15Jun08 Boat ride on the Mississippi
Certain croissants are light as air, yet they can get you through the day. The ones at the hotel tasted not only like plastic but it made us feel as if we had not eaten at all! Thankfully, the lunch at Acme Oyster and Seafood House restored our good frame of mind. How can one feel otherwise after downing a few oyster shooters? Wow, the concoction of vodka and cocktail sauce with bite-sized oysters were potent. Of course we also had ‘raw’ ones (our server preferred to call them ‘fresh’), then ‘baked’ ones (it was ‘charbroiled’ to her), and repeats of the ‘shooters’. We rounded off this oyster-vodkafest with a sampler of Southern dishes – seafood gumbo, jambalaya, red beans with rice and grilled sausage. We left the eatery with a lightheaded complacent smirk – a bad croissant can’t do us in!
It wouldn’t be right to leave Louisiana without going on the river. I can still remember mom telling me, over five decades ago, how she and her siblings learnt to spell the name of the river: Mis-sis-sippi. I would never have even dreamt of sailing down the longest river in the world on a sternwheeler. What an experience it turned out to be!
The Port of New Orleans is said to be the busiest port complex in America. It is at the confluence of the Mississippi River, at the end of its 14500-mile journey to the ocean, with six Class One railroads and numerous freeways. It handled more than 360,000 teu's involving half a million tons of cargo last year. Half of the nation's grain exports pass through this port. Important commodities and materials handled are chemicals, coal, timber, iron, steel, coffee and manufactured goods. It is also the country's top importer of rubber.
After thunderstorms emptied the heavens in the wee hours of the morning, we were welcomed on board for our afternoon cruise by an azure sky. Soothing breezes generated by the sedate passage on the river caressed our faces.
As our boat moved along, the intricacies of river traffic were unraveled by a voice over the PA system. There goes a barge nudged with great determination by a tugboat. It was loaded with grain because it was covered and was low in the water. Oh, the bulk carrier we just passed was flying a flag of convenience. See that little boat rushing by? It was in a hurry to get the river pilot on board that big tanker. The rise and fall of industries and changes in the patterns of commerce can be discerned from activities along the banks. That's an idle aluminum plant on the right. Further along was the Domino sugar refinery – it looked dilapidated. Is it still operating? The miles of piers and warehouses along the banks that catered to different commodities in the past became redundant when other forms of transportation were favored.
The big bend in the Mississippi we sailed through is known as the Algiers - there the water is the deepest, at approx 200ft (about 60m). Many vessels with deep draughts still use this waterway. We were told to observe a huge tanker as it eased into the bend. But it didn’t gently follow the curve of the river, it’s stern just swung round and the vessel exited the bend smartly. Did it almost lose control? No, this was the correct way, the voice assured us.
It was very hard to imagine that most of New Orleans was underwater. But one look was worth a thousand words. From our perch on the top deck, it was obvious that the levees were what kept a big catastrophe at bay, till Katrina. From our vantage point, some of the damage can still be seen three years after her visit. We learnt that it was not the first, or even the second time that the poor working-class 9th Ward (where we coached by yesterday) was flooded. Why weren’t adequate corrective measures taken? The only explanation that came to mind was not enough people cared for those who resided there.
Did sailing always make one hungry? I don’t know. But we wolved down the beignets with a mound of powered sugar at Café du Monde. It was good sipping the steaming hot coffee as we watched the world go by - another must-do on a New Orleans visit covered
Having done nothing but sail, eat and drink, I was exhausted. Something totally unthinkable happened - we walked by Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (aka bar!) without going in for a quaff! The evening ended with us slurping down noodles in our hotel room - Thai red curry flavor, Japanese chicken and beef flavors.
Distance traveled 0 miles by car but a few by river boat
Want oysters in New Orleans? This is the place
I like where it says - WAITRESS AVAILABLE, SOMETIMES; actually, our waitress did her job well
This was ONE house special. The OTHERS - the shooters - were downed the minute they got to our table - oysters with vodka are hmmm...
