New Orleans...
Mar. 3rd, 2005 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeMan, I'm tired. I wish I could've taken a couple of more days off and not go right back to work, but what can you do? I'll tell you though, it really does suck to come back from New Orleans to this shitty weather. I really hate New York City in the winter.
So. New Orleans was...lovely. Beautiful and verdant and lush and rich and strange. The shuttle we took from the airport routed through the Quarter which Doug had never seen--I kept pointing stuff out to him, and he was saying "It's incredible--it's like we've stepped back in time."
Those beautiful old balconies...
We stayed in a guest house on the edge of the Garden District--the hotel was converted from an old orphanage that ran out of orphans when they finally figured out that mosquitos cause fever epidemics. The guest house was old, like everything in New Orleans. There's such a faded, crumbling beauty and grandeur to the city--everything is softly, beautifully sitting down, crumbling, sliding. There's such a casual, throwaway beauty to it--the coffee place across the way from our hotel has this incredible interior design, with molding and walls that are unbelievable.
This is a *coffee shop,* for God's sake!
And as I told Doug, Mardi Gras is HUGE there, a way of life, a philosophy. The buses are painted in purple, green and gold (the Mardi Gras colors) and there were leftover beads all over the place--in the streets, in the gutters, draped over the power lines and the trees. EVERYWHERE.
You have to look kind of closely to see the beads on the branches.
New Orleans, with its warm climate and humidity, is also very green--there are lots of graceful, massive oaks, as well as palm trees and ferns. It wasn't that warm when we were there, highs in the very low 60s, but it was so relaxing to see that much green. Just looking at your surroundings, at all that greenery, is like stepping into a warm bath.
A park nearby our guest house
We tried to eat as much as possible in the Quarter and as much New Orleans-style food as we could stand. Food and drink are quite inexpensive there--we found one cheap ass bar that had $1 PBRs. Plus live music.
Cheap Ass Bar off Lee Circle
Cheap Ass Bar Interior
The Quarter was *jumping* every night we were there. Doug was especially bemused by the fact that you could openly drink outside, on the street, walking around in the Quarter. It's not against the law--they just don't want any bottles or glass, but as long as you're drinking from a plastic cup, it's all good.
The French Quarter is old, old, old, and full of ancient sins. I loved it. One night we sat up on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking Bourbon Street and I noticed two lit dormer windows in a building across the street, the bottom of which was a strip bar. It made me think of bordellos from the Quarter's past, imagining a young woman sitting wistfully at the window and looking out to the river, waiting for the evening's work to begin, like the song "The House of the Rising Sun."
Two views of Bourbon Street from the restaurant balcony
We went to Pat O'Brien's--I'd forgotten how strong the Hurricanes are, and frankly, what a good value they are. One HUGE drink, that lasts you several hours, costs you $8.50, plus you get to keep the glass. If you don't want it, turn it in and get back $3.
On Sunday, we walked all over the Quarter, as well as taking a carriage ride tour. Many great writers have lived and worked there--I found the house where Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire:
and the house where William Faulkner wrote his first novel:
We actually rode the streetcar several times--the street car system is pared down considerably from mid-century (the bus system has actually taken up the slack) but there are two lines that are still actively used, one of which goes from Uptown to the Quarter along St. Charles Avenue.
We also went down to the Mighty Mississippi, the Father of Waters, where I had to touch the water (I do that every time I go to New Orleans).
The last full day, we at lunch at the Camellia Grill uptown. Amazingly, there was no line--this place is very popular and is one of the oldest black-owned business around. As good as the food is, the waiters are what make the place special--they are very friendly (and hilarious) and they have this special rhythm and way of moving around behind the counter. We also ate at the Cafe du Monde (the second day)--this place is on the water and serves coffee and beignets for cheap cheap cheap. Less than $5 for an order of beignets and two coffees. Love me some CdM--I bought a can of the coffee, and I already have some of the beignet mix, so Doug and I can try to make them at home.
Everyone was very friendly there. It really is a different way of life--people are much more relaxed down there. And the drinking starts i-mmediately! Doug and I were on Decatur Street one morning, and he needed a bathroom--we popped into this tiny lil' bar and he decided to order a beer, which turned into two because the proprietress was so friendly.
The food is so damn good. Our first meal there was at Arnaud's in the Quarter--Doug ordered a meat pie which was beyond delicious. I had some sort of pie as well which was also good, but his was better. There's also a great local beer called Dixie which I ordered a lot. I also ate quite a few po' boys; I can never resist them.
Oh. Oh man. Such a beautiful city. I can't bear it. I had such a great time, and I want to go back soon. The next time maybe in the late spring, or the fall. So many more things I want to do, like go to Preservation Hall and eat at Mother's and Commander's Palace, and stay at a B&B in the Quarter. I miss it already...
So. New Orleans was...lovely. Beautiful and verdant and lush and rich and strange. The shuttle we took from the airport routed through the Quarter which Doug had never seen--I kept pointing stuff out to him, and he was saying "It's incredible--it's like we've stepped back in time."
