Day 215 - Lisa

Today we were zombies.  Slow-moving, heat exhausted, weary drinking tourists.  I know we rode a lot of taxi's, tried to ship rum via FedEx and got told NO, hung out at a lot of bars and ended the night at Preservation Hall again which was excellent.  So I'm going to share with you the various drinks we consumed over the course of our 8 days in New Orleans.  ;>  The highlight of our day was the BEST fried chicken I have consumed in my entire life @ Willie Mae's Scotch House in the Treme.  My sister did her version of Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally over this salty, spicy goodness.  We devoured our lunches and tried to scheme ways to come back Saturday morning before our flights.  Landa said it wasn't just a lunch it was an experience!  LOL

Day 215 - Sis

Decided to make this the day to go to Willie Maes in the Treme.  We have heard so much about this famous chicken and were told by our cab driver, last night, that we must be there early because the line can get very long  waiting to get inside.  Okay we headed out at 10:15 a.m., (yeah this was our breakfast!), arrived at 10:25. We were the first ones, yay.  This is a house set on the corner of a neighborhood but the neighbors were either at work or alseep, it is Friday.   Five minutes later a couple drove up, then another couple, then a small family of three and another larger family. Many of us asking one another if we have eaten there yet.  All standing there at 10:40.  Door opens precisely at 11 and we step in. Young man tells us to head to the table next to the opening where you can smell the wonderful aroma of their chicken. Place is filling up fast.  Orders are placed, my dish is set down with three pieces of chicken, potato salad, peas and cornbread muffin. We all take our first bite and start to talk, eat and giggle at how good it is.  We also start wondering if we can make it back before they close later to eat again or maybe before we fly home tomorrow! My salt intake was enough for a week but Lordy was it worth it. So that makes two Willie Maes/Mays I love. ;-0  Our day ends with a second visit to Preservation Hall, as always, it was a delight too.

Day 214 - Lisa

My brother-in-law Steve and I both wanted to take an airboat tour of the Bayou.  My mom and sister were not interested.  My sister, who tends to have a Charlie Brown cloud over her head regarding luck was convinced if she sent a gigantic Godzilla like alligator would storm the boat and eat us all soooo, just Steve and I went.  This might have been one of the best experiences of my life.  It was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, you get my drift.  We had so much fun.  The boats are prices for big groups of 12 to 18 or small groups of 6 to 10.  We only had 4 of us on our boat.  A father and son from Sacramento, the boat captain, Geno, and us.  It was literally a private tour.  The guys were all into the alligators, I was swept up in the landscape.  We all dug the airboat.  Make sure you click the link to my pictures, they won't disappoint I promise.  My videos too!  Thursday night we went to Rock and Bowl to hear Zydeco and maybe bowl.  What an spotless location - inside is a huge stage, dance floor, bowling alley, bar and restaurant all in one massive size room.  I did not think I could top Christmas in 2010 when I heard Little Malcolm and theHouse Rockers sing, "I'm not your baby's daddy."  However, Geno  Delafose and the French Boogie, doing "Get a Gun, there's a Chicken on the Run" was even more hilarious!  And the hamburgers and beignets were out of this world! 

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Day 214 - Sis

Alligators, bayous, birds and other wild life were in Steve and Lisa's plan for the day.  This pair of Geminis, bro/sister in-law combination, had their tour adventure plan  while Landa and I would, once again, bravely step out into the wildlife streets of the French Quarter.  The Gemini twins were off in the early morning while mother/daughter combo slept in their separate rooms.  We decided to start our day on Royal Street to take in a few art stores.  Had a nice leisurely time viewing art work we can't afford!  One of my choices was a small painting that almost looked like needlework, a mere $8,800, think Landa's was a larger one somewhere in the five digit range. Also on Royal Street we went into a custom millinery store, Fleur de Paris.  On other trips to New Orleans we passed little place, window shopped and move on.  Wow!  I told the proprietor she should charge a fee to have people come in and just look.  What a beautiful display of hats in many styles, beaded caps, pill box, fedora, large brimmed hats adorned. Whether they are trimmed with beads, feathers, ribbons, colors from very pale to almost fluorescent, they were stunning. There were also dresses in styles that reminded me of the 30's or 40's.  Next stop was into the Camellia Grill on Chartres Street for something to eat. Clean, good choices on the menu, reasonable prices, which included, noise all around, like you'd expect, with menu orders shouted out to the cooks, while people eat, read and talk. We barely finished and started to walk when we received the message from the big game hunters that they were back in town.  Well we all needed to meet up and find some down time because tonight we're going to the bowling alley, also famous for it's Thursday night Cajun bands. This is where the local folks meet and dance. We plan on getting as many sights and sounds of New Orleans we can this trip!

