What a great time was had in New Orleans!
Monday – 12/21
Caleb and I went to the National WWII Museum. Then we went to Luke for cocktails and oysters. Then back to WWII to see the Road to Tokyo and the Boeing Museum. Finally we picked up Milada at the airport and took her back to our trailer to spend the night (she broke in the dinette bed for the first time).
Tuesday 12/22
Got up and had breakfast and then broke down the trailer. We went to our house in the Garden District and spent about an hour unloading all our stuff into the house. Then we headed off for Baton Rouge where we dropped off the trailer at the RV Service place. Parrains for cajun food. We had gumbo, grilled oysters, turtle soup, shrimp etouffée, and the best hush puppies. Then back to New Orleans for a Home for the Holiday’s concert featuring the Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Stanton Moore Trio, John Boutte, and Trombone Shorty at the House of Blues. We didn’t get to see Trombone Shorty because Milada hit the wall. It was a great show.
Wednesday 12/23
Caleb got up early to pick up Sharon and Ali at the airport. They all came back thinking everyone would be tired, but neither Ali nor Sharon wanted to go to bed. We did a family trip to Walmart, got decorations and then the girls and Caleb went to find a tree. We spent the afternoon decorating the tree and the house. Then off to see some NOLA. We found a parking spot near Lafitte’s and had hurricanes and voodoo daiquiris. Then we went walking on Bourbon and Royal Street. We found Hemmerling’s art gallery where Caleb and I had purchased a painting the year before. The girls joined a marching band and ended up at Tropical Isle for green grenade drinks. We went back to the house and we sang Christmas carols. Then I went to get Lynn. Dinner and cocktails were waiting for us when we got back.
Christmas Eve – Thursday 12/24
Up late this morning, and then everyone but me went to get shrimp at the Seafood Market near Bayou Segnette. Ali really wanted to see Spanish moss, so they went down to Jean Lafitte National Park and took a hike where they saw, alligators, snakes, frogs, and lots of Spanish moss. Back at home, we had more cocktails and then walked around the neighborhood with Pippin in tow and ended up at the Rendzvous Bar for , yes you guessed it cocktails. We then went home and cooked up two dinners. Caleb made shrimp boil, and Ali and Lynn made pepper shrimp with cabbage and rice. More cocktails. It was a nice Christmas Eve!
Christmas Day – Friday 12/25
We got up and Caleb made us some scones. We had a delightful low-key gift exchange and then decided why not go into the French Quarter and show Lynn around. We took Lynn to Lafitte’s (band was playing), had more voodoo daiquiris and hurricanes, started walking around and met an artist who told us lots of places to go. We ended up at Oceana where we had 2 dozen oysters, cocktails and harassed Juan the bartender. You see Oceana is my cousin Tom’s favorite place to go when he is in NOLA on business. By the time we left, most of us were drunk. We had a wonderful boudin stuffed turkey, brussels sprouts, kale, sweet potatoes and Ali and Grandma spontaneously made the best gravy ever! Milada made her famous Pecan pie. It was the best Christmas ever!!!!
Saturday 12/26
We went back into French Quarter and it was very busy. We walked around and made stops at Lafitte’s for cocktails, and Killer Po Boy’s (Erin Rose Pub) where Grandma ate hers in the rain under her umbrella. Then all of us girls went on a carriage ride and cemetery tour, while Caleb went on an errand ; ) which was Caleb really going to get Ron at the airport. Us girls decided to take the trolley home, where Milada was”surprised” on the street corner with Ron. We came back home and then went to Commander’s Palace for an amazing dinner. We had pecan crusted drum fish, mushroon risotto, redfish, stuffed quail, veal, and steak, bread pudding souffle, creme brulee, and strawberry shortcake. Caleb, Ali and I went to Tipitina’s for a horrible Gravvy and Earphunk bands. We came home after 4 songs. Not all music in NO is good music!
Sunday 12/27
To the French Quarter where we had coffee and beignets at Café DuMonde. Then we set out to explore more of the city. Went up to the river and down to Frenchmen Street. My Mom and I sat on the corner people watch while Caleb got us Bloody Mary’s. We all went our separate ways for the afternoon and then met up at MRB for oysters, boudin balls, red beans and rice, and bacon wrapped shrimp. We all took the trolley back to our home away from home. Ali and Lynn made fired rice with cabbage and leftovers, which was amazing. We went to St. Louis and Royal to see Tanya and Dorise, but they weren’t there. So instead we went into a bar and ordered a bunch of voodoo punches. The girls and Ron headed to Frenchmen Street to the Blue Nile and saw the Dumaine Streetgang (and also went to the Frenchmen Art Market) and Caleb, Mom and I headed back home for a quiet evening.
