Sunday, January 17, 2010 New Orleans, LA; Since this was his first trip to New Orleans I thought it only fitting that Bob give you his own impressions of the 'Big Easy' so here it is...
I was a bit surprised in a most pleasant way that New Orleans did not have a doom and gloom feel to it due to the devastation left behind by Katrina. In fact, it was a maven for party animals all throughout the French Quarter, the Faubourg Marigny, where we stayed and the Garden District. Bourbon Street was ablaze with all the beautiful people of the younger set who were very much enamored of the New Orleans Saints football game that took place last night. So much so that as we walked down Bourbon Street there was no stretch of it that did not echo the sounds of young men and women yelling, hollering, hooting, shouting, laughing all the while hugging, holding hands, patting each other on the back and just smiling as they carried their libations in plastic cups. Up on the second floor balconies were young guys and girls one and two deep who were yelling to those of us down below to get us to reveal a little skin, any skin in exchange for beads. This, mind you, wasn't even Mardi Gras which, from what I have been told, is a fireworks of exposed flesh that in other towns would get you arrested for indecent exposure. Nonetheless, the energy that rebounded throughout the Bourbon Street and surrounding neighborhoods was fantastic. You could not escape the vibe on the street nor the wave of high energy that permeated throughout so it was best to just smile at people and embrace it all because it all seemed to be geared toward letting you experience a sense of “Animal House' antics in an innocent and festive way. I actually only saw one (1) guy drunk who staggered down the street. He was being watched and smiled at by a group of other guys who thought the poor dude was comically wasted but they left him alone as he staggered into the crowd and out of sight probably being held upright by the jammed packed people who were all around him. New Orleans was ablaze with anticipation of the Saints game when we arrived on Friday evening and full of the actual play mania on Saturday so when touchdown after touchdown occurred, the fun and excitement took form in volley after volley of boisterous yelling and glass to glass, bottle to bottle toasting at all the bars so that by the end of the game, you guessed it, there were a lot of very, very happy tipsy people walking throughout town.
If staying in the bars watching the game wasn't your thing there is every imaginable store to walk through that sell everything from tiny dollar trinkets to extremely expensive home furnishings, jewelry and whatever the heck you might think you need. In addition there was no loss for fine dining venues as row after row of restaurants are plastered all throughout the French Quarter offering you anything from gumbo to pheasant under glass to suit you fancy. I'm not big on spicy food so what I ordered was a bit different from what Gary ordered but all of it was good to excellent. Shortly after we arrived in town, we ate at a small eatery on Bourbon Street and had gumbo and a beer which warmed us from the rainy chill in the air. Then, later in the evening, at the recommendation of our B&B host, David, we opted to try Tujague's which was 823 Decatur @ Dumaine. Gary had crayfish over pasta and I had steak for our entrees. It was a six course meal which was good but not really something that stood out enough to warrant the bucks. Saturday we ate at Adolfo's at 611 Frenchmen @ Chartres which was a small upstairs dive but the food was terrific as was the ambiance and the waitstaff so we found a good mix of what can be expected in town. Whatever suits your fancy it's there and more in the French Quarter which draws you in to the interconnecting, intertwining, intersecting streets all within walking distance. Because of the rain and fog, I kept thinking of Anne Rice's vampire stories and Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise's version of Lastat and could see how New Orleans could entice such mysteries from the mind of an ingenious author. Whether old or new ways of thinking, the young, not-so-young and the elder groups co-exist nicely in this town to add color, fanfare and frivolity to the ever changing weather and lots to see and do. I now understand why so many people were in tears after Katrina because they felt the charm, the enchantment, the magic that has characterized New Orleans since the French founded the French Quarter in 1741 might be lost forever. Guess what folks? It's not and it's back and it's gaining momentum and if the year round residents of New Orleans have anything to say about it, it will regain the glory and position it once held as one hell of a town to visit for one hell of an experience.
