ARHS New Orleans Immersion Trip 2012: Day 4 - Rained Out! Wednesday, April 4, 2012

That storm that came in yesterday afternoon lasted all night and woke me up with thunderclaps that lasted 15-20 seconds. I was told by Noel this morning that there were 437 lightning strikes in the period of one hour last night! Among other duties, Noel watches the weather for the center because of the frequency of extreme weather. As he put it, "This IS southern Louisiana!" Fair enough.

So we were rained out of work today. We called Eddy, our Americorps volunteer over at the Legohn house and he said he was shutting down early today because nothing could be done. I certainly didn't want to have to see the poor guy keep eleven teenage boys busy all day, so we settled for moving some metal bookcases for Noel here at Annunciation Mission and then we were free for the day. And then it dawned on us: what were we supposed to do with eleven teenage boys in the rain all day? OK, think fast. After breakfast I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet New Orleans book for some ideas for indoor activities. We settled on a cluster of museums located in the Central Business (CBD)/Warehouse District, NOLA's version of SOMA in San Francisco but before the ballpark. We had a choice between the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the National World War II History Museum. Ms. A took four guys over to the Ogden Museum while I went with the other seven to see World War II history. As we entered, we wondered why the National World War II Museum was located in New Orleans of all places, and not, for example, Pearl Harbor. We were told that it was originally going to be a museum exclusively about D-Day to be located in New Orleans because the guy who invented the landing craft used at D-Day was from New Orleans. The museum has since been expanded after receiving overwhelming support and donations of other artifacts from WWII veterans nationwide, and is planning even further expansion into the future. The museum has fantastic displays of real artifacts and a thorough interpretation of not only D-Day but also all the different fronts of the War, including the American home front. As we walked through the museum, the students asked other good questions that I couldn't answer, like "What does the 'D' in 'D-Day' stand for?" and "What does 'G.I.' stand for?" We were definitely in the right place to get those answers. We found out that no one really knows what the 'D' stands for. A volunteer at the museum told us that it depends on whom you ask, as the guys involved in it were told different things. Yet, it is one of those words from that era that has found its way into our lexicon. Overall, the museum is worth seeing if you are even remotely interested in WWII and especially if you ever find yourself in New Orleans with eleven teenage boys on a rainy day with nothing to do.

After we got museum fatigue, we met up with the other group and walked a few blocks to NOLA Grocery for some authentic po'boy sandwiches. You can literally eat your way through this town and never be disappointed. This place is a real hole-in-the-wall gem, serves a mean po'boy, and is probably the best deal in the whole downtown area. We left full and satisfied as you can tell by the picture.

As if we hadn't eaten enough, the Annunciation Mission staff surprised us with an authentic crawfish meal later that evening. A few students who made the trip in previous years were pros at breaking the crawfish, sucking out the head, and then cleaning and eating the body. Others of us were not nearly as seasoned, but learned quickly. A competition between two tables quickly ensued in typical Riordan style. Team Simon, Chris and Eric were the clear winners (see last photo), and the mission staff declared them honorary New Orleanians. A few burly football players, who shall remain nameless, wouldn't even try. The staff of the mission joined us, and we had a wonderful dinner out on the patio in the warm Louisiana evening. The students experienced a true crawfish boil!

To cap off the night, we went to Broccato's for delicious gelato and cannoli. Angelo Broccato who immigrated to the US in 1905 started the ice cream shop in the same fashion as one near Palermo, Italy. His descendants are still running the business today. I'm not sure how we're going to work tomorrow after all this eating!