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<\/a><\/p>\nJohn decided to play a little dress up as well.\u00a0 Looking good buddy!<\/p>\n
Here are the outfits.\u00a0 Looking good ladies!<\/p>\n We all got on a very crowded street car and headed to the Garden District for a walking tour.\u00a0 We all met at Lafayette Cemetery #1, the most famous cemetery in New Orleans.<\/p>\n The cemetery, founded in 1833, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n Unfortunately it’s currently closed for repairs, and has apparently been for quite awhile, so the only views are from the gates.<\/p>\n If the various families don’t take care of the tombs there is a local volunteer group that will jump in and ensure they don’t fall into total disrepair, which was not clearly evident from some of these tombs appearances.<\/p>\n After leaving the cemetery our guide led us down the street to the “Benjamin Button” house.\u00a0 Built in 1832, this house was used as the main house in the Brad Pitt movie of the same name.\u00a0 Many scenes from the film take place on the porch and steps in front of the home.\u00a0 We’ve seen it once, so we’ll have to watch it again at some point.\u00a0 I remember it being quite strange.<\/p>\n The next house was the Walter Robinson House, built by a wealthy banker from Virginia.\u00a0 This building was the first in New Orleans to have indoor plumbing, thanks to a roof design that collected rain water.\u00a0 It’s hard to imagine living without indoor plumbing.<\/p>\n The mansion has been featured in several movies, including Jason Statham’s “The Mechanic” in 2011.\u00a0 I saw the original from 1972 with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent.\u00a0 I had no idea they remade it.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 The original was perfect…Charles at his finest!<\/p>\n Up next was the beautifully intricate cast iron work of the Carroll-Crawford house.\u00a0 Joseph Carroll built this house in 1869, and was known for throwing extravagant and often raunchy parties with important guests, such as Mark Twain.<\/p>\n The cast iron was imported from Italy, and was considered the most expensive in the Garden District…until a neighbor bought the same cast iron work, but added features not found here.\u00a0 Love the details!<\/p>\n The next house is the Pritchard house, built in 1858.\u00a0 With it’s four columns it is one of the few great examples of Greek revival in the Garden District.\u00a0 Our guide said that Walt Disney toured the area before he built Disneyland, and it is said he copied the design of this house for The Haunted Mansion.\u00a0 Disney sure seems to have gotten around!<\/p>\n Here is another shot from the direct front of the house.\u00a0 Note the color of the ceilings on both the lower and upper porches, which is known as “haint blue”.\u00a0 This color is said to ward off evil spirits, a tradition brought to the south by the Gullah people , descendants of enslaved people from west and central Africa.\u00a0 Nearly every home on the Garden District has this haint blue paint on the porch ceilings.<\/p>\n The last notable house is called the “Cornstalk Fence” house, also know as Colonel Short’s Villa.\u00a0 Built in 1859, merchant Robert Short built this house and included a decorative wrought iron cornstalk fence that encircles the property.\u00a0 It is said he ordered the lavish custom fence for his wife, who was missing the cornfields of her native Iowa.\u00a0 This is before people bought yachts and RV’s to impress the neighbors.<\/p>\n Here is a close up of the cornstalk fence.\u00a0 Pretty cool artwork!<\/p>\n On our last night we had dinner at Arnaud’s Jazz Bistro, where a jazz band plays throughout dinner, going from table to table.\u00a0 While the service and atmosphere was great, the food was unfortunately mediocre at best.\u00a0 I can’t recommend this place, despite it’s historic nature.\u00a0 Sad.<\/p>\n We then walked down Bourbon Street toward Frenchman Street, where we planned to hit another jazz bar.\u00a0 Here are the ladies with their birthday boas all lit up.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n