We stayed in a small B&B called Chez Palmiers on N. Rampart Street. Schuyler and David run it and they do an excellent job. It's an older building with a main floor and a second story. They have a pool out back but there was a bit of a chill in the air so we opted to forgo a plunge especially since it was not heated. Since we only had two days there we thought it best to use that time to scope out the city instead of just resting in the swimming pool. David greeted us upon arrival and gave us the skinny on where to eat, what to see, how the city is laid out, where to pick up the trolley and where he thought we might want to go to see things we voiced an interest in which was very helpful. Even though it rained the evening we arrived and the next evening as well, we took umbrellas supplied by Chez Palmiers and were able to avoid getting wet and cold. We were looking a bit dapper wearing our foul weather gear carrying red umbrellas in hand. When the rain stopped we folded up the umbrellas and used them as walking sticks that sort of gave us a distinct look with, no doubt, tourist written all over us. But, who cared. We had a great time and life was good and it also helped us spot one another in the crowd by raising them above heads and, 'poof', we knew where teach other was.
We hopped into a taxi to take us from the train station to the B&B. The cab driver said business was terribly slow and we were the first customers he had had all day. It was 3PM when we arrived in town so go figure. We were a bit suspicious when the cab driver did not immediately put his meter on so Gary said, “Don't you want to start your meter?” The driver said, “No, it's a flat hundred dollars to wherever you're going” Gary said, “I can see why business has been slow at those rates!” The actual cost was around $15, tip included. On the return trip from the B&B to the station it cost us a dollar less. Both cabbies were nice gents and talkative and knew their way around so we didn't get taken on a joy ride to spike up the fare.
Cafe du Monde. For those of you who know what Cafe du Monde is, nothing more need be said. Gary mentioned from the onset of this trip that once we got to New Orleans, it would necessitate a stop at Cafe du Monde. but he would not tell me what awaited us there. All he would say was, “Oh, you'll see!” Not until we arrived and only after we walked in front of the place by mistake was I made aware that it was there they create these fluffy doughy confections with powered sugar piled two stories high on top so that there is no way you can escape a sugar high even if you tried. If I was heard to say I am not a donut eater after partaking of the Cafe du Monde experience, I would immediately be corrected by hearing that they do not serve donuts there; they create a Beignets confectionery experience that is typically French and very decadent, very sweet and a wonderful way to satisfy the sweet tooth. To say they are popular is to say water is wet!. The place was packed. Outside seating was on small street-side cafe style tables and chairs that were all occupied when we arrived and, yet, within minutes we had a table to sit at and were being served. There was an ever-changing flood of patrons coming and going so it was like a tidal way of people arriving, eating beignets, talking, smoozing, leaving and then another cast of characters would arrive and the scenario would play itself out again and again and again. For the passing street crowd, free entertainment was watching those of us sitting down eating beignets while those of us eating at the Cafe were entertained by those same people watching us. No doubt, if someone ventured into New Orleans and just happened to stumble by Cafe du Monde, they would soon know that this was a place they, too, had to stop to experience because this was part of tradition that characterized the New Orleans landscape steeped in the joy of the French patisserie.
And the band played on and on and on. Everywhere you went you could hear jazz being played or singers pouring their hearts out with ballads or torch songs that reminded you of Billy Holiday or Bessie Smith or other great jazz vocalists. Music of all kinds rebounded from the building entrance ways enticing you to stop and listen simply because it was so notable. Tall windows hanging proudly on these old, majestic building lining the streets were open wide so we could listen to what patrons inside were hearing. That was a great way to draw you in from the street to sit, listen, buy drinks and be entertained by fantastic sounds that, dare I say, could even evoke a tear from your heart because of the passion that resonated in the voices that sang so beautifully. Even the street performers, some of whom took up residence in the middle of cordoned off streets, sang with fire in their voices and passion in their hearts making the love of music everywhere evident. Buckets were laid out in front of the street performers so donations could be made but nothing was forced upon the passersby. That wasn't necessary because the quality of the music was so good and the players/singers were getting into their own instrumental/vocal soul not aware of what was or was not being offered all the while giving people a 'feel good' experience free for the listening. Then after standing a while listening to one singer or group of players, you'd be off walking a bit more until you heard a new sound, a new voice enticing you closer and then the same scenario would unfold all over again. It was quite amazing to note the vocal ranges, the skill of the accompaniment that made these open air mini concerts so fantastic. All of that evoked smiles and good cheer and applause and thank-yous from everybody in the street scene.
