I recently made a pilgrimage back to the town I love the most! NEW ORLEANS! This experience was different as I had my tiny little Writer's Block (aka baby daughter Noey) in tote. So I decided to do the "tourist thing" and spend a morning exploring the French Quarter. This led me to my final destination of the French Market.
One thing I can say that was positive about hurricane Katrina is it caused this area to be revamped! Yay! Before the storm, it was grungy and the booths were ill-fitted messes that squeezed into every available crevice of the place. Often you could smell a faint odor of pee from the drunken idiots the night before "marking their territory" (honestly do that by the Mississippi River if you need to pee and everything's closed. lol) Now, there is a farmer's market section with snack booths. Then there is a separate section for trinkets, nick-nacks and tourist type stuff. Did I mention the CLEAN public restrooms?! Happy Day!
It has come a long way and I recommend anyone who needs to get "gifts" for people from your vacation go here because it is substantially cheaper than the stores in the Quarter. With that said, when did they start NOT haggling the prices?! I bought 5 magnets for friends at one booth. I had cash (which means they don't have a paper trail). I asked the pushy, old Asian woman if I could wave the 45 cent tax and she looked at me annoyed and said NO. Normally, I would have switched booths, but I was in a hurry, so I threw an extra dollar her way and called it a day, but I was highly annoyed.
As I walked around, I noticed all the booths do it now. Maybe they are cracking down on it? I don't know but I will forever miss the days of haggling and saving that measly 45 cents. It's not about the money, it's about the feeling that I got a good deal.
Despite my minor complaint (a silly one anyway), I love the NEW IMPROVED French Market and think its a destination stop for any tourist visiting New Orleans. I recommend perusing the merchandise while sipping on an Alcoholic Banana's Smoothie you can purchase there.
Much more New Orleans and vacation blogs to come in the next few weeks!
Lots of Love,
E.M.
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