Our Day in New Oeleans

Today was a scheduled day off so we piled in the vans and headed to "The Big Easy", New Orleans! Our first stop was in the lower 9th Ward to see first hand the devastation these families have been living with for nearly two years. Words are inadequate to describe the level of destruction that this part of the city has suffered. Some homes are in different stages of rebuilding but far too many are abandoned with an unknown fate.

We walked up to the levee at the Industrial Canal at the Holy Cross section of the Lower 9th Ward and could only imagine that area during the storm and its immediate aftermath. Next, we drove to Lake Pontchartrain and saw some beautiful homes on Lakeshore Drive. These homes were also in various stages of rebuilding but were generally far ahead of most of the other areas we visited.

We were all ready for lunch and headed downtown and had a great lunch at Mother's, a very cool and well known local restaurant. After lunch, we all split up and set off to see downtown New Orleans - Canal Street, the French Quarter, the Voo Doo House and so many other little stops and shops that give this city such a great culture. The French Quarter seemed to sustain minimal damage and to still have the tourism dollars coming in is a blessing for the whole city.

At 6 o'clock, we all met at Jackson Square and heard a great street band before we set out for dinner. We went to Acme Oyster House, a very popular spot in the French Quarter. "Oysters stewed, oysters fried, oysters on the half shell that never died..." They were delicious and we almost all tried some. After a wonderful dinner, we had to start thinking about starting for home, Pass Christian, MS. It was a quick trip back, with Jeremy and Lee doing a great job behind the wheel, as they have done the whole trip. God has blessed us with another safe day (and Coast 102, the Greatest Songs Of All Time) and we are looking forward to our last two days of work. (Don't forget to ask Austin about the oyster shooters.)