The Big Easy March 2009

Well, the Big Easy was fantastical! Amanda and I had a great time and I got to do most of what was on my list, I walked probably 40 miles while I was there and I got a ton of good photos to boot.

3/29, Day 1 - I got in just after lunch. I met Amanda at the Hilton Riverside (excellent btw) and we set off for lunch. To our dismay, Central Grocery Company is closed on Sunday and Monday, so we didn't get to start off with a muffuletta. But at least we had something to look forward to for Tuesday! We went to the French Market Bar and I had an excellent oyster po boy and my first beer since St. Patty's Day! We did some walking around and I got my first taste of Bourbon Street - bars and skin clubs with a smattering of historic jazz clubs, quaint hotels and restaurants thrown in for good measure. I was curious about the 'World Famous Love Acts' club, but with 8x10 photos pasted up on the door of some of the things that are going on inside, little is left to the imagination. There are probably 5 Hustler clubs along the way and also Rick's Cabaret, whose slogan is 'It's not just the same old thong and dance.' Catchy, huh? The Brennan family is famous in NOLA for their food - we went to Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House Seafood for dinner and it was out of this world, some of the best oysters I've ever had.

3/30, Day 2 - I went on a run after Amanda left for her meeting - despite having no closing time for the bars and some of the restaurants staying open 24/7, New Orleans is pretty sleepy that early in the morning. I did a lot of walking around, just exploring streets I hadn't walked down - Amanda and I met at the Clover Grill for lunch. They boast that they have the world's best hamburger and fries so I gave it a shot. Fries? Not the best I've ever had, but I'm not one to turn down a fry. Bacon cheeseburger? Hell yeah, that thing was good - and huge. They cook their burgers with a little help from hubcaps off '57 Chevys. I didn't believe it 'til I saw it. The only thing they lacked? A half-decent bathroom. We had a serious conversation about how many people we thought might have died in there. We walked down to the Krystal and paid $2.20 for a drink so we could use their bathroom. I met a tour group at 1:00 at the Royal Blend Tea & Coffee House on Royal Street for my walking tour. We walked around the Quarter and checked out some of the architecture. Our guide explained the difference between a balcony and a gallery (balconies only come half-way out and are supported from below, galleries come all the way out to the edge of the sidewalk and are supported by posts or columns). She took us to St. Louis Cemetery #1, which is probably the most popular cemetery destination because Marie Laveau (the Voodoo Queen) is interred there. I had read warnings about going into the cemeteries alone and the danger of being mugged (you never know who's hiding behind the tombs and all) - and we saw several people who were definitely not part of a tour group, and definitely not in the cemetery to visit a deceased loved one...in fact, 2 kids walked through smoking a joint. They usually go in groups of 4 - 2 guys stay at the one and only gate and the other 2 go inside. That way, if you try to run, there are people waiting at the gates to ensure a successful take of your camera, wallet and valuables...There is a separate part for Protestants, and most of the graves are underground. But they have these huge thick slabs of concrete over them to weigh them down. Because of the water table, heavy rains can easily unearth the coffins, which is why most of the tombs are above-ground. There are a few of the Catholic graves that are underground, too - but they either have the concrete on top of them or are encased in layers of brick and mortar. Really interesting. Our last stop on the tour was Priestess Miriam's Voodoo Temple. Our tour guide said that she talks 'in a stream of consciousness' and she wasn't lying. Priestess Miriam is a fascinating, sweet lady - and you can tell that there are more levels to her and her belief system than just a human form. We had to walk through her office to get to the temple - the shelves were full of jars with spices, some I'd never heard of, powders, you name it. She has an amazing reputation in town and has a pretty big following as well.

We decided on Pat O'Brien's for hurricanes and dinner that night. The courtyard was really nice but if you're eating, they put you on the opposite side from where the dueling pianos are. That side is for drinkers only. The crawfish cakes were excellent. And the hurricane was pretty damn good, too.

