Louisana, New Orleans - A special place.. our lil one's first air trip..

Travelling by air with an infant.  We flew out to New Orleans with our 10 week old baby girl in mid-Feb.  We were a wee bit worried as any new parents would be, travelling for the first time by air with a baby.  We took all the necessary precautions, carried the car seat, checked in a huge stroller.. :)

As advised by the pediatrician, we carried a pacifier to avoid pressure in her ears, but she kept spitting out... and we had to hold it in place for both takeoff and landing.  She slept for most of the three and half hour journey and when awake was alert and a happy traveller, full of smiles, we needn't have worried at all.   It was a memorable trip.  

We were there for three days, arrived the day after Mardi Gras and stayed at a hotel in downtown New Orleans.  After dinner, we went for a walk with the lil one happily tucked in her stroller.  It was so touching when random people stopped to ooh and aah over our baby and shower her with beads and golden coins.  We walked down Bourbon street.. the music coming thru to the streets and the folks laughing and talking on the overhead balconies.. absolutely loved the ambiance. 

The next day, we went for a drive around the city, saw some beautiful homes and visited the french quarter, the french market buzzing with activity, we got some treasures to take back home and a miniature porcelain mask, a Mardi Gras souvenir. 

In the late evening, Ed went with a cousin studying at Tulane for a blues concert on bourbon street..  The next day we walked thru the Tulane university and had dinner at a quaint little restaurant, I can't remember the name, just that it was late and tram rambling along ther rails running thru the center of the street.. three days flew by and we were headed back home. 

The city of New Orleans reminded me so much of Calcutta(Kolkata, India) and home... the crowds, the trams, the laid back atmosphere and all.   We promised ourselves, we would go back someday and we did. 

Last winter(2011-12) we got a chance to go back with the girls over Christmas, en route to Florida.   The ambiance of Bourbon street remains the same, the crowds a lot more than I remembered.. The french market buzzing with activity and a multitude of colorful treasures and good bargains, the girls loved it and understood why New Orleans holds a special place in my heart.   During our bus tour around the city, it was sad to see the devastation in some parts but happy to see the restoration and reconstruction, too.  The girls hope to return some day, too.