Monday 12/28
I sadly took Lynn to the airport. Pippin got a bath at the spa, and Ali and I walked to the cemetery. We all went to see Star Wars in the afternoon. It was SO GOOD! We came back home and took a nap and planned to go to Atchafalaya but they were booked, so we went to the Rum House instead. The food was good. We came home and all watched Ant Man. It appears as if Caleb and Milada got food poisoning because they ended up sick all night and most of the next day. Horrible night for them.
Tuesday 12/29
Those of us who were not sick the night before took a trip back to Jean Lafitte Bayou to take a hike. We had a nice time, but only saw one little alligator. Ali really wanted to try another Po Boy so we went in search of best Po Boy in NOLA the Parkway Bakery and Tavern but it is closed Tuesdays! So instead we went to another place up the road called Neyow’s Creole Cafe. We had oyster, shrimp, and beef Po Boys along with hush puppies and sweet potato tots. This place is not known for their Po Boys but they were really good. Since Milada was still recovering only Ali, Mom, Caleb and I went to the Bachannal and caught the Mark Wikuli trio which was much more traditional jazz.
Wednesday 12/30
Milada took Ron to catch his 2.5 hour delayed flight. Caleb, Mom and I went to the Mardi Gras World, while the girls went to get tattoos. Mardi Gras World was one of the highlights of my stay in NOLA. A must see! Since the girls were unsuccessful at getting tattoos we drove to pick them up and then went to Parkway Bakery and Tavern to test their Po Boys. Ali liked hers from the day before, and Caleb’s oyster Po Boy had a lot of bread and breading, but everyone else loved theirs including me. I had a corned beef Po Boy and it was the best! My Mom’s beef and gravy Po Boy was pretty good too. Unfortunately this was Ali and Mom’s last day in NOLA. However, we sent them off with belly’s full and several punches in their fun cards.
New Year’s Eve – Thursday 12/31
Milada went to go see Mardi Gras World while Caleb and I went to the Holiday Inn to pick up our Sugar Bowl tickets. We had some extra time, so we walked Pippin over to Louis Armstrong Park. After that, we picked Milada up and set out to see Star Wars again. We had a wonderful dinner at Sake Cafe on Magazine Street and then caught a cab to Frenchmen Street and went to the Blue Nile. There we saw Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet. They were awesome. Corey plays trombone with a vengeance. Then we saw Tank and the Bangaz – which was pretty weird. We celebrated the New Year, hung on for about 5 songs and then called it a night. Happy New Year!
New Year’s Day – Friday 1/1
We got up early and took Milada to catch her flight to Philadelphia. That was sad. We came back home and spent about three hours packing and getting ready for having to leave on the 2nd. Since the trailer wasn’t done, we decided that we would need to pack up the truck and stay in Baton Rouge for a few days. We took Pippin for a walk and then caught a trolley to the end of St. Charles.
Google Image
The trolley was very crowded and full of people going to the Sugar Bowl. We got off and it was quite cold and starting to sprinkle a little bit. I had a feeling that we were near Luke, se we decided to go over there and see if we could grab some oysters. It was booked, but the hostess told us the oyster bar was first come first serve, so we could try and elbow in. We stood there for a little while and then two women relinquished their standing spot right next to the oyster prep area. Within five minutes we had cocktails and the oyster guys were giving us personal service. We started with a dozen P&J oysters on the half shell, but they actually gave us 14. Then they started serving us lots of extras. First they gave us a special vinaigrette sauce with a couple of extra oysters. Then we got a couple clams and a couple of mussels with a creamy remoulade sauce. Then we got four prawns which we had with the remoulade. Finally, they kept adding so many additional oysters we finally had to ask them to stop!
Google Image
We got cocktails to go and headed to the pre-game show. We watched a band for awhile, but it got colder and started to rain, so we decided to go into the Superdome. Unfortunately the lines were huge, so we walked across the street for coffee and ran into a nice young couple who gave us tips on where to hang out in Biloxi, MS. After a while we went in to find that our seats were in the first row on the corner end zone. Great View! We were sitting next to the cousin of C.J. Johnson (linebacker from Ole Miss) and also next to a couple of girls who had gone to Ole Miss. They took mes under their wings and explained the Hotty Toddy cheer.
Are you ready?
Hell Yes! Damn Right!
Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty.
Who the hell are we?
Hey!
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
Ole Miss, By Damn!
The game was great. We rooted for Ole Miss and they won! What a wonderful New Year’s Day!