3/31, Day 3 - I took another early morning run, this time I went through Jackson Square and down the riverwalk to the French Market and back. I did some more heavy duty walking around - I didn't do as much in the Quarter since we'd explored most of that and I wanted to see as much as I could. I went back down Decatur towards the French Market again, but this time I stopped at Jackson Square to take it all in and take some photos. It's gorgeous. That's about all I can say. I went to St. Louis Cathedral and again, amazing. Amanda and I met for lunch at Central Grocery Company for our beloved muffuletta! It was so big and so good, we split it and I would love to have another one now. I keep meaning to check and see if they have a website so I could order some of their olive salad - one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, hands down...

After lunch, I switched directions and headed back towards the hotel so I could avoid the rain by going to the Audubon Aquarium (which was right next to the Hilton). It was nice and muggy when I got back outside, so I decided to hoof it some more so I could really frizz out my hair. I went more towards the CBD (Central Business District) and got some great shots of some historic buildings - and Lafayette Square. They also have a streetcar art project that's similar to Raleigh's wolf art project. Local artists, philanthropists and school groups design and decorate streetcars and then they're placed all over the city, as a way to rejuvenate the spirit. I grabbed shots of all that I saw.

That night we went to Mulate's, the original cajun restaurant, for some food and some entertainment. They have a cajun band playing each night which made for some nice background music. I had the fried alligator plate - complete with fries and jambalaya, and Amanda followed her dinner with some of the best bread pudding in the world.

4/1, Day 4 - Our last full day, we decided to take the St. Charles streetcar into the Garden District for some more sightseeing and to check out a recommendation on a restaurant, Camellia Grill. The houses of course are amazing - we did, however, see 2 houses that still have the FEMA markings on them. We passed by Loyola and Tulane Universities - both campuses definitely belong in the Garden District. I could really dig going to college in New Orleans. We got to Camellia's and it was all it was hyped up to be. A small place with friendly service - everyone sits at a lunch counter and it has a really retro feel. Check it out on youtube, it's on there.

We talked about going on a Katrina tour but we really thought it might be too upsetting. There are several areas that are still devestated - but I would like to have seen the levee at the 9th Ward and the Musician's Village - the collaboration of Harrick Connick, Jr., Bono and Habitat for Humanity to build completely green, efficient housing for misplaced musicians and local artists who had to leave town after Katrina. The French Quarter is the highest ground in the area so it's difficult to distinguish Katrina damage from old age and poor maintenance. Flooding in the Quarter was minimal so most of the damage was wind-related, from the top down. We ended up deciding not to do a Katrina tour.

We got back to the hotel, relaxed for a little bit, and went in search of our next meal. We joked at one point that we were just walking from meal to meal - but damn, did we do some walking. We checked out a few places only to find out that The Pearl Oyster Bar closed at 6 (huh?) and Brother's, whose claim to fame is the fried chicken, is a corner bodega. So we opted to check out Arnaud's Remoulade instead - Arnaud's more casual and less expensive sibling. On the way, we stopped to get a couple of road daiquiris. You can't go wrong with a to-go drink.

4/2, Day 5 - Our last day :( We went to the coffee shop at the hotel for a quick bagel and cup of coffee and Amanda grabbed a cab to the airport. My flight didn't leave 'til 4 so I still had a few hours to do some people watching. I took a few last photos and went back to the Royal Blend for a coffee mug and an iced mocha, then walked around in search of a shot glass for my collection and a couple other souvenirs. I headed back to the hotel with a new cookbook, 2 other books about New Orleans and a couple other souvenirs in tow. My shuttle left at 1 that afternoon and the rain that we were supposed to have gotten on Tues and Weds waited ever so kindly until I got in the van headed to the airport! I got back to RDU around 11 that night and Craig was waiting there to take me home.

I have crossed another destination off my 'To Do - Travel' list! New Orleans was such a cool town, I really would love to go back sometime and see the things I didn't get to see this time...and see some things all over again.