BigWeather's Blog

Today is the 19th “dating anniversary” for my wife and I.  Hard to believe!

Woke up to the sound of the manager of The Courtyards Inn looking at our busted AC unit.  Was quite hot in the unit, up to nearly 80.  Turns out the condensate wasn’t being pumped from the reservoir, causing the float to trip the shut-off.  “Simply” bailing the water out was enough to get the unit working again until it can be fixed on Monday.  A small hiccup in an otherwise great place to stay!

We headed to La Peniche for breakfast.  We all had a very traditional eggs and bacon with bread and potatoes hearty breakfast, which was good as always.  We then headed out to Dauphine, a street parallel to Bourbon (which we avoided like the plague it is) and walked nearly its entire French Quarter length from Esplanade to Canal.  Along the way we admired the homes and few businesses that line the very quiet street (particularly compared to Bourbon just a block away).  Some houses were decorated for Easter.  Some have walls topped with spikes, nails, and even broken glass to discourage people from trying to enter the properties unwanted.  We passed the amusingly named Moon Wok, a Chinese restaurant that we had gone to in 2010 — alluding to the Moon Walk that is a path at the top of the levee.

Live oaks along Esplanade

Easter decorations, French Quarter

Also every street in the French Quarter has a fancy tile sign that shows the name of the street during the time when New Orleans was a Spanish city (1762 – 1803).  While North Carolina followed a pretty ho-hum path to statehood (from the colony of Carolina to the colony of North Carolina after the split from South Carolina to state), Louisiana followed a much more twisted path.  After initially being explored by the Spanish in the 1500s the first European settlers were French, near New Orleans, in the early 1700s.  France later lost most of it as a result of the Seven Year’s War in the 1760s.  In 1800 Napoleon bought the land back from the Spanish for the French, only to sell it to the United States in 1803.  But that’s not all — the land just north of New Orleans was part of the Free and Independent Republic of West Florida in 1810 after American settlers overtook the Spanish garrison in Baton Rouge (Spain having stated that the area of West Florida was not part of the Louisiana Purchase as it was never owned by France).  Statehood in 1812 ended all that nonsense (though the Sabine Free State from 1806 to 1821 along Louisiana’s western boundary is a fascinating read as well).

Spanish street placards

Once nearly to Canal we turned towards the river and onto Iberville.  We found a nice place that had fried mushrooms and fried cheese sticks (noticing a trend here?) but sadly kids were not legally allowed so we had to move on.  We ended up going to Mena’s, a decent cafe where I had a chicken fried steak po-boy.  Michelle had grilled cheese and Genetta a turkey club.  KU fans everywhere today it seemed.

We turned left (northeast) on Royal after crossing Bourbon and stopped at several shops.  We stopped at a couple of antique shops.  Now, these were the real deal.  One had a painting from 19th c. France for $95,000 and an 17th c. Italian marble table for $175,000.  There were also many swords, knives, guns, and armor, even some chain mail from the 1600s.  A wedding chest from Italy (1450 to 1600, estimated) was beautiful, the dowry was placed in it in the form of cloth and other treasures.  While it was very interesting I was sweating the whole time — one clumsy moment and I’d have to spend the kids’ college funds!

We also stopped at Cohen’s coin store where they had a wide assortment of coins from the Greeks all the way through the Confederacy and more modern times.  Addison wanted to buy just one, and not even an expensive one, but I knew it was a slippery slope.  I’ll think about it, I suppose.

For years I’ve stopped by Le Petit Soldier shop which has military items and also a nice collection of pre-painted miniatures.  I always pick up a figure to remind me of the trip, most recently an American infantryman from the Vietnam War back in 2010.  We went in to the store (now called Sword and Pen, I think) and browsed but it seemed like the collection of pre-painteds is smaller than ever.  Addison wants a figure but we decided to check out the collection of W. Britain at the toy store near Jackson Square.

We stopped in several other stores, mostly selling masks and the like.  Michelle found a cookbook in a store called Kitchen Witch and the kids each got a t-shirt at an adjacent store.  We then headed to Jackson Square where Addison browsed the W. Britain figures (though he did not decide on one) before we headed to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets (yeah, I know, but I only get them when I’m in New Orleans!).

Saint Louis cathedral from the rear

From there we shopped a bit along Decatur but the crowds were a bit much.  Did run across a store with 50% off Ohio State and Louisville goods, as both lost the night before (to Kansas and Kentucky, respectively).  By this time Addison wasn’t feeling well so we headed back to Royal and then to the unit to rest.