Day 213 - Sis

Today was day to check out shops, architecture, people watching and stops in  between to get out of the heat.  In other words, another way to find a reason for a drink! While strolling by some art stores Yolanda and Steve decided to enter one.  Oh boy, there they are finding that perfect picture they have been looking to buy for their home.  We probably had a drink to celebrate this event!  Later, after walking through some other shops Lisa found some art work she decided on and bought.  Off we went to the French Market and it was my turn to pick up a few things.  What it's too hot?  Well fortunately we found a spot to cool down and rest before walking a short distance to the U.S. Mint. We went there to view the exhibit of the 50th anniversary of Preservation Hall.  This was a must see for us and was enjoyed. It presented  the stories of so many musical greats who have played there in the past and the ones who continue the legacy in these times.

Day 213 - Lisa

We ate at the Old Coffee Pot for breakfast this morning, strolled Royal St, my sister and brother-in-law bought some art, we looked at the old buildings, took some pictures, we stopped in Jimmy Buffet's to cool off and had three rounds of Margaritas.  LOL  Cruised all the vendors at the French Market,  my sister bought a dress, my mom and I bought some tiles to decorate our house and various other goods.  We then headed for the US Mint to view the Preservation Jazz Hall 50th Anniversary exhibit.  It was wonderfully down.  Below is Louie Armstrong's first coronet.  Was excited to see the PJHB's Charlie Gabriel there, this meant he'd be playing at the Hall later that night!  We skipped lunch and just had appetizers at our hotel bar and then went to see the musicians perform at the Preservation Jazz Hall.  It was a magical night of Ragtime.  Afterwards, we stopped in Turtle Bay, where we'd met Jeff the day before.  He had explained to us he makes all his food fresh daily, home grown vegetables and home made breads.  He recommended the pulled pork po-boy.  So the four of us ordered a Heinekin and a sandwich while listening to Cajun music.  OMG it was so good as was the potato salad.  Delicious once again!  LOL

Day 212 - Sis

Tuesday tours included Mardi Gras World.  It's my second visit here and some things have changed which made it another enjoyable visit.  There they are my kids playing dress-up, Yolanda, the jester, Steve the King's right-hand man and Lisa who is really in control of us all. Later while walking to a mall we happened upon Plaza de Espana, where a circle with the Spanish province's coat of arms are listed there on tiles.  Since it's in alphabetical order and I do know my ABC's ,  I found my grandparents town of Avila with ease.  Spanish ties are historically deep in New Orleans it's another reason for me to  love this city.

Day 212 - Lisa

Today we started off by going to Mardi Gras World.  Always a lot of fun learning about the history of Mardi Gras and seeing the floats in various states of design.  From there we ventured over to the Riverwalk, an indoor mall and then to Harrah's to beat the heat.  Around 3pm, we decided to head back to the hotel to clean up as we had plans to go to Bullet's Sports Bar to hear Kermit Ruffins play.  We went out to usher a cab, a big Cadillac Escalade cab rolled up and I went over to ask if he could take us.  This is where we met the infamous "Big E," he said he could not as the cabs all lined up and he was just dropping off, he handed me his card and said, "call me if you need a ride, I do tours, etc."  I said, "oh ok, we are needing to go into the Treme later tonight to Bullets."  He said, "what?  are you kidding me I live in the Treme, of course, I'll pick you up Baby, just give me a call."  So we went back to the hotel rested a bit and I called Big E.  We made arrangements and 5 minutes later he called me back to remind us not to eat because they'd surely be BBQ'ing ribs and we would not want to miss that!  LOL!  I told him I knew about it.  6pm comes along and Big E is there to get us.  Somehow we got on the subject of the HBO show Treme and he told us he was in the show, they used his various vehicles.  Big E then gave us a personal tour of the Treme; museums, church, houses where Treme was filmed AND he took us to his house and we met his wife.  He then dropped us at Bullets and told us to call and wake him up for a ride back.  Just an awesome guy.  Bullets was SO MUCH FUN.  A big house party with top professionals dropping in to play with Kermit.  We cheered the women's gymnastic team on as they mixed music, sports, food and spirits.  We saw neighborhood people bring in cakes, cookies, peanuts and even hats to sell.  So many stories, so many nice people.  I'll never forget my mama dancing and eating her ribs at the same time.  A slice of heaven this Tuesday night to remember forever. "Down in the Treme, just me and my baby, we're all going crazy, just jamming and having fun!"

