That French Quarter Fun

     On our first evening in New Orleans, we wasted no time in getting to the heart of the city. We checked into our hotel rooms, and we made our way to the French quarter. Our driver, Anthony, is new to New Orleans, but he managed to get us where we need it to be without any problems.

     We began and ended our walk through this an historic district at the Saint Louis Cathedral, which is right next to Jackson Square. This is also where the legendary Café du Monde is located. There was just so much to see, so we did this on foot. We walked toward the edge of the French quarter and had dinner together. We could not have asked for better weather. There was a nice breeze that followed us on our walk. 

     One thing that our students noticed  was the architecture. They also noticed how many of the buildings were suited for spending time just outside of them. They noticed the playful colors and the buildings' relationship to the street.

     As one group, we made our way through the historic streets stopping to learn about this neighborhood's rich history from the many plaques and buildings. We stopped at the Louis Armstrong Park and the Mahalia Jackson Theatre. We learned a little bit about both people.

   We walked off dinner by wandering the streets of the French quarter at sunset, and we made our way toward Café du Monde for our bedtime beignets. We saw so many cool tourist tours, many of the spooky. We're glad we just passed by them. That was plenty scary for us. 

     Did we mention that the beignets are kosher?  There's actual supervision.

Everyone was so friendly to us, and many people asked us where we were from. When we said Austin, you could see the excitement in their eyes. Either they knew Austin and loved it, or they wish they had known Austin. 

     We had a short reflective debriefing right outside of the café as we waited for Anthony to collect us for the evening. I think we were all in agreement that it was a very special first day.

      With such a fantastic first day, it's hard not to imagine how the next few days aren't filled with even more learning and more fun.  Check in again with us tomorrow for more details and photos.