Harsh reality for some Final Four 2012 teams

While Michelle and the kids rested I visited with my parents in the cool courtyard.  About six we headed off to dinner at the Praline Connection.  While waiting for our table we saw this awesome jacked up 70s Chevelle cruising by, but I failed to snap a picture.  Michelle and Genetta went into a bookstore named “FAB”, for Faubourg Marigny Art & Books.  I’ll leave that out of the blog and let her tell that story!  Such an interesting cross section of people in Faubourg Marigny!

A house in Faubourg Marigny

Dinner was red beans and rice with smoked sausage and mac and cheese.  It was wonderful.  Michelle had red beans and baked chicken, Genetta had red beans and fried chicken, Addison had ribs, Dad had fried shrimp, and Mom had a meatball po-boy.  Got some pralines to go and chatted with a performer that had come in to eat about how great the red beans were.

The Praline Connection, home to some seriously good food!

After heading home I set out with Addison and Mom to see the fireworks that were to go off at 10p over the river.  As we neared the French Market we could hear Jimmy Buffet finishing up his set and then watched the amazing fireworks.  Some of them were very, very loud, spooking these very large (at least a foot long) rats that scurried across the street from us.  Mom most definitely did not like them at all.  The show over, we headed back to the unit and to bed (and me to blog, jiggety jog).

We were a bit slow to awake in the morning.  Michelle and I both had headaches and I didn’t sleep very well the night before.  Regardless, we had big plans to make it to the Algiers Riverfest by noon in order to see the Mardi Gras Indians and I didn’t want to miss it.  After our showers we headed off to breakfast.  As Genetta and I wanted beignets but Michelle and Addison wanted something a bit more substantial we ended up compromising and going to Cafe Beignet on Royal near the NOPD station.

It’s a neat spot, with almost a WWII London subway (ahem, tube) bunker feel — despite the flora painted on the ceiling and the pleasant breeze (helped by overworked ceiling fans) blowing in from the courtyard.  We had quite a wait, though, as it was absolutely packed with basketball fans (as the cafe is near Canal, the side of the French Quarter nearest the Superdome and the CBD).  Regardless, I had a solid breakfast of four beignets and water while the rest of the family (including that traitor Genetta!) had a heartier breakfast of eggs, grits, and bacon.

Cafe Beignet on Royal Street, French Quarter

After breakfast we walked to the ferry at the end of Canal and had only a short wait.  If any of my readers ever decide to come to New Orleans definitely take the free ferry from the French Quarter over to Algiers Point.  It is a nice ride, offers great views of the Quarter and the river, and is blessed with the nice breeze often found while on the river.  We saw a huge cruise ship docked just short of a bridge there is no way it could pass under.  My father told me the day before that piloting the cruise ships the 105 miles to the Gulf had become a profitable side business for the tugboat and riverboat captains.  The river at this point is at its deepest along the entire 3,500 mile length — 200 feet.  In fact, the highest point in the state is just over 500 feet in the northern part — I bet no other state has its lowest point below sea level nearly as much as its highest!

The Riverboat Natchez

Saint Louis cathedral from the Algiers Point ferry

Algiers is a nice neighborhood, the second oldest in New Orleans having been founded in 1719.  Unfortunately we walked the wrong way for a few minutes and didn’t realize it until about 12:15p, fifteen minutes after the Mardi Gras Indians were to parade.  We high-tailed it back the other way, showing up at the festival (which was located near the old location of Mardi Gras World) at about 12:30p.  Luckily for us they were still parading!  There were about ten or so Indians from the “Mohawk Hunters” in full regalia, including the chief, medicine man, flag boy, and spy boy.  It was heartening to see several youths participating in the tradition — it is great that it is being passed on.  They were singing and dancing and it was quite the spectacle.  One of the songs contained the lyrics “won’t bow, don’t know how.”  As they wrapped up and paraded to the levee (pausing for photos from those that wanted them) I was just so happy to have witnessed them.  Neither my parents nor I, in many visits to New Orleans, had seen the Mardi Gras Indians.  What a treat!

Mardi Gras Indian "chief"

So where did the Mardi Gras Indians come from?  In the mid-1800s African-Americans identified with another minority, Native Americans, in their struggle against the majority.  Some African-Americans would also try to pass as Native American to avoid some of the worst prejudices of pre- and post-Civil War.  Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show increased interest in Native American dress and culture and it is about this time that African-Americans in New Orleans started masking as Mardi Gras Indians.

Mardi Gras Indian "flag boy", note the amazing bead work

The different groups of Mardi Gras Indians, the tribes, have a structure with a “chief”, “spy boy” (who runs ahead looking for other tribes), “flag boy” (who bears the tribe’s standard and communicates between the “chief” and the “spy boy”, and a “medicine man.”  In the beginning (late-1800s and early-1900s) the different tribes would fight when encountering each other.  Over time, however, this tradition morphed into a contest where the tribe with the best suits, songs, and dances would be considered to have won.

