In my previous post, I mentioned that I was going to take a train called The City of New Orleans, a train that I’d never tried before, to New Orleans, a city I’ve never visited before.
I did this. I wasn’t all that impressed by the train.
The food was awful, especially in the way it was prepared. For example, my instant oatmeal in my continental breakfast had been microwaved in the kitchen and placed on a shelf for my 7:30 breakfast time (which I specified when I ordered it the night before). Even though I got there at 7:20, there was no one working the dining car until 7:45. So, by the time that I got the cup of oatmeal, it had a consistency of rubber and had taken the shape of the cup.
The train was old and in rough shape. There were scars in the exterior showing how many times it had hit things. The electricity in my car failed. Because I needed the power for medical equipment, I was moved to another car. The other passengers were told to charge their phones in the observation car, as the electricity would not be fix before the end of the trip.
These seem like small inconveniences, but after already being on the Empire Builder for a couple of days where everything worked out well, these events just highlighted the differences.
I did see some good scenery but didn’t take that many pictures. I didn’t meet any people, due to the seat yourself policy in the dining car. I value this part of traveling on the Empire Builder and Pacific Coast Starlight.
After 20 hours on the City of New Orleans, I finally arrived in the city of New Orleans. This was immediately evident by the Superdome passing by my window.
A short Uber ride later, and I was at my hotel (The Mercantile Hotel). The hotel would benefit from floor plans for their rooms. The reservation said that I had a suite. However, I’m certain that would attract more business if they showed that “suite” meant, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and sitting area. They offered a continental breakfast which I enjoyed both mornings that I was there. The brick-faced walls added a lot of character to the experience, as did the record player complete with jazz albums.
Being in the Warehouse Historic District, I was a short walk from the Riverwalk Mall, Harrah’s and Caesar’s casinos, countless restaurants, and 3 trolley lines.
On the first morning, I walked to the corner of Canal and Bourbon streets. From there, I walked the length of Bourbon street, then back down Royal street to pass by Paul Morphy’s childhood home, now a restaurant.
From Canal and Royal, I walked to Jackson Square. I took some photos of the statues, Christmas trees, and buildings.
From there, I walked through the French market, which was a lot like Pike Street Market in Seattle and took a trolley back to my hotel to recharge my phone and my legs.
To be continued…
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