New Orleans--The Big Easy

Recently my husband and I escaped for a few days away without our kids. Where does one go when you've only got a few days and you want guaranteed fun? Yeah baby...New Orleans!!! If you haven't been I highly recommend you go. This a city with an incredibly rich history and a beautiful tapestry of people and places.

The Cathedral at Jackson Square is probably the most beautiful church I have been in ever. The paintings are so vivid they seem almost alive.

The characters outside the church are equally mesmerizing. Tarot readers, artists, palm readers and seers of all kinds sell their wares year round. The French Quarter is a maze of streets, alleys and hidden courtyards. You never know what beautiful treasure is squirreled away behind those stone walls.

One of the most intriguing tours you can take in New Orleans are the Cemetery Tours. Since NOLA is below sea level they can not bury people underground. They used to but when it flooded bodies didn't stay buried. Finally they resorted to crypts. The shot above is of Marie Leveau's grave the famous Voo Doo Priestess. This cemetery is at the edge of the French Quarter and even has bodies buried in the walls. Creepy and kinda cool!

The Steamboat Natchez provides a two hour tour of the New Orleans coastline along the Mississippi River. As you ride lazily along those turbulent waters you can't help but imagine what the coastline looked like in another time.

The food and drink are rich, spicy and plentiful. From Bourbon Street to the Garden District. There is fun around every corner and story behind every door.