Mardi Gras Indians

The suits have thousands of beads, weighing up to 150 pounds.  It was hotter than hell today so I can only imagine how hard it must’ve been to stay in costume, dancing and singing the whole time.  A new suit is constructed every year.

Another Mardi Gras Indian "flag boy"

It is quite rare to see the Mardi Gras Indians outside of Mardi Gras and the Sunday just before March 19 (Saint Joseph’s Day).  One of our favorite HBO shows, _Treme_, follows the story of one of the tribes post-Katrina.  If you have any interest in New Orleans it is an excellent series and gets more right than wrong about this at once very familiar but at the same time very odd city.

Mardi Gras Indian "medicine man", note the bad ass Spanish Moss greaves!

It was getting blazing hot and we set out to get some snowballs.  Genetta and Michelle got cherry, Addison grape, and myself sour apple.  Yummy!  Mom and Dad headed back to the ferry via shuttle bus while we stayed behind to eat our snowballs and watch the Algiers Brass Band play.  The festival wasn’t very crowded — I’m thinking the Final Four and its free concerts must have stolen much of the potential crowd.  A shame, but then again we had fun!

Who dat (sayin' we can't put bounties on opposing players)?! (oops)

Abandoned items near the old location of Mardi Gras World

Algiers Brass Band playing at Algiers Riverfest

We headed back to the ferry by walking along the levee.  Managed to get on the ferry just as it was about to leave.  While on the river (and waiting for a large tug to pass) we heard what sounded like Blondie’s “Call Me” playing.  We later learned that it was Blondie, playing as part of the Final Four festivities.  Caught the riverfront streetcar back to Esplanade and the short walk back to where we are staying.

Cool car parked on Esplanade

After a short rest we headed to dinner at Snug Harbor.  I was really in the mood for a burger and word was that their burgers were as good as Port of Call’s.  After a short walk to Frenchman Street, and being a bit early, we were admitted to the dining area.  We had fried mushrooms with horseradish sauce for an appetizer.  They were amazing!  Next came the burgers (with baked potatoes, not fries, on the side) which were also very, very good.  I had cheddar cheese on mine (which was not a slice but shaved cheese piled high) and sauteed mushrooms on my potato.  I did have a mishap where the first bite shot juices all over my shirt.  Oh well, hopefully the stains will come out.  Worth it!

Returned back to the Courtyard and walked with Mom and Genetta into the French Quarter.  Mom peeled off and went grocery shopping while Genetta and I made our way to the river (where she noted that perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world for the many people drinking there to be so close to the very fast-moving current) and then on to Cafe Du Monde.  There we had beignets (yes, again!) and she had cafe au lait while I had frozen cafe au lait.  Very tasty!  There were some youngsters there (about college age, I guess — gets harder to gauge the older I get) blowing the confectioners sugar on each other.  I just don’t get it.  That’s the best part!

Riverfront Streetcar at dusk

Headed back to the Courtyards, passing art galleries and stores filled with lots of stuff we don’t see at home.  One of the art galleries had really cool pictures of trees and woods.  We then visited with Mom a bit in the courtyard, and then headed up to blog while the kids watched TV, played iPad,then went to bed.  Even at 1a there is still a healthy crowd at the bar across the street — very different from home where the sidewalks are rolled up at about 8p.  A good day!

I struggled with whether or not to blog this trip to New Orleans.  Not because it isn’t an awesome place to visit (it is!), but because of key differences with my two previous trip blogs, to the American West in 2010 and to Eastern Canada in 2011.

First, I haven’t blogged a spring break before, including the one between the aforementioned trips that we took to the North Carolina mountains.  Not because it wasn’t an awesome trip, but because we only went for a part of the week and part of the visit was a personal visit to a relative.  I try to keep this blog as family neutral as possible.  They’re awesome, but they’re family, if you know what I mean.  That’s personal stuff.  Still, I look back at some prior spring breaks that I wish I had blogged — ’09 to Nashville, Memphis, Hannibal (MO), and Kentucky, the trip to Disney a few years prior, DC, and others — and I think this will have enough material to keep me busy.