Day 211 - Sis

Yep, we're in New Orleans and what better way to start the day then a tour of a rum distillery?!  I didn't have any idea how rum is made but boy howdy it ain't pretty.  We first entered the office where we were immediately served, Cajun tea, oh yeah definitely rum in it.  I don't like rum, I don't even drink much, so here I am at 10 a.m. imbibing an alcoholic drink.  Rum, I haven't tasted it in 40 years.  The tour guy did say you can use your favorite tea to mix it though. Sheez.  As we blurringly made our way around the building we saw where, sorry my brain is a little fuzzy, can't quite remember what this tank held. Ahem, however, a worker must go into that small opening and scrub it clean. Don't know how long it takes to do this job  or what the pay is but it would be hot, smelly and claustrophobic. No thanks, I'm not that greedy or numbed by the rum!

Day 211 - Lisa

We toured the Celebration Rum Distillery on Monday morning.  Very interesting.  When we drove up the fumes alone had our heads buzzing.  We had a wonderful tour guide of the plant, Bob, who explained the process for making rum from molasses to the bottling.  We got to taste test their "Cajun Tea" first off.  Holy Moly it was good and numbing.  Look at the size of the cup. After the tour we tasted the 4 current rums they produce in little shot glasses.  We all bought bottles. ;>  From there we headed back to the French Quarter for some lunch.  We spent a lot of time sitting at bars beating the heat by drinking and watching the Olympics.  We also did a trolley tour of the City that did not go very well.  Long story  - short the trolley had no AC, the driver was talking on his phone and texting while operating the trolley.  The heat index was still over 110 degrees so it was like sitting in a rolling oven.  Needless to say, I called and got us our $$ reimbursed.  The positive was our excellent tour guide.  She was a double major in Louisiana History and Museum History.  We could have spent all day with her!  That night we were all excited to eat and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse but left mostly disappointed.  Our food was underwhelming and our service was overwhelming, bordering on intrusive.  The best part of the meal was dessert.

Day 210 - Sis

Whew! The heat was waiting for us as soon as we stepped outside.  After going to breakfast, delicious, we headed out to other parts of the French Quarter.  Since the heat index was 115% with the humidity feeling like it was 300 we figured our best bet was a ride on the river via the Natchez, a steam paddle wheel boat. The ride took us by the sites and sounds on shore which were interesting but it sure wasn't any cooler. This is still a bustling area of commerce with many ships loading or unloading at the docks. The large warning sign on this ship seemed a bit redundant as it's an oil tanker!

Day 210 - Lisa

After wandering through the French Quarter in suffocating heat my sister made the call for us to get on the Natchez and take a cruise down the ole' Mississippi.  It helped to cold us, a little, very little.  ;>  It was very interesting seeing the ships from all over the world docked.  Also very eerie and fascinating to actually see the levees.  Later that night, we had a nice dinner in Jackson Square at Muriel's.  Our meal was excellent.  I about died when the shrimp came to me with their heads on them.  Almost hurled, the waiter was kind enough to take them back and give them the old Marie Antionette job!  Steve and I both had the BBQ Shrimp, Yolanda and my mom had the Double Pork chop!  At 10pm we headed for the Wolf Den down in the Arts District to hear the Hot 8 Brass Band.  They were so good and we got to talk to one of the band members during their break.  Harry was a really nice guy giving us some good tips about New Orleans and we taught him a bit about the band Tower of Power from Oakland, famous for their Brass Section.  It was just a room about 20"x 20" with some chairs lining the all brick walls.