State #46, Jazz Half Marathon, New Orleans, LA, 10/26/19, Part 1

My husband and I flew down to New Orleans Thursday afternoon after work. We decided to make this race a little getaway trip for the two of us, so the grandmas tag teamed back in CT to take care of the kiddos. Neither of us had ever been to New Orleans before, so it was a trip we really were both excited to have.
Our first morning in the city brought us tons of rain. In fact, the whole weekend was looking bleak weather-wise, but no matter; we took to the streets to see the French Quarter. We decided to splurge and stay at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal St. What a treat! It was a luxurious hotel with every amenity available.
We stepped out in the morning after a nice bite of breakfast and headed for a walk along Bourbon Street. It definitely had the feel of a party haven kind of place, with bars on every corner (many of them adult themed) and the air of last night's partying still being washed off the sidewalks. We enjoyed walking along looking at the southern architecture and ornate iron balconies.

View along Bourbon St.

French Quarter street view. 

Historic architecture in French Quarter. 

Balconies in the pouring rain!

We made our way down to the Mississippi River waterfront area where we saw Cafe DuMonde, the Steamboat Natchez and ended up in a pretty cool artists co-op where we picked up a couple of souvenirs. We also caught a great glimpse of the St. Louis Cathedral from this vantage point.

Joan of Arc statue.

View of St. Louis Cathedral from waterfront area.

We walked around the waterfront area for a bit before deciding to head toward the hotel area where I was to pick up my bib number. So we started to head away from the river and ended up at the Cathedral where we stopped in to take a peek. It was so calm and beautiful in there. Gregorian chant music was playing, and we sat for a few minutes. I snapped a couple of pictures there of the beautiful works of art adorning the ceiling and walls.

Cathedral interior.

St. Joan of Arc statue in cathedral.

We meandered along Chartres Street, stopping at a couple of shops along the way. I managed to find a cool silver charm for my charm bracelet in a jewelry store, and we saw many restaurants and novelty shops along the way.

Marathon expo and number pick up. Not much to see there but this sign.

We finally reached the Renaissance Hotel where I easily picked up my bib number. We decided to have lunch at the adjoining restaurant, the Legacy Kitchen, where we both got a crab and corn bisque and split a caesar salad. It was good food, although I had to hold myself back on ordering any serious cajun inspired food until after the race. (Don't want to end up with stomach problems in the middle of tomorrow's race.)
With the rain still holding on, we decided to just head back to our hotel for a bit to relax, and ended up booking dinner at the hotel as well, just to keep things simple. 

Relaxing the afternoon away in the hotel with wine and snacks.

An interesting item of note, our hotel was only about four doors down from the fated Hard Rock Hotel that collapsed last week. Just outside our hotel property, at the corner of the road, a barricade stretches across Canal Street blocking vehicular traffic and pedestrians from passing in front of the collapse. Pretty scary stuff.
I'm sure we will have a fantastic dinner tonight and then hopefully I'll get a good night of sleep.

Marathon t-shirt and bib number.