Day 27 - New Orleans

We had a few things we wanted to do on our last day.  We still had tickets to the Audubon Butterfly and Insectarium and Aquarium of the Americas (included with our zoo pass), and these were close to another place that we wanted to eat at - Jac's Brewery.  Because it was our last night we also wanted to have a special dinner and we chose the legendary PW Fins.
We once again skipped breakfast and that is fairly easy since we don't wake up until after 9 am each morning. In our defense, the room is very dark when we pull the curtains across.  Philip has been making us coffee and I usually do my blog before we leave the room about 10.30am.
Our walk to the two places this morning took us along Canal Street (the main street in the heart of the CBD).  It is very busy with cars, trams, cyclists and pedestrians all competing for the same space.
It took ages to get inside the insectarium as it is housed within a federal building and everybody had to go through a security check.  Mums with loaded prams took the longest to get through security.
Once through we found the display to be absolutely fantastic.  There were a number of school kids on an outing and the enjoyment they felt was obvious.
We spent our time going from room to room to various categories of insects and finally ended up in the butterfly area.  It was okay but not as good as the one in Kuranda!

From the Insectarium we walked the short distance to the Aquarium of the Americas.  This was my favorite as I have a deep love of anything aquatic.  It was also beautifully laid out and as we walked from area to area we were in awe of the things we saw but hands downs the best for me was the sea-horses. Philip loved the otters and we both were enthralled by the albino alligator, the only one in captivity.

After our enjoyable morning we made our way along the riverwalk to Jac's for a delicious lunch. We probably over ordered but don't judge us as we were very hungry......hahhhaa!

On the menu, fresh (really, really fresh) prawns with a side of fries loaded with shredded brisket and cheese, a brisket Pho Boy for Philip and a Duck Pho Boy for me with a side of tomato soup.

Lunch was finished by 1.30 and I then made our dinner reservation for that evening. In hindsight should have done that before lunch because the only reservation we could have was for 5.00 pm!  Just a couple of hours time!
We walked back to our hotel the long way just to walk off the large lunch.

The menu at GW Fins is amazing and it was hard to choose but Philip decided on the soft shelled crab, followed by Scallop and Mushroom Risotto and to finish off, Creme Brûlée and Irish Coffee.  I had the Lobster Dumplings followed by GW Fins signature dish - Scalibut (Halibut encrusted with Scallops on a bed of lobster risotto with pea puree) and ended with a Espresso Martini.

Honestly the meal was one of the best I have ever eaten but we were like stuffed pigs so we went back to our room, changed into comfortable clothes and walked the length of Bourbon Street.  It was good to walk!
Bourbon Street was alive tonight with people gearing up for Halloween tomorrow night.

 Most people were in some form of fancy dress and there were some hilarious sights like the two elderly gentlemen dressed in suit jackets with dress shirt, bow tie, shoes, socks and boxer shorts!
Gee we have enjoyed our time here in New Orleans.  Ten days gave us ample time to really find the heart of the city and boy does it have a big heart.  We are so pleased to see the folks of New Orleans fully recovered from the hurricane that destroyed their city and they have worked so hard to made it an enjoyable place to visit.  We will probably never make it back again but take away memories that we will have for a lifetime.