Having an incredible time in New Orleans, what a city! Andy's birthday surprise was pulled off impeccably at Newark airport. We are staying at the gorgeous Roosevelt Hotel and already we've had beignets at Cafe du Monde, had a cooking class that gave us a rich history of the area & food, we ate a crab & corn bisque (my favourite), shrimp creole, pralines & bananas foster. Our instructor was a southern sassy lady and too much fun! We then went to Pat O'briens and sat in the courtyard and some sunshine to sample some Hurricanes as that was where they were invented. The French quarter was getting livelier as the day progressed. So much to see wandering around Bourbon street, we had to stop for an afternoon snack of the biggest oysters I have ever seen! For dinner we ate at Paul Prudhommes and then continued to Preservation Hall for some quintessential New Orleans music with the Kinfolk Brass Band. Incredible, mad mad trombone skills. Walking back to our hotel there were people everywhere I was wondering what the special occasion was, did a sports team win? Is New Years still being celebrated? Nope it's just the vibe if people taking to the streets & having a great time, so fun, that was just day one!