New Orleans

     I hear the sounds of jazz music in the distance. I see a mime on the corner, silver as the streetlight next to him. I am in New Orleans, LA, my favorite place to go on vacation. I mean New Orleans has stuff for EVERYONE. Like museums? Go to New Orleans! Like food and shopping? Go to New Orleans! Like parks? Go to New Orleans! It has all those things and much, much more.

    There is a museum for everyone in New Orleans. If you a kid, try the Children’s museum! It has a realistic looking store you can play in, and you can choose what you would like to be, a shopper or a check out person. Also there is a play restaurant you can cook, waiter, or “eat” at. You can also design the inside of a house, fix some plumbing, read under a paper mache tree, be an eye doctor, climb a rock wall, and do so much more! If you like learning about history, visit the WWII museum. The coolest thing is that each part of the museum you walk through looks like where the place it is talking about. There is an Africa, Italy, Northwest Europe, and Battle of Bulge scene. Also there is an Air war exhibit about the Tuskegee airmen, American air strikes, and the German Luftwaffe. And if you’re in LOVE with animals, go to the trio Audubon Museums, The insectarium, the aquarium, and the zoo.  You can eat bugs at the insectarium, see penguins at the aquarium, and say hi to monkeys at the zoo, which also has a water park.

    Who doesn’t like food or shopping, or both! New Orleans is famous for its spicy Cajun food and its sweet beignets. You can get seafood gumbo, a word for okra, which is rice soup with spicy flavor and plenty of okra, a po-boy, which is a roast beef sandwich, or jambalaya, which is spicy rice with sausage and bell pepper. Or head on down to the famous “Café du Monde” and grab a plate of beignets and a cup of café a lait, fried choux pastry ( the same stuff they make cream puffs with, just fried)  and coffee with hot milk. Don’t forget the powdered sugar for your beignets!

    Shopping. Most people’s faces light up when they hear the word. There are many little places in the French Quarter to shop at, but if you are really in to shopping, head over to the French Market. They have clothes, accessories, food, and stuff that would be good for Christmas presents. There are many other options in New Orleans for shopping if the French Market doesn’t float you boat (But I mean it’s awesome, so I hope it DOES float yours), there are countless stores along the streets of the French Quarter.

    It’s a park, and so much more.  City Park. It has the usual playgrounds shaped like geometric figures, fields for ball games, (soccer, football, etc.)  and the train. Wait, a train? Yup. Oh, did I forget to mention all the other stuff? The storyland, the little amusement park, the mini golf. I did?! Oh, well I better tell you about those things! City Park has a StoryLand. What is a storyland? It is a playground for kids based off of Mother Goose stories. So there is a Rapunzel tower, a pumpkin carriage, and a dragon slide. And a bunch more. You can also try riding a cute little train around City Park, play a round of mini golf, or go to the little amusement park. It has a Ferris wheel, a rollercoaster, and of course rides. Or visit the art museum if you like, well, art. It does have a lot of art, and a cool gift shop (more Christmas presents). Or visit the café, a short walking distance from StoryLand. It has hot chocolate, beignets, and another gift shop (score!).

    I hope you consider visiting New Orleans (I mean how could you NOT after reading this essay…). Or better yet, visit! I’m sure you would have a great time exploring!

-Manna Robertson