Skip to main content

For Beignets, Bourbon Street, and the Bayou - Adventures on the Mississippi River



When I am in a new city I want to take it all in. I want to experience a new place in as many different ways as I can. 

One of my preferred ways is by taking to the water. I have done it in Pittsburgh (http://bit.ly/2wjSpUd), Chicago (http://bit.ly/2v94EDO), and Savannah (http://bit.ly/2xNh9TB) and loved it each time. 

But today I am going to tell you all about how I took in New Orleans by riding high on the mighty Mississippi.   








Steamboat Natchez Cruise

The Steamboat Natchez Cruise is located right in the French Quarter. It is docked right behind Jackson Brewery (a food spot I mentioned previously in this series), and not far from Cafe du Monde. 

This cruise strolls up and down the Mississippi in a tour that lasts about two hours. 






If you are looking for speciality cruises Jazz Brunch or Jazz Dinner tours are offered, However I went with the standard tour. It was late in the afternoon but the weather was perfectly mild despite it being November. 

You get to see all parts of the boat, including the engine room, as well as other Parishes (what the counties are called) in New Orleans. When I took this tour in 2008 we passed by a lot of areas that were still devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It was heart breaking to see buildings so deprived of life especially when it was easy to picture what they might have looked like when they were whole. 


During the tour you learn the story of this shipping port, one of the world’s busiest. You can see how important the water way was and still is to providing a lifeline to this city. You learn why so many moved here, just as Rhett and Scarlet did for a period of time. 

There is something about being on the water that always has a calming affect on me. I can stare out onto the water, the land on the horizon, and clear my head, despite the many thoughts that will flood my mind. 

I enjoy the peacefulness and the views I am taking in. I like seeing a city that I have spent days in, in a new way. Being off of the land gives you some distance and appreciation of a place, whether or not you have been there before. A river cruise has the ability to make any experience feel brand new. When you look at the photographs I took here you will see why.


The Steamboat Natchez Cruise originated in 1975 and many of the crew have been apart of this company since then. The two boats that are used for these tours are  identical and are the only true “steam powered sternwheelers” currently on the Mississippi. 

The copper and steel steam whistle you will hear is an antique. 

But my all time favorite aspect of the ship is the organist playing on the very top who is dressed in clothes from a bygone era. You will hear that horn sound clear as day no matter how far away you are. It “honks” as you depart and return from your trip. This extra touch further separates you from whatever your reality had been before you boarded. It certainly did the trick for me. 

I highly advise making reservations either ahead of time or on the first day you are in New Orleans. Tickets sell out rather fast especially during holiday weekends or when there is a big event in town such as Mardi Gras or a major Saints football game.

Next I will share the final few tours that make you see a whole new side of New Orleans.

For More Information:






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

For My Madness During Migraine Awareness Month

Last weekend as I sat staring at the blank page in front of me, I was still surprised and elated that I had an entire day to myself and unlike past experiences it was filled with what I wanted when I wanted it. There were a few rough moments but when I consider the previous twelve hours (and the days to come) have been better than the last week. Especially this last week even though I had braced myself ahead of time, I just didn’t know I should have braced for a more serious episode. I am a chronic migraine sufferer for so many years I don’t quite remember when they started exactly which is ironic because I can remember every special event they have ruined. I remember plays or dinners I was at where I don’t remember what happened but I could tell you what I felt minute by minute. It amazing how the mind works, especially when it’s operated by a migraine brain. In the last few years, specifically the last few years since I have been going to the Montefiore Headac

For Find Out Friday - Why Do Emery Boards Make My Skin Crawl?

You know that sound a fingernail makes when it scratches against a chalkboard?  You know that feeling the sound of that action gives you? I, like most people, hate that sound.  I instantly feel like scrunching my shoulders up to my neck and closing my eyes.  I feel the exact same way when I am using an emery board to file my nails. This annoying sensation has a name: “grima” which is Spanish for disgust or uneasiness. This term basically describes any feeling of being displeased, annoyed, or dissatisfied someone or something.  It is a feeling that psychologists are starting to pay more attention to as it relates to our other emotions.  Emery boards are traditionally made with cardboard that has small grains of sand adhered to them. It is the sandpaper that I believe makes me filled with grima.  According to studies that are being done around the world, it is not just the feeling that we associate with certain things like nails on a chalkboard or by using emery boards

For a New Chain of Mexican Fast Food: “Dos Toros Taqueria”

When it comes to fast food there are the names we are familiar with: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Chipotle.  In you live in New York City, there is a new kid in town: Dos Toros.  Dos Toros is relatively new to this area but with any hope there might be one in your town soon.  Started by two brothers, Leo and Oliver Kremer, from Berkeley, California, the Mexican food you find here is inspired by food they loved growing up.  In California, the brothers grew up worshipping Gordo Taqueria, a favorite of Bay Area residents since 1977 (now promptly added to my San Francisco to eat list). Much of the recipes and even decor found at Dos Toros has been modeled on Gordo. Before moving to NYC in 2008, the brothers were living very different lives. Leo was the bassist for the band “Third Eye Blind”. Oliver fresh out of college, considered working in the technology or finance industry. Both disillusioned with their lives, they decided to pursue something they have l