Our charbroiled oysters - ANOTHER house special - being prepared
The charbroileds were tasty but we liked the fresh ones better
The New Orleans Medley - gumbo, jamabalaya, red beans with rice and grilled sausage. Just what we needed after rounds of oysters
Popular eateries offering good value solved problems the same way the world over: NO SEPARATE CHECKS, NO INCOMPLETE PARTY WILL BE SEATED, NO HOLDING SEATS OR TABLES, NO TABLE SWITCHING. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Can't help slipping in another shot of buildings with contrasting colors and fancy ironwork
Well, there was our ride, the steamboat NATCHEZ
This sternwheeler was 256ft (almost 78m) in length and could hold 1600 people. Interesting to note that the draft was only 7ft (2.1m)
The Mississippi, longest river in the world
The previous photo together this one attempts to show how big vessels ease into the bend of the river and then swing out of it - instead of following the curve in the river gently
One has to be present to enjoy the concert of steam whistles - it was quite an experience
OK, one more shot but don't let them leave without us!
Casting off - the captain directing the crew with his bullhorn
Folks enjoyed watching the riverboat Natchez sail by.
All settled in for the ride upriver
Dilapidated structures along the banks
It seemed like everything was crumbling
The vessel next to Cape Kennedy should be Cape Knox. They belong to the Marine Division of the Department of Transport. They are part of the Ready Reserve Force of ninety odd vessels which assists in rapid military deployment. They also take part in peacekeeping humanitarian response missions. The crews do not work for the US Navy but must be US citizens. The roll on/roll off vessels in the photo are 700ft (212m) long and can ferry extra heavy cargo. They are manned by ten persons each when in port but have to be ready to sail, given four days' notice, with a crew of twenty eight on board.
This waterway is amazing. Guess what this vessel carrying? Answer next photo
Danger - Benzene
Cancer causing agent
Flammable - no smoking
Authorised personnel only
Respirator required
US Revetment
No anchoring or mooring alongside
Domino Sugar was sold to British company Tate and Lyle PLC in the late eighties. This Domino plant produced 950 tons of sugar annually - one of the largest in the US. It had just under three hundred employees. Almost 20% of this country's sugar cane was reportedly processed into sugar here. Upwards of six million pounds of sugar stored in the plant was melted by Katrina's flood waters. The company struggled mightily and set up a trialer city for over two hundred employees and their families with FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Agency) help. Sugar production was back to 65% of normal production by Dec05, four months after the flood. I am not sure if they were still using this plant, as it looked very dilapitated, when we sailed by in June
This was the crude oil tanker Eagle Charlotte owned by American Eagle Tankers Inc with 57949 GT
Tug named after the notorious pirate Blackbeard
The Chalmette Refinery, jointly owned by Exxon and the Venezuelean state oil company PDVSA, had an output of 193K barrels of oil per day. It was also shut down by Katrina. I hope that their output is back to normal now.
UBC Singapore, Limassol is a double skinned bulk carrier built by Saiki Heavy Industries in Japan in 2002. She is 171m long and has a GT of 19743. A British company owns this vessel but she flies the flag of Cyprus. She plies the water of North and South America besides covering Asia
Tug nudging grain barge along - we were told the geometric covers indicate a grain carrier
Heavy weight tug Point Clear with bridge as back drop
This twin steel truss cantilever bridge, straddling the Mississippi River, was known as the Crescent City Connection - two way traffic openned in 1988. It is 13428 ft (407m) long
Go to full screens if you want to see that buildings by the river are under the water level
There was such a lot happening on the river - Bollinger dry dock
Taking the vehicular ferry was a leisurely way to cross the river
The whole setting wouldn't have been complete without a cruise ship.
The Japanese cruise ship ASUKA II carries 720 guests and is reknown for its Japanese hospitality. Its owner, Yuen Kaisha (NYK), is the largest shipping company in the world. It also operates another 800 ships.
Finally we get to the bridge
Street performers attracted a big crowd. St. Louis Cathedral, in the background, is flanked by the Presbytere Louisiana State Museum on one side and the Cabildo History Museum on the other. The 'Square' in front has a statue of General Andrew Jackson who defeated the British in - 1814 - the Battle of New Orleans. The cathedral's greatest moment was when Pope Jean Paul II visited in 1987. Over 200,000 people gathered to attend mass in the open air, spilling on to where the street performers were.
Coffee, and beignets under a mound of sugar, before...
(Reminded me of char-charn-tangs, Hong Kong's version of a coffee shop for the working man)
Beignets with sugar, after...
