The friendly cab driver I flagged down at the train station asked me if I was ready for noise. I replied that after 48 hours on a train, probably not! He let me know that the city was in party mode as the New Orleans Saints had won a big match. He said he'd do me a favour by dropping me off at the quiet entrance to my hotel.
Exiting the cab was like opening an oven. Even late at night, the heat was wild! As for the noise, I could hear it, but the sanctity of the Hyatt French Quarter shielded me from most of it, in fact, in my room overlooking Canal Street, I couldn't hear anything. 
It was an early start the next morning and I made my way to one of the city's most popular breakfast cafes. Mothers restaurant has been open since 1938 and the menu (and the decor) hasn't really changed in that time
I was offered Grits (a rice dish), Debris ( the beef left in the gravy each night), eggs and a biscuit (very much like a scone)
I was also offered some crawfish étouffée, which is a speciality of the restaurant
Speaking to some of the staff, I heard their stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how they, and the restaurant, were affected. From the restaurant perspective, the building escaped much damage and they opened their doors to feed volunteers and those made homeless.
Now, the restaurant is literally queued out the door most days and it is not out of the ordinary for them to serve 2000 customers in one morning.
My next tour was of the historic French quarter, centred on Jackson Square (his family came from Carrickfergus, co Antrim). The tour took in some of the older buildings and streets as well as parts of the riverfront
Public transport in e city is very easy to use. The streetcars free a $3 all day ticket which means you can get wherever you need to go quickly.
I took myself to the WW2 exhibition in the afternoon. It has a 4D movie presentation produced & presented by Tom Hanks. The group I was part off consisted of many veterans and it was interesting t hear them reminiscing afterwards.
With afternoon temperatures a very humid 35c, I cooled off in the hotel pool before making my way to Frenchmen Street. It is where the locals go to hear jazz
I then went to the Praline Connection restaurant, another local favourite where I had Alligator Sausage..... Dare I say it had a little bite! I also had a fascinating chat with Curtis, the owner of the restaurant, who explained that many of the recipes were those he had grown up with. Proper home cooking
Another early start saw me at the Ruby Slipper Cafe for breakfast. This was in a residential neighbourhood, off the tourist trail. I quite enjoyed the walk and looking at the different architecture along the way. Ruby slipper was established to bring life back into disused buildings. This particular one was in a former bank.
I happened to notice pictures in a window across the street and was amazed at what I saw
I was standing outside that very building an was totally amazed by how the area had recovered
I continued my travels by hearing back into town and out to one of the many cemeteries
New Orleans graves are known for being built up, rather than down, due to the high water table in the area.
My final stop in New Orleans (by the magic of street car) was not too far away, the Aquarium of the Americas.
This is a brilliant interactive place, with many fish and other aquatic animals we wouldn't see in aquariums in Ireland
New Orleans is certainly an interesting city. It's downfall is the 'seedy' side to its nightlife, which is easily avoided as it is centred on one street.
Getting away from the 'tourist' areas is a great way of getting to see a city, it's people and it's culture.
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