Strollin’ Through the Big Easy

I would have to say that New Orleans is the weirdest city ever. And this is coming from someone whose hometown relies on a groundhog for weather forecasting.

One would expect that weird stuff goes on during Mardi Gras, and I'm sure New Orleans is extra weird during that period of time. But as it turns out, things are pretty extremely weird on a non-stop basis, at least in the French Quarter.

We had some time to explore the city prior to heading further south on our mission trip last weekend, so three of us from our church headed into town. Our first order of business was to buy beignets at Café Du Monde.

Beignets are basically donuts, and they're $1.88 for three of them. The catch is that you have to stand in line for a long, long time to get one. One of the members of our group, Sally, was on a mission to get one, though, so she and another church member stood in line 45 minutes to make the purchase. They were good, but I'm not sure they were 45 minutes worth of good.

I spent those 45 minutes trying to find a legal parking spot. I eventually settled on a parking spot, conveniently located somewhere in Iowa.

When we walked around the French Quarter, we saw all sorts of bizarre people. Many people were dressed all in silver with silver body paint. Some of these people did street shows where they posed as "robot people" for tips, but it seemed like others just liked to dress that way.

We saw numerous dogs dressed up with fancy outfits, and plenty of stores that can help you fulfill any perverted fantasy you've ever dreamed about. There's also the historic St. Louis Cathedral, which is the oldest continually operating cathedral in the United States, if I remember correctly. It's very elegant and religious-looking, but right outside the door is a row of psychics, apparently for the convenience of church-goers.

And, to wrap up this posting, I'll have to share with you this fine photo of a woman I saw on the street, who definitely wasn't a woman. Eeew.