Those beautiful old balconies...
We stayed in a guest house on the edge of the Garden District--the hotel was converted from an old orphanage that ran out of orphans when they finally figured out that mosquitos cause fever epidemics. The guest house was old, like everything in New Orleans. There's such a faded, crumbling beauty and grandeur to the city--everything is softly, beautifully sitting down, crumbling, sliding. There's such a casual, throwaway beauty to it--the coffee place across the way from our hotel has this incredible interior design, with molding and walls that are unbelievable.
This is a *coffee shop,* for God's sake!
And as I told Doug, Mardi Gras is HUGE there, a way of life, a philosophy. The buses are painted in purple, green and gold (the Mardi Gras colors) and there were leftover beads all over the place--in the streets, in the gutters, draped over the power lines and the trees. EVERYWHERE.
You have to look kind of closely to see the beads on the branches.
New Orleans, with its warm climate and humidity, is also very green--there are lots of graceful, massive oaks, as well as palm trees and ferns. It wasn't that warm when we were there, highs in the very low 60s, but it was so relaxing to see that much green. Just looking at your surroundings, at all that greenery, is like stepping into a warm bath.
A park nearby our guest house
We tried to eat as much as possible in the Quarter and as much New Orleans-style food as we could stand. Food and drink are quite inexpensive there--we found one cheap ass bar that had $1 PBRs. Plus live music.
Cheap Ass Bar off Lee Circle
Cheap Ass Bar Interior
The Quarter was *jumping* every night we were there. Doug was especially bemused by the fact that you could openly drink outside, on the street, walking around in the Quarter. It's not against the law--they just don't want any bottles or glass, but as long as you're drinking from a plastic cup, it's all good.
The French Quarter is old, old, old, and full of ancient sins. I loved it. One night we sat up on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking Bourbon Street and I noticed two lit dormer windows in a building across the street, the bottom of which was a strip bar. It made me think of bordellos from the Quarter's past, imagining a young woman sitting wistfully at the window and looking out to the river, waiting for the evening's work to begin, like the song "The House of the Rising Sun."
Two views of Bourbon Street from the restaurant balcony
We went to Pat O'Brien's--I'd forgotten how strong the Hurricanes are, and frankly, what a good value they are. One HUGE drink, that lasts you several hours, costs you $8.50, plus you get to keep the glass. If you don't want it, turn it in and get back $3.
On Sunday, we walked all over the Quarter, as well as taking a carriage ride tour. Many great writers have lived and worked there--I found the house where Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire:
and the house where William Faulkner wrote his first novel:
We actually rode the streetcar several times--the street car system is pared down considerably from mid-century (the bus system has actually taken up the slack) but there are two lines that are still actively used, one of which goes from Uptown to the Quarter along St. Charles Avenue.
We also went down to the Mighty Mississippi, the Father of Waters, where I had to touch the water (I do that every time I go to New Orleans).
The last full day, we at lunch at the Camellia Grill uptown. Amazingly, there was no line--this place is very popular and is one of the oldest black-owned business around. As good as the food is, the waiters are what make the place special--they are very friendly (and hilarious) and they have this special rhythm and way of moving around behind the counter. We also ate at the Cafe du Monde (the second day)--this place is on the water and serves coffee and beignets for cheap cheap cheap. Less than $5 for an order of beignets and two coffees. Love me some CdM--I bought a can of the coffee, and I already have some of the beignet mix, so Doug and I can try to make them at home.
Everyone was very friendly there. It really is a different way of life--people are much more relaxed down there. And the drinking starts i-mmediately! Doug and I were on Decatur Street one morning, and he needed a bathroom--we popped into this tiny lil' bar and he decided to order a beer, which turned into two because the proprietress was so friendly.
The food is so damn good. Our first meal there was at Arnaud's in the Quarter--Doug ordered a meat pie which was beyond delicious. I had some sort of pie as well which was also good, but his was better. There's also a great local beer called Dixie which I ordered a lot. I also ate quite a few po' boys; I can never resist them.
Oh. Oh man. Such a beautiful city. I can't bear it. I had such a great time, and I want to go back soon. The next time maybe in the late spring, or the fall. So many more things I want to do, like go to Preservation Hall and eat at Mother's and Commander's Palace, and stay at a B&B in the Quarter. I miss it already...
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Date: 2005-03-04 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 05:42 pm (UTC)It's pretty basic - just point and shoot, not a lot of frills - but it does its job so I'm happy with it for now.
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Date: 2005-03-04 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-04 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-12 11:08 pm (UTC)Elynn and I stayed down there back in '97. I had to attend a conference - the dates coincided with her 40th birthday, so she invited herself to come with me. We packed up Salami (now called Puppy, he was only 1.5 years old then). Beautiful crumbly homes just across the street, but you could see the exquisite detail - it felt like a place dreaming, a mildewing chrysalis that might decide to awaken and renew itself.