French Quarter Fest – Friday

We did a lot of roaming our second day of the 32nd annual French Quarter Fest starting at The Mint with a bowl of Pulled Pork over Roasted Corn & Cheese Grits ($7) from Squeal. We got a hug from Winks’ Dwight Henry, star of Beasts of the Southern Wild and 12 Years a Slave before making our way to the French Market where we watched a few minutes of a dance class. Then we walked along the river to Jackson Square for Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake ($5) from GW Fins.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, located in the heart of New Orleans alongside the mighty Mississippi used to be one of the preeminent aquariums in the world with over 10,000 fish of over 500 species. Then Katrina came. Nearly all the animals died with the exception of the white alligator, the birds, a 250 pound sea turtle, the otters and the penguins. Apparently, a few police officers checked in daily to feed the animals and I heard a story about one policeman who brought ice for the penguins everyday.