Page 20 - AAA Now! – AAA Central Penn – Fall/Winter 2020

TRAVEL
Spotlight On
New Orleans
From Bourbon Street to Beignets By Craig Haberle, CTC
No matter what you call this city – The Big Easy, N’awlins, NOLA or another of its many other nicknames, all those aliases reflect the many facets of the sparkling diamond officially known as New Orleans. This city has earned the titles of
Jazz Capital of the World, Mardi Gras City, and Creole City for its regal reputation in the realms of music, parades and cuisine. Let’s focus on this soulful city that
is a cultural melting pot like no other in
America.
The famous French Quarter welcomes
you on a walking tour to feel its vibrant pulse and hear some local history. Facing onto the Mississippi River, open- air Jackson Square is surrounded by the majestic St. Louis Cathedral and
St. Anthony’s Gardens, bustling French
Marketplace, mysterious Pirate Alley, and the matching Pontalba Buildings with their cast iron balconies. Here is where Café Du Monde serves those divine doughy fritters covered in powdered sugar – locally known as beignets.
Among the many famous sights and sites in NOLA is St. Charles Avenue onto which face magnificent mansions and two esteemed universities: Tulane and Loyola. St. Louis Cemetery #3 dates from the mid-1800s with elaborate
above-ground crypts and statuary. A drive along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain provides context to the urban disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The New Orleans School of Cooking dishes out a lively demonstration of how their chefs create cornucopias of Louisiana cuisine.
Expressive exhibits and programs at the National World War II Museum tell “the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.” A tour of Mardi Gras World reveals the traditions and
a behind-the-scenes look at the year-long process of skilled artisans building and decorating 500 massive and spectacular floats for the annual festival’s colorful parade. Outside the city and on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the elaborate Oak Alley Plantation and guided tours of its mansion (dating from 1839), decorative formal gardens, and sugarcane
cultivation history provide fresh perspectives on the Antebellum South.
Explore the Louisiana swamps on an excursion boat whose captain unveils the evolution of this historic ecosystem and the delicate ecology of this dynamic region. Meanwhile, maintain a careful watch for native wildlife – from alligators and turtles to herons and bald eagles. Channel your inner Mark Twain aboard a riverboat on a cruise along
the mighty Mississippi. The famous French Quarter restaurant Court of Two Sisters extends an invitation to indulge yourself in their plated presentations of the traditional flavors of New Orleans. Then, saunter down Bourbon Street and listen to a local club’s roaring jazz revue... now that’s N’awlins!
Your local AAA Travel agent knows the tune so you can join the band of happy AAA travelers on the Spotlight on New Orleans tour, June 6 – 10, 2021.
20 I FALL/WINTER 2020