Riding on the City of New Orleans

After a long train ride, a carriage ride engagement, and a night full of celebrating, we couldn't have asked for a better kick-off to our weekend. But when we woke up on Saturday morning, the weather was beeeeeautiful so it made it even better! Like every tourist in NOLA, we started off our morning at Cafe du Monde for some yummy beignets. We were all fresh and ready for a day in the French Quarter.

Sarah and Charlie decided we weren't fun enough for them and quickly made new friends.

We spent the morning walking around the Quarter and doing some shopping. The boys found some nice hats.

Where we live, it would be a little weird to run into this guy on the street. But in New Orleans? Totally normal. And yes, that's a real parrot on his shoulder.

All of the walking and shopping worked up quite an appetite for us, so we headed here for some of the best burgers ever.

Oh yes, we sat on the steps and put our drinks on the porch. We are nothing if not rebels.

After stuffing themselves with a half pound of burger, the boys were feeling even more manly than the day before and felt the need to show off.

Side note: does anyone need a job? 'Cause this place is hiring.

I tried to get creative and take some artsy pictures. Meh.

Sarah and Charlie were our tour guides for the day. They have been to New Orleans so many times they're practically locals.

I have tons and tons of pictures of all the architecture and details of the city, but I won't bore you with all of them. I will say, though, that if my plants this summer look half as good as these, I'll be thrilled.

Oh, we also ran into this guy on the street. I watched him for several minutes and he just stood there, frozen in his pose. Now, I understand that this is his way of making money and he's probably used to it, but wouldn't you think he'd want to choose an easier pose? It seems like holding your arm out behind you and keeping your mouth open would get old fast. There was one time the breeze caught the board balanced on his shoulder and I was so hoping it would make him have to move. But he never did.

We ran into some awesome food vendors on the streets - it was a festival of sorts.  You can't go to New Orleans and not try as much local food as possible, so we stopped to have a bite. It was so nice to sit on the steps, have a snack, and enjoy the nice weather.

By this time we were tired and decided it was time to head back to the hotel for a nap. But on the way there, we spotted the proposal carriage and took off after it to get a picture!

Here are Jenny and Darrin with the carriage driver that witnessed it all.

And you can't leave out the horse!

Phew! Glad we were able to catch him. NOW we could head back to take a nap.

Since this post has already gotten really long, the evening festivities will just have to be a post of their own. They'll be coming soon!