That's what the floor looked like when the cleaning crew could not keep up with swarm that devoured the beignets
Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans 'must try'
A different New Orleans style
No plants but this fascade still looked good
Our hotel room openned onto this little courtyard - our own oasis of green
This image of New Orleans will always be with us
It wouldn’t be right to leave Louisiana without going on the river. I can still remember mom telling me, over five decades ago, how she and her siblings learnt to spell the name of the river: Mis-sis-sippi. I would never have even dreamt of sailing down the longest river in the world on a sternwheeler. What an experience it turned out to be!
The Port of New Orleans is said to be the busiest port complex in America. It is at the confluence of the Mississippi River, at the end of its 14500-mile journey to the ocean, with six Class One railroads and numerous freeways. It handled more than 360,000 teu's involving half a million tons of cargo last year. Half of the nation's grain exports pass through this port. Important commodities and materials handled are chemicals, coal, timber, iron, steel, coffee and manufactured goods. It is also the country's top importer of rubber.
After thunderstorms emptied the heavens in the wee hours of the morning, we were welcomed on board for our afternoon cruise by an azure sky. Soothing breezes generated by the sedate passage on the river caressed our faces.
As our boat moved along, the intricacies of river traffic were unraveled by a voice over the PA system. There goes a barge nudged with great determination by a tugboat. It was loaded with grain because it was covered and was low in the water. Oh, the bulk carrier we just passed was flying a flag of convenience. See that little boat rushing by? It was in a hurry to get the river pilot on board that big tanker. The rise and fall of industries and changes in the patterns of commerce can be discerned from activities along the banks. That's an idle aluminum plant on the right. Further along was the Domino sugar refinery – it looked dilapidated. Is it still operating? The miles of piers and warehouses along the banks that catered to different commodities in the past became redundant when other forms of transportation were favored.
The big bend in the Mississippi we sailed through is known as the Algiers - there the water is the deepest, at approx 200ft (about 60m). Many vessels with deep draughts still use this waterway. We were told to observe a huge tanker as it eased into the bend. But it didn’t gently follow the curve of the river, it’s stern just swung round and the vessel exited the bend smartly. Did it almost lose control? No, this was the correct way, the voice assured us.
It was very hard to imagine that most of New Orleans was underwater. But one look was worth a thousand words. From our perch on the top deck, it was obvious that the levees were what kept a big catastrophe at bay, till Katrina. From our vantage point, some of the damage can still be seen three years after her visit. We learnt that it was not the first, or even the second time that the poor working-class 9th Ward (where we coached by yesterday) was flooded. Why weren’t adequate corrective measures taken? The only explanation that came to mind was not enough people cared for those who resided there.
Did sailing always make one hungry? I don’t know. But we wolved down the beignets with a mound of powered sugar at Café du Monde. It was good sipping the steaming hot coffee as we watched the world go by - another must-do on a New Orleans visit covered
Having done nothing but sail, eat and drink, I was exhausted. Something totally unthinkable happened - we walked by Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (aka bar!) without going in for a quaff! The evening ended with us slurping down noodles in our hotel room - Thai red curry flavor, Japanese chicken and beef flavors.
Distance traveled 0 miles by car but a few by river boat
Want oysters in New Orleans? This is the place
I like where it says - WAITRESS AVAILABLE, SOMETIMES; actually, our waitress did her job well
This was ONE house special. The OTHERS - the shooters - were downed the minute they got to our table - oysters with vodka are hmmm...
Our charbroiled oysters - ANOTHER house special - being prepared
The charbroileds were tasty but we liked the fresh ones better
The New Orleans Medley - gumbo, jamabalaya, red beans with rice and grilled sausage. Just what we needed after rounds of oysters
Popular eateries offering good value solved problems the same way the world over: NO SEPARATE CHECKS, NO INCOMPLETE PARTY WILL BE SEATED, NO HOLDING SEATS OR TABLES, NO TABLE SWITCHING. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Can't help slipping in another shot of buildings with contrasting colors and fancy ironwork
Well, there was our ride, the steamboat NATCHEZ
This sternwheeler was 256ft (almost 78m) in length and could hold 1600 people. Interesting to note that the draft was only 7ft (2.1m)
The Mississippi, longest river in the world
The previous photo together this one attempts to show how big vessels ease into the bend of the river and then swing out of it - instead of following the curve in the river gently
One has to be present to enjoy the concert of steam whistles - it was quite an experience
OK, one more shot but don't let them leave without us!
