New Orleans Day 3: City Tour and Steamboat Cruise

I was so excited to FINALLY figure out how to wear this dress! I wore this on our third and last full day in New Orleans.  I had also taken a dressier outfit and heels because I knew Mr. Fantastic would be taking us somewhere nice for dinner on at least one of those nights, but it turned out to be this night and we didn't realize that the tour would take so long.

Dress: Saint Tropez West

Sweater: Halogen

Scarf: Target

Boots: MIA

Purse: Rebecca Minkoff MAC

Jewelry: Blue Nile, So Good Jewelry, Marc Jacobs, DIY, old

If you'd like to see my two previous failed attempts at styling this dress, they are here and here.  When I was editing these, I was happy to see I finally got the casual, "I just threw this on" look that I was going for and yet, I really think I looked put together.  Definitely my favorite look of the trip.

I've pretty much worn every single thing before, so I will tell you that if you ever get a chance to visit New Orleans and your main target isn't Bourbon Street, you should take the City Tour by Southwest Tours there.  It's a tad longer than we expected (just over three hours) but you get to see EVERYTHING.  Some places we had already been the previous two days, but it was great to learn something about them nonetheless. My tidbit about General Lee not turning his back on a Yankee came from this tour.

The most moving part was of course, the visit to the Ninth Ward.  It is unbelievable to see how far the water had to rise before it started flooding the area and it is truly heartbreaking to realize that many people simply don't have the means to rebuild or even to come back to their homes.  These are some images taken from the bus (they wouldn't let us get off for photos) but the devastation is still very real more than 6 years later.

I will close on a happy note and say that this was my favorite day of our stay.  I've mentioned before that I am a big nerd and I love history, but I also love steamboats and my favorite thing of all is food.  Mr. Fantastic booked us on a Jazz Dinner Cruise on the Steamboat Natchez and they had amazing food, strong drinks, and great music.  We were even in the engine room as we left the pier; he LOVED that, he's a big nerd, too!  It was so much fun, even if I didn't get to wear my pretty dress.  I will leave you with an overload of photos now.