Gary and I boarded a trolley that took us out to the Garden District section. David from Chez Palmiers suggested we board at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets which was where people we unloading who wanted to get into the hub of the city so the trolley cars were less likely to be full at that juncture. And they were so we got a seat immediately. It only took about ten minutes to get us to the Garden District where we got off at Washington Street. We walked through a very old cemetery where all the plots were above ground. The water table in the city is so high, they can not bury people underneath the ground because every time it would rain, the caskets would float to the surface. Imagine! So, they use crypts for the deceased which seems to keep the dead from popping up at various intersections of adjoining neighborhoods to the cemeteries. In the Garden District there are ante-bellum mansions (that period before the civil war). They are amazing to see. They are huge, stately homes that have been painstakingly maintained over the decades which give a glimpse of the pride and attention to detail craftsmen had for creating neighborhood beauties that stood out and honored the success and social status of the grand ladies' original owners. Some of these fine mansions are now used by institutions or banks or venues but the District section is about five blocks by six blocks square so there are still quite a few of these great beauties which are currently being used as a primary home. After many photos and endless miles of walking we hopped back onto the trolley again, paid the usual $1.25 fee to take us back into the center of all the noise and partying and just watched the activities going on in the various neighborhoods en route. I think I will return one day to New Orleans. I would like to experience the high energy of Mardi Gras. I would have to make sure I rented one of those balcony stations so I could get a bird's eye view of all the madness going on at street level. Of course, I suspect watching it from above is a blast but that must urge you on to get street-side to be a spectator as well. Needless to say, I enjoyed New Orleans and hope to revisit her in the not-too-distant future.
Postscript...
So from the eyes of an Irish Catholic, YANKEE, New Orleans Virgin there you have it. But just a couple of other things that need to be said. We thought New Orleans would still be down on her knees and struggling to just survive and pleasantly, that was not the case. True the city has lost ½ its population from 10 years ago but it is still the Grande Dame of party. It has a Joie d'Vie which is immediately contagious and an energy which is vibrant, electric and non-stop. Even if you've just gotten off a train and are numb from 36 hours of Texas you can't help but get caught up in the enthusiasm. You want this great city to succeed because we all need a place to let our hair down. Yes, there are still 'tourist traps' , for example, we had a lovely $60 dinner at 'Tujague's' on Decatur and it only cost us $100's so you can still be had. But we also had a truly outstanding dinner at 'Adolfo's' a tiny restaurant over a bar in the Marigny and it only cost us $48. The place had 30 tables, waiters whose attitude was so endearing and Adolfo, alone in the kitchen preparing every dish with a TLC reserved for those tiny restaurants you encounter in Tuscany. The air in New Orleans is made up of 1 part Oxygen, 1 part Nitrogen and 3 parts music. It pours from every doorway, it sits in every vacant stoop , it sets up in the middle of the street and it is ubiquitous, and all good! That was the New Orleans we want to remember and to encourage others to see for themselves. As our taxi driver told us when we arrived at 3:00pm, “You are my first fare since 7:00 this morning.” Put New Orleans into your vacation or travel plans and help this grand city survive. It's not charity, its going to a place which has become our best kept secret. There is nothing to be afraid of and it is all right there just as it has always been: the music, the food, the atmosphere, the Trolleys, the Beignets, the revelers, the Mississippi at your feet and on and on.
New Orleans is back baby, Laisssez les bon temps rouler!
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