“It’s a mad house. Or so they claim.”
Traveling with small children is absolutely an insane task. It’s not for the faint of heart. You must have courage and perhaps be a bit of naive.
Before any important event like a new job or in this case, a family vacation, I often find sleeping a futile endeavor. So I rolled out of bed around 3:00 am and went for a small run around the neighborhood before our excursion to the historical New Orleans.
Carrie had the children up around 4:00 am and we were out the door by 4:30 am. We packed up the car and embarked on our nine-hour journey. The kids were surprisingly tolerable, and I only had to tell them to stop yelling a handful of times. Along the way, I favored momentum over grabbing a few photos, including a dilapidated house that I’m still kicking myself for not capturing. It sat alone in a field of fog as the morning rays illuminated it from the east.
I picked up a new camera, the Sigma FP. It’s a bit dated at this point but it’s incredibly small and it’s cinema capabilities are amazing. It’s also a decent photography camera, so I decided to bring it along to do some test shots.
We arrived in New Orleans around 1:30 pm. I become accustomed to the tight streets and uneven roads fairly quickly. Construction added to the chaos but was easily avoided.
Hotel Villa Convento was charming. After settling in, we were all pretty hungry for an actual meal outside of road snacks. We quickly found an interesting place called Lebanon Grill. We kept it simple for the kids and decided on a pizza. It may have been one of the best I’ve had. Quite surprising. I washed it down with a Greek beer “Mythos”.
After some continued rest at the hotel we decided to explore a bit before dinner. The first place we tried seemed logical, The French Market. An employee was attempting to persuade a drunk homeless man to go elsewhere instead of the front steps of the establishment.
The next morning began as most do, before the sun rises. After much dawdling and a few changes of clothes, we went across the street to Croissant d’Or where we had a delicious breakfast.
After breakfast we decided to do some exploring. We found a voodoo museum, some shops, and Jackson Square. Artists lined the street practicing their craft. A couple seemed to enjoy a street poet crafting her work on an antique typewriter.
At the Pharmacy Museum, each of the kids transformed into an absolute menace. Afterwards, we hit up the Vampire Café where we sampled some beer and wine flights along with a decent charcuterie and an alligator po’boy. Later that evening we went on a ghost tour where we learned all about the LaLaurie Mansion and the evil deeds of the woman who lived there. Turns out Nicholas Cage once purchased the LaLaurie Mansion and that’s what is believed to have cursed him and caused many issues in his life. Also they filmed a scene or two of the movie ‘Interview with a Vampire’ in New Orleans in another building nearby. The tours were probably my favorite part of the trip as I really love history and New Orleans has plenty of that.
Despite the children’s earlier antics the kids handled the tour surprisingly well, earning themselves ice cream. But since my daughter was not happy with her own choice of ice-cream she had quite the meltdown when she found out we weren’t giving her another option and our son wasn’t going to share his. While I attempted to console my screaming daughter outside of the ice-cream parlor, a rather raggedy musician walked by, patted me on the back and said, “It’s gonna be alright, daddy.” He then disappeared into the night strumming is tiny guitar like some goofy minstrel in a Tolkien tale.
We wrapped up the evening by relaxing back at the hotel and just eating road snacks for dinner.
We kicked off the next morning at Café du Monde. The powdered sugar got on everything. Then came the highlight (or lowlight) of the day: the St. Louis Cemetery #1 tour. I wanted to grab more photos but it started to rain. And unfortunately, in my research of the Sigma FP, I learned that it’s not even slightly weather or water proof. So I didn’t risk it this time. Emma decided to lick a 200-year-old tomb, potentially unleashing a curse on the family.
After lunch at the Voodoo Tavern & Po’Boys, we toured the Ursuline Convent House. The kids, in their quest to win the “Most Bathroom Breaks in an Hour” award, required pit stops three times in just 45 minutes. Exhausted, we napped before exploring the city in search of the elusive Ouija Fox that we had seen earlier the previous day. The kids astutely dubbed it the “Luigi Fox”. After finding it in an artists shop we discovered it was over $1600. What a bougie price for a taxidermied fox on top of a oujia board.
The night ended on Bourbon Street, where you could find live music in every nook. In a sort of rush to get out the door, I forgot my camera unfortunately, missing some incredible nightlife shots, but the vibe was unmistakable. I’m very glad we brought the kids to experience things like this and give them a sense of the world. That’s ultimately what this trip was about.
We wrapped up our trip with breakfast the next morning at Ruby Slipper Café and left a day early. The only thing on our list left undone was the WWII Museum. As an avid history buff, this is another strong regret of mine. But pressures to get home were too strong to overcome. The journey had reached it’s peek I feel and the kids had reached their breaking point. Or perhaps it was Carrie and I that reached our breaking point. Either way, home was calling us back. Despite a bit of traffic, the 9 hour drive home to Florida seemed quicker than the drive to New Orleans.
The trip I feel, despite its many challenges, was ultimately a success. In the end, I gained 5 pounds, a new family curse, and a deeper appreciation for the chaos of New Orleans. If you enjoy music and the macabre, ‘Nawlins’ is the place for you. Just watch where you step—and don’t lick the tombs.