Since we had plans in the evening to stay in one of the floating cabins we decided to get going pretty early. Our first stop was a little restaurant in a house, called Biscuits & Buns on Banks. This place, although small, packed a big breakfast punch! We were definitely NOT disappointed! There were waffles–the boys tried theirs topped with grilled brie and fruit and Joe had the chicken and waffles with grits. I had an omlette with a huge biscuit, and we also all shared an andouille sausage hash cake. All-in-all an excellent choice for breakfast which we all highly recommend. The owner and staff were very friendly. We got there right when they opened and we were the only people eating inside which allowed us to get some pictures of their decor as well. I think seeing all of the murals might be enough reason to go eat there!
From conversations with the owner we found you won’t be disappointed with any of their neighbors, either. The little restaurant cluster at Banks St and S Alexander St includes Mid City Pizza, Wakin’ Bakin’, Bub’s NOLA (a burger joint), and Banks Street Bar, and they ALL looked worth checking out. (Wakin’ Bakin’ was my second choice, if Biscuits and Buns had been too busy!).
Exploring Metairie Cemetery
Full from our amazing meal, we drove up to Metairie Cemetery. We took an extra tour of the next neighborhood, having followed Google to an entrance that was not useable. We ran the gauntlet of the same challenging intersection we had walked through the day before and then found an opening we could finally drive into. Next was the challenge of finding the gravesite that Joe wanted to see, which was of Jim Garrison. This search introduced us to a gravesite finding website, which I found a little fascinating! We did find Garrison’s gravesite, and then I found a whole list of interesting people who were buried in Metairie.
Generally speaking, I enjoy walking around in older cemeteries. I especially like seeing the interesting choices people make in statues and memorials, finding the oldest sites, and even reading the names. Of course, cemeteries in New Orleans are even more interesting as most of the dead are above ground, and many of the tombs are very elaborate. You can read a short article about the history of NO’s burial sites and cemeteries here.
One of the more famous people at Metairie is P.G.T. Beauregard. I had never heard of this man, but I started to read his story and made everyone wait for me as I finished the whole thing. He was the fifth most senior Confederate officer, and was instrumental in creating the Confederate flag to avoid battlefield confusion. Even more interesting was his after-war career, which included inventing a cable car drive system similar to the one in use in San Francisco, running the Louisiana state lottery, and serving as Adjutant General of Louisiana. He is buried in the Army of Tennessee Memorial, where you can also see statues of him.
P.G.T Beauregard may be one of the more famous people at Metairie, but the Weeping Angel in the Chapman H Hyams Memorial may be the most famous and most photographed statue. The haunting blue light from the stained glass only adds to her beauty.
Someone else broke out a little piece of stained glass, but getting the end-view photo can still be challenging:
My other personal favorite is this eternal visitor to the Morales tomb
Celebrating Life
After our tour of death, we took our boys to the nearby City Park. I had wanted to see an exhibit of outdoor trains, but it was inside of the Botanical Gardens. Since we had reservations to stay at the floating cabins, we decided to skip the Gardens. The boys enjoyed a play area, and also the statues outside of StoryLand. Sorry, Bo Peep!
Back at the campground, we packed up a few things and headed over to the floating cabins! We enjoyed watching the swamp tour and fishing boats go by from the screened-in deck, the wildlife, and the sunset. Taking advantage of a full-size oven, I made brownies and stuffed-crust pizza. Since it was Park Ranger Keith’s last day working at the park, we invited him over after his shift. He came to pick up his brownies and ended up staying and chatting with us for almost two hours! Eventually he succumed to eating some pizza, as well.