Second, the prior two trips were about our discovery of an area and my desire to share the experience.  New Orleans, however, isn’t an unknown.  I’ve been coming here since the late-70s and early-80s and, despite fewer visits even my wife and I have managed to make it here three times in our 18 years of marriage, including a wonderful trip in 2010 with the kids.  So this isn’t exactly new territory for us, and it’ll probably be more relaxing and enjoying the week than even our last visit in which we went to the WWII museum (go there if in town, it is superb!), checked out alligators on a swamp tour, went to the Voodoo museum, and saw an exhibit on the history of Mardi Gras.  Also, as I discovered while blogging about Indian Lake last summer, it is difficult to blog about places that have so much personal history associated with them.  Still, I think we’ll do some interesting things (blog-worthy even!) and I’d hate to miss recording it.  So, without further ado…

After a late night packing and backing up photos we awoke at about 5:30a to finish packing and getting ready for our trip.  After a breakfast of chocolate-covered donuts and some bagels Michelle’s father arrived at 7:15a to take us to the airport.  Got there about 7:45a and just as we’re getting to the front of the check-in line a couple shouts out that they need to be in front, they have a flight in 10 minutes.  The check-in agent wasn’t having any of it and just dropped the facts on them hard.  “M’am, the plane is loading and the door almost closed.  You haven’t been through security.  You need to be looking at a later flight.”  Delicious.  I have an idea — try not showing up ten minutes before departure.  We’d see them later after going through check-in and security, sitting in a corner with a sad look on their faces.  Of course my evil thoughts were paid back almost immediately when we were told our luggage was two pounds overweight.  Removing my jeans (not the ones I was wearing, now that’d be funny!) and putting them in our carry-on fixed that.

Security was fun, as always.  Except this time with the added wrinkle of that full body scanning machine.  I didn’t know I had to put my hands on my head (what’d I do, officer?!) and got scolded for that.  Glad I don’t travel much.  Got out to the concourse and relaxed before hopping on board our Southwest Air flight to Tampa Bay.  Genetta was really sweet and bought Addison book two of that Hunger Games series, _Catching Fire_.

The flight was uneventful, other than it being murder on my trick knee (the trick being, apparently, stabbing pain if it doesn’t move for about fifteen minutes or more) and that I can’t use the tray as my knees are up too high.  To quote Zoolander, “What is this, a plane for ants?!”  Read a National Geographic about the Titanic (100 year anniversary of the sinking happening next month and all) as well as an in-flight magazine article about New Orleans.  I really like Southwest.  So long as you do early bird seating it really does get you on the plane quicker and it’s nice picking out the seats.  We always take a row and then have Genetta in the window seat in the row in front of us.

Landed in Tampa Bay and got lunch at Chili’s Too.  Mainly a hamburger and salad affair, but decent enough.  Had a bit of time to kill.  I almost bought Kevin Smith’s new book but after years of not paying jacket price for hardcovers I just… couldn’t.  Flight to New Orleans left on time and was also uneventful.  I mainly slept but the last thirty minutes or so I was awake — Addison’s ears were really hurting (he had something going on with his ear the prior week).  It is always amazing to see, when flying in, just how much of southern Louisiana is water.  Basically stretches of dry land surrounded by marsh and open water.  Also got to see many of the refineries that line the river and the flames they blow out every once in a while.

Landed in New Orleans and, in contrast to 2010 when the airport was downright sleepy, stepped out to pandemonium.  With the Final Four in town there were greeters showering us with Mardi Gras beads with medallions with the Final Four logo.  People passing out guides to the city.  A “third line” playing in baggage claim.  Many chauffeur types with iPads (apparently the new hi-tech version of the poster board) identifying themselves as being there for Coca-Cola, or CBS, or what-not.  We got our ticket to the airport shuttle (and back) and hastened out of there.

On the shuttle there were a number of older folks flying their school colors — one from OSU, a couple from UK, even a Canadian that didn’t have a team but just wanted to see the event.  The driver accidentally kissed a Jersey barrier but luckily we didn’t crash or anything.  After tooling around the CBD near the Superdome (festooned in banners for the four Final Four participants — Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, and Louisville) we finally headed through the quarter to the other side.  Here the driver opened up a bit and was quite talkative about how crowded Baton Rouge was post-Katrina and such.  I’m still very torn on whether or not I want to go visit good ol’ Big BR.  Sometimes childhood memories are best left as memories, I’m thinking.

Got dropped off at The Courtyard Inn on Royal and met with my parents in the courtyard.  They had arrived earlier that morning.  After hauling the luggage up the stairs and settling in we headed out to dinner at the Mona Lisa on Royal.  I had a meatball sub and everyone else had some flavor of personal pizza.  Then we wandered to La Peniche in Marigny where I shared some Oreo cream pie with Addison and the others had chocolate layer cake.  Good stuff!

Entrance to The Courtyards Inn

Fountain at The Courtyards Inn

Stairs to our unit in The Courtyards Inn

Headed back to the room exhausted and crashed while the others amused themselves.  I wanted to watch Supernatural or blog but just couldn’t manage it.  It had been an exhausting day on top of about three hours of sleep the prior night.