Casting off - the captain directing the crew with his bullhorn
Folks enjoyed watching the riverboat Natchez sail by.
All settled in for the ride upriver
Dilapidated structures along the banks
It seemed like everything was crumbling
The vessel next to Cape Kennedy should be Cape Knox. They belong to the Marine Division of the Department of Transport. They are part of the Ready Reserve Force of ninety odd vessels which assists in rapid military deployment. They also take part in peacekeeping humanitarian response missions. The crews do not work for the US Navy but must be US citizens. The roll on/roll off vessels in the photo are 700ft (212m) long and can ferry extra heavy cargo. They are manned by ten persons each when in port but have to be ready to sail, given four days' notice, with a crew of twenty eight on board.
This waterway is amazing. Guess what this vessel carrying? Answer next photo
Danger - Benzene
Cancer causing agent
Flammable - no smoking
Authorised personnel only
Respirator required
US Revetment
No anchoring or mooring alongside
Domino Sugar was sold to British company Tate and Lyle PLC in the late eighties. This Domino plant produced 950 tons of sugar annually - one of the largest in the US. It had just under three hundred employees. Almost 20% of this country's sugar cane was reportedly processed into sugar here. Upwards of six million pounds of sugar stored in the plant was melted by Katrina's flood waters. The company struggled mightily and set up a trialer city for over two hundred employees and their families with FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Agency) help. Sugar production was back to 65% of normal production by Dec05, four months after the flood. I am not sure if they were still using this plant, as it looked very dilapitated, when we sailed by in June
This was the crude oil tanker Eagle Charlotte owned by American Eagle Tankers Inc with 57949 GT
Tug named after the notorious pirate Blackbeard
The Chalmette Refinery, jointly owned by Exxon and the Venezuelean state oil company PDVSA, had an output of 193K barrels of oil per day. It was also shut down by Katrina. I hope that their output is back to normal now.
UBC Singapore, Limassol is a double skinned bulk carrier built by Saiki Heavy Industries in Japan in 2002. She is 171m long and has a GT of 19743. A British company owns this vessel but she flies the flag of Cyprus. She plies the water of North and South America besides covering Asia
Tug nudging grain barge along - we were told the geometric covers indicate a grain carrier
Heavy weight tug Point Clear with bridge as back drop
This twin steel truss cantilever bridge, straddling the Mississippi River, was known as the Crescent City Connection - two way traffic openned in 1988. It is 13428 ft (407m) long
Go to full screens if you want to see that buildings by the river are under the water level
There was such a lot happening on the river - Bollinger dry dock
Taking the vehicular ferry was a leisurely way to cross the river
The whole setting wouldn't have been complete without a cruise ship.
The Japanese cruise ship ASUKA II carries 720 guests and is reknown for its Japanese hospitality. Its owner, Yuen Kaisha (NYK), is the largest shipping company in the world. It also operates another 800 ships.
Finally we get to the bridge
Street performers attracted a big crowd. St. Louis Cathedral, in the background, is flanked by the Presbytere Louisiana State Museum on one side and the Cabildo History Museum on the other. The 'Square' in front has a statue of General Andrew Jackson who defeated the British in - 1814 - the Battle of New Orleans. The cathedral's greatest moment was when Pope Jean Paul II visited in 1987. Over 200,000 people gathered to attend mass in the open air, spilling on to where the street performers were.
Coffee, and beignets under a mound of sugar, before...
(Reminded me of char-charn-tangs, Hong Kong's version of a coffee shop for the working man)
Beignets with sugar, after...
That's what the floor looked like when the cleaning crew could not keep up with swarm that devoured the beignets
Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans 'must try'
A different New Orleans style
No plants but this fascade still looked good
Our hotel room openned onto this little courtyard - our own oasis of green
This image of New Orleans will always be with us
posted by Regamy at
2:32 AM
1 Comments:
charbroiled oysters is a very new orleans thing but i agree that it is better raw.
i really enjoyed the oysters there. it is a local variety that i never see anywhere else. and they were relatively cheap.
By
Unknown, At
September 6, 2008 at 3:49 PM
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