The Bakeries. The French Quarters. The Riverwalk and plazas. The Garden District.
I used to think that New Orleans was for the party people, perhaps not appropriate for little children. I was wrong. Yes, it’s a happening place. But it’s for everybody. A unique charm and the sweet aroma of pastries roams the flower-studded streets. We stayed at Dauphin Island, Alabama, which enjoys proximity to this city–about two hours away. Owing to it my son’s eleventh birthday that day, we wanted New Orleans to be grand. It delivered.
1. The Bakeries
Every corner seems to have one: French bakery shops and cafes. These shops go well with music, art, and books of New Orleans. Our first stop was Bittersweet Confections. With brilliant customer service, a small but bigger-than-a-pastry cake, available candles at the shop, we weaved the birthday spirits. They provided the silverware and a lighter as we enjoyed our second warm breakfast of the day.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, experience this city through your taste buds. Sweetness! My son opened his gifts and made a wish before cutting the cake. Birthday at a bakery—bravo.
2. The Walk Along the River
While Spanish Plaza was under construction, strolling along the misty and mysterious Mississippi River with ships gliding by inspired a meditation. The New Orleans Holocaust Memorial and the Steamboat Natchez hallmark the walk. Admiring its personality and sheer command of the coast from the outside, we skipped the food and cruise.
3. Jackson Square
This square is a famous landmark in the French Quarters described beautifully as a park where artists paint, draw, and sell. Hey, and I write. And me children climb its trees. But this was a moment I fell in love with this city that dedicated a square to artists. The St. Louis Cathedral rings across from it, and large crowds, maskless in March 2021, too, haunt here. Yes, that ensured we hastily exited and toured the Royal Street till Frenchman St with the restaurants and Washington Square Park.
We did avoid Bourbon street, avoiding the weed smell. Bring good walking shoes, a determined mind, and in my case, bribes of cheap gifts for children to walk on for miles and miles. We rested at the Washington Square before venturing to the Dauphin Street, lining colorful residences, people chatting on their patios to Louis Armstrong Park.
4. The Parks
The city is sprayed not just in color or cafes but lovely green stretches of parks. We spent a considerable chunk at the Louis Armstrong Park with the sculptures, the fountains, the wooden bridges, and the flowers.
5. The Garden District
My favorite. We started the experience in this neighborhood at the quaint Garden District Bookshop. When I conversed with the owner regarding my books, my youngest emerged out of the children’s book room, carrying five books reaching over his head. We did raid the bookstores and spoiled ourselves with more. New Orleans’s respect for art and culture commanded my respect. How do I describe Garden District? Veils climb atop giant trees and street walls, the emerald canopy of trees folds over your head broken by ivory cemeteries, an eclectic array of restaurants and coffee shops, including Starbucks. We ate at the Anatolia Mediterranean Cuisine. It was great.
Coffee in hand, we drove back to Dauphin Island, having rewritten the best birthday memory for my oldest, who will cherish New Orleans forever.
In Conclusion:
So go to New Orleans with your Children. It’s a city surrounded by water, lakes, river, and sea, fighting their mighty forces, and so green. It’s a city worth protecting and preserving.
Next time, we visit the waterfalls of Northeastern Alabama. Stay tuned.
Author Update: My second book is available now at here