Day 28 - Around New Orleans

The New Orleans Museum of Art offered an escape from the heat. We first visited the sculpture garden but by 10 o'clock it was already 34° so we couldn't see all of the 200 exhibits. We went inside NOMA to cool down, but bizarrely the temperature was uncomfortably cool in some galleries.

The cafe served passable coffee and croissants. I am still surprised at some works by famous artists held in these city museums, for example by Kandinsky, Degas, Monet and Pissaro. 

There were no obvious security cameras in NOMA, no barricades and very few security personnel. Only the Kandinsky was protected by perspex.


Some parts of New Orleans are rundown and contrast sharply with wonderful architecture.

Ritz Carlton Beaux Arts building Canal Street

The Roosevelt entrance portico

French Quarter home with detailed timberwork eaves

Day 27 - Hot in New Orleans

It was another hot day in New Orleans - 35° for much of the day. We went to the French Market district but it was mostly tourist trash. A promising French patisserie was seriously disappointing. The danish pastry was more like cake and my café au lait was missing a lot of lait. The building was interesting as it dated back to the Victorian era.

For $9 we bought a three day pass for the bus and streetcar network and caught a bus to Magazine St for lunch at Rum House. We both have really nice food, but passed on the rum. To catch a streetcar back to our hotel we walked six blocks along a tree lined street admiring the houses.

Day 26 - Nashville to New Orleans

This morning we flew from Nashville to Charlotte in North Carolina. I checked and double checked the location of Hurricane Dorian before boarding the plane! Fortunately it remained to the east of Charlotte and we had a smooth trip. The cloud formation became more threatening as we approached Charlotte.

Our plane was delayed on the runway at both ends so we had to hurry to catch the flight to New Orleans. Charlotte is a surprisingly large airport and there must have been 100+ American Airlines planes on the ground. Some airports were closed so AA presumably assessed Charlotte as being a safe holding airport.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flies planes into hurricanes to collect data. They also help route other planes away from the hurricanes. This image taken on Tuesday was posted on their Twitter account.

There is little reporting in Australia of some aspects of hurricanes, such tornadoes that can be spawned on the outer edges. Other unusual atmospheric consequences occur like this purple sky photographed in Florida after Dorian passed.

In many cities there is a set taxi fare from the airport to downtown, including New Orleans. We were safely dropped at the Waldorf Hotel which we chose for its history and decor.

We walked down Canal Street and had dinner at a lovely fish restaurant where our server was delightfully friendly and helpful. Here are a couple of pictures taken before dinner.

The local casino with an interesting flag collection

Street car on Canal Street

Early evening Bourbon Street

Day 25 - Grand Ole Opry

We returned to Opry Mills Mall to eat before going to the show at the Grand Ole Opry. I ordered a "personal" pizza which was large enough to feed four people.

In the mall we discovered a huge outdoor shop that sells guns, has a large aquarium, and several taxidermy exhibits. Seriously weird! The diver dropped into the aquarium as we watched, presumably to do some cleaning.

It is only a short walk from the mall to the Grand Ole Opry. The show was OK but we have been to heaps of better shows in Australia.

The compere spoke reverently about the building, but it is not that special. The sound was good but the seating is just padded benches, not individual seats.

Day 24 - Hillsboro Village

We bussed it to the Pancake Pantry at Hillsboro Village, where fortunately there was only a short wait for a table. There seems to be a shortage of workers as we have seen queues at restaurants that have empty tables.

This plate is about 14 inches diameter so it is not surprising I ate less than half of the apple walnut buttermilk pancakes.

Hillsboro Village isn't very big so we visited every store and looked at the murals. This dripping lips mural is my favourite.

I visited the Tennesee State Museum while Anita had a rest. The Bicentenial Capitol Mall State Park has memorials for all of the wars involving Tennesseans. This kugel fountain spins with water pressure.

I thought I heard a train and continued walking through the park to see this long goods train pass through Nashville.

Back to the hotel to watch Sarina and Roger play their next tennis matches.

Day 23 - Hot in Nashville

At 8pm it was still 33° in Nashville. We again escaped the heat in downtown by taking an air conditioned bus to Opry Mills Mall to collect our tickets for the Wednesday night Grand Ole Opry show.

We have spent some time watching the US Open, and of course have been monitoring the progress of Hurricane Dorian. Our flight to New Orleans on Thursday goes via Charlotte in North Carolina which is forecast to be on the edge of "the cone". We won't know for a day or so if our plans will be affected. There is no direct American Airlines flight from Nashville to New Orleans, so we will travel east then south west covering more than double the direct distance.

Our hotel has an Italian restaurant but the only seats available were at the bar. We opted for a quick pizza rather than go back out into the heat. Our hotel has nine floors with a large covered internal courtyard which is fully air conditioned.

Day 22 - Suburban Nashville

Taxis are hard to find out of the immediate downtown area of Nashville and take a while to come when called. We wanted to visit a sports store in the western suburbs so decided to catch a bus. For $2 we were able to travel on an all day pass in air conditioned buses. Walking to the bus stop for our return trip we came across this building.

It is a replica of the log cabin built by James Robertson in 1779. Robertson is credited with founding Nashville after leading his group of pioneers across the frozen Cumberland River. I was amazed to read the Cumberland had ever frozen, but it has done so four times since white settlement. The last time was in 1940 when this photo was taken. It is unlikely to ever freeze again because dams have been constructed which have increased the height and flow of the river.

For lunch and more shopping we caught another bus to take us south to Green Hills Mall. We like to see other parts of cities, not just the downtown areas. On the way we passed through Hillsboro Village and will head back there. One pancake restaurant had about 50 people lined up outside in the heat. We will check it out on a quieter weekday.