December in New Orleans

Did I mention I was in New Orleans for a conference in December? No, I guess I didn't. It was fabulous. I would love to go back sometime and spend a little longer, seeing more of the real New Orleans, and volunteering to assist building or whatever needs to be done. The interesting thing is that the downtown area and the French Quarter were mostly spared from any devastation because the levies in that area held. If you went to New Orleans and only visited downtown and the French Quarter, you would never know anything had happened. You might think that the tourist business was failing though.
Before I left I looked at the weather report. Even though it showed warm weather, I somehow didn't believe it. I thought it was going to be a little chilly. WRONG. It was steaming hot there. I actually had to go shopping for flip-flops and a couple of short sleeved shirts. I brought sweaters, boots, and all long pants...no shorts, skirts, sandals, etc.
The food in New Orleans is out of control. There were great restaurants everywhere. I think K-Paul's was my favorite fancy place. They served a giant basket of different types of bread, including cheese & chive scones, molasses muffins, and regular dinner rolls. For dinner we shared a Cesar salad and both had blackened red fish with mashed potatoes and broccoli or something like that. There was no way to finish it all.
And Acme Oyster was my favorite down-home place. The oysters were awesome both on the half shell and baked: fresh, flavorful, juicy. And very reasonably priced. The evening we went Acme (we also went for lunch one day) we had a great time sitting at the bar, chatting with the oyster shuckers and the other patrons.
We frequented Cafe Du Monde, for beignets and cafe au laits, both in the afternoons and evenings after dinner. Their beignets are like pillows of fried dough (think chewy doughnut) covered in a mound of powdered sugar. And their coffee is smooth with a hint of chicory.
One night we took a mule drawn carriage ride around the French Quarter with a guy who could have been a history teacher, he knew so much about the area. It was fascinating. I highly recommend taking a tour if you ever get down to New Orleans. Their history is thick with scandal and intrigue. Nothing dull about it, especially given a good story teller.