DAY 18: GARDEN DISTRICT AND GAME DAY
We got out of the French Quarter today by taking a trolley down St Charles to the Garden District. Set in leafy surroundings, the neighbourhood is full of old style well-kept homes. The odd Hollywood celebrity is also known to call this area home.
Contrasting the wealth, the district is also home to New Orleans' oldest cemetery. We were amongst many tourists today that were taking a stroll past all these above ground tombs. For whatever reason, cemeteries are big attractions here in New Orleans. It was eerie enough walking through this one in daylight - not sure I'd be in a rush to sign up for their late night ghost tours!
By mid afternoon we returned to our hotel. I got ready for the footy, Nic and Josh got ready for the pool. Considering the sweltering conditions, the latter probably made more sense!
Happy to report though, my first live experience of an NFL game was amazing. The whole district surrounding the stadium, car parks and forecourts, turns into a big party zone hours before kickoff. The Superdome itself though is jaw-dropping. If you can imagine the MCG at capacity, but fully enclosed, you get the idea. It is simply deafening when 80,000 fans are making as much noise as possible to drown out the opposition play calling. But when the home team scores ... let's say the locals just go nuts!
All their screaming was to no avail though as the Saints went down to their divisional rivals, the Atlanta Falcons in a high scoring game 45-32.
Definitely an experience I won't forget!
Tomorrow we unfortunately say goodbye to New Orleans ... but hello to Disneyland (and happy birthday Josh!)