang so very well. They engaged the audience and everybody was having a great time!
After we took a stroll through the park. A time to slow down and take it easy. Some people were laying on the grass. Although a few looked like they had no other place to go.
Beignets and other goodies
Everybody talked about “beignets” and we were quite eager to try them too. And the famous place “Cafe du Monde” seemed perfect. I say seemed perfect because when we saw the waiting line we quickly downgrade it. Is not the owners fault that they are so popular. But with our aversion to waiting we just couldn’t help it. However the following day we checked a shopping center Riverwalk. And guess what? There is a “Cafe du Monde” there too!!! And is not crowded at all. 😉 That is what I call “fortunate”. 🙂
Another place that we tried was Cafe Beignet on Royal. Is right in the center. Prices are a bit lower compared to other central places. And besides the cafe they have food too! And to top it all also a small garden.
Oh and if you have a sweet tooth like me you might want to try Daddy’s Donuts! Very sweet and yummy! We started the day with them! 🙂
Vacation with baby in New Orleans – Mississippi River
I think my favorite part of our trip in New Orleans was the Riverfront. We managed to reach it in the evening. Just in time to admire the sunset. The view is great and is a nice spot to linger. To be honest I am not sure how far it stretches but you can definitely have a nice walk.
After all the walking we did during the day we appreciated the benches scattered around. The view is great too. The ships were lazy passing by in the light of the sunset. While other people were strolling by, most of them tourists.
Shopping in New Orleans and other places
We did a bit of shopping in New Orleans and although there is one right in the French Quarter we went to another one. We chose the one in Central Business Park called Riverwalk. It is quite big and not crowded during the week. Here they have a nice selection of fast food restaurants. We liked Mike Anderson’s Seafood because of the… seafood. 🙂
So if you have time and you want to explore something else you can see the Business District which is less touristic and stop also in Riverwalk. For the beignets! 😉
And maybe is worth mentioning that you can claim your sale taxes too in the shopping center.There is a small office where you can do that. Of course you can do it at the airport too.
Good bye New Orleans
When I look back to our vacation with baby in New Orleans the first thing that comes to my mind is the street music. There were all kind of bands performing live music. Sometimes in the middle of the street.
The music makes the city more vibrant and more fun! And unique!
So after New Orleans we were heading towards the final destination : Houston! And then the flight home!
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