Down Decatur Street.

The French Quarter is what everyone pictures when they think of New Orleans. It’s got the same run down charm as some of San Francisco. Even the scabby parts look beautiful because of the ornate iron railings and balconies. Everything just has a feel of old-world decadence.

Neon and Balconies. Welcome to the French Quarter.

There are signs all over Decatur advertising balconies for rent. These signs confused me at first, “Are people so desperate that they would rent out a single balcony to live on?” And then it clicked; Mardi Gras. The French Quarter has become a consumer product…you sell the views and the Voodoo.

But, onto Bourbon Street now. It’s a combination of various sins…drinking and sex with some consumerism thrown in. Everything on Bourbon is either a bar, a tourist shop or a strip club. The streets have a certain scent of bodily functions and the bars and clubs open all day and all night. Honestly, I walked past a full on club at about 2pm.

Big Easy drinking…Big, easy drinking.

The selection of frozen Daiquiris and Margarita was astounding. Every drinking establishment claims to have the best flavours and the biggest (most pointless) novelty drinking cups. You pay an extra dollar or two and you can become the proud and confused owner of a hollow, plastic guitar, fleur de lis or margarita glass. These are one of those souvenirs that seem like a really cool thing at the time but then you realise that you’ll have to carry it round with you for the rest of the day, thereby looking like every other tourist in the city. Then there’s the issue of getting it into your suitcase. I personally stuck to the boring, bog-standard plastic cup-shaped cup for my Hurricane.

My poison of choice.

I had this delicious concoction in a place called the Gazebo Cafe. For about £5 they give you some frozen, fruity goodness and top it up with about half a bottle of rum. I could smell the alcohol before the lady even handed it to me. But it was delicious and exactly the type of drink you need in the unbelievable humid heat of Louisiana. Just one of these was all it took for me to be reasonably tipsy. The Voodoo Museum mentioned in the previous post was actually found and explored while I was under the influence of a Hurricane. It made it even more fun! The best $7 I ever spent on a single drink.

Next – More on Bourbon.