November 25, 2011

OK…..this is a cruel joke……every clock in our room is WRONG! We’re stuck in a time warped room….agggghhhhhhh!! We’re absolutely certain that we have a ghost in here with us…… But we sure have a nice view to bring balance to the situation. :)

We planned to meet at 7:15 a.m. in the lobby but here we are possibly an hour behind schedule because we truly aren’t sure what the time is. We set two alarms for this morning – just to be on the safe side – and nothing has worked so we’re as about confused as you can get. Maybe it’s all a sign, and we’re not meant to go to the Factory Outlet, so Jenny-Ann has cancelled the car and we’re going to roll with it and do that shopping adventure on Sunday or another day instead. The TV news this morning is that the traffic on that highway is horrendous (combination of Black Friday shoppers and people en route to a big football game in Baton Rouge) so maybe our crazy clocks are a blessing in disguise. The other thing is that we have no hot water in our shower…..it’s starting to look like it will be an interesting day.
The sun over the Mississippi River this morning is brighter than you can imagine! It looks like we’re bound for a perfect New Orleans day.

Since we’re not driving to the outlet centre…..we’ve decided that today will be a day of walking instead. The sun is going to shine all day and the temperature is absolutely perfect so we’re going to take full advantage of that fact.

We hit the Starbucks that is in the hotel lobby and were met by a bright and cheery barista who proceeded to tell us all about her family’s Thanksgiving Dinner where the star of the meal was a turducken (yes….it’s all the rage….a chicken stuffed into a duck which is then stuffed into a turkey!) She said it was good ……we’re going to take her word for it……I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to be trying to do that any time soon!

From the lobby we took off down Canal Street to the ferry dock and the far end of the river walk. We could not have asked for a better day! Along the river walk there are signs telling the story of the history of the river, the music of the region, and many more historic stats. There was one sign in particular that really resonated for me and that spoke to the mystery and the history of the river and it said, “the Old Muddy enters your soul and touches your deepest imagination stimulating curious and unexpected feelings and associations.” Maybe it was the Christmas jazz music playing in the background, maybe it was the warm sun and the light breeze, maybe it was the lack of sleep and the crazy morning we’d had with the clocks, or maybe it was just simply the truth…..the Old Muddy and all the stories we’ve grown up with about it do get into your soul and stir imaginings and unexpected emotions.

We wandered past fountains and parks, statues and stores…..and oh yes of course we stopped in one or two of those stores…..it is Black Friday after all  We were in Saks and Coach and Banana Republic and Chanel and well……a lot of very exclusive places where there are some very expensive clothes! In fact….Verna-Lee even checked out a couple of $7000 dresses but don’t worry Bruce….she only bought one of them.
Eventually we found ourselves back in the French Quarter and feeling a little hungry. As luck would have it our noses led us to Huck Finn’s where we had a fantastic breakfast (mine was a crawfish skillet and delish!) for a reasonable price and with great service…..much different than the night before at the restaurant in our hotel! After breakfast we spent a little time checking out the fish tank in the restaurant where ironically there are no fish. But…..where there are baby alligators and turtles. They bring the babies in from the swamp for their aquarium and when the babies outgrow the tank….it’s back to the bayou for them and a few new babies are rounded up to take their place at the restaurant.

Bolstered by breakfast we were back to the streets and on the move again. We wandered in and out of shops, we watched the musicians starting to set up on street corners (this city definitely sleeps until at least 1:00 p.m.) There were young boys with some kind of metal taps stuck to the bottom of their shoes dancing up a storm for the small crowds that were beginning to wander the streets with us, there were full jazz bands performing in front of buildings that looked like they were straight out of a movie, there were buskers dressed as statues coming to life for their audience, and I got a surprise when a small car on the corner turned into a man right before my eyes! Yes folks….Transformers are real and they live on the streets of Nawleans! You’ll be wondering about my spelling of New Orleans in that last sentence….suffice it to say that even some of the signage here has a strong southern accent and Nawleans is the phonetic spelling for this amazing city.
As morning turned to afternoon the sun continued to shine on us and the humidity level went up a couple of notches….it was a good reminder of why we wouldn’t want to be visiting here at the peak of summer!

By the time midafternoon hit, we were ready for a break and once again, lady luck was with us as the Café du Monde was right in front of us. There were lineups all around the place but somehow our luck continued and we managed to get right in, locate a table, and get a cup of really good coffee and a couple of plates of beignets (deep fried donuts that have been covered in a small mountain of icing sugar). I’ll halt here for a minute to describe for you the scene at the Café du Monde…..there are literally hundreds of people either seated or waiting for service at the café. It is an outdoor style so very open and festive. There are bands playing across the street and so the air is rich with music and laughter. There is a breeze blowing and the smell in the air is sweet and tempting. The backdrop to it all is the Old Muddy who continues to wind its way along the shoreline as it has done since the beginning of time. The four of us (Helena-Marie, Verna-Lee, Jenny-Ann, and I) are seated at a table where the dirty dishes from the last guests are still piled high, where there is powdered sugar scattered everywhere (floors, chairs, and table alike) and where there is a sign that says, “whatever you do – don’t wear black to the Café du Monde!” We look at one another and all of us had something black on but Jenny-Ann was the winner….she was dressed completely in black and by the time we had been seated for less than a minute she was covered in the sticky white powder!....as was Verna-Lee’s pack and Jenny-Ann’s purse. Helena-Marie and I got off the easiest! Thank heaven for Jenny-Ann’s Mary Poppins purse….she pulled out her pack of Wet Ones and we were cleaned up in no time. The beignets were tasty and the coffee divine so once we were fueled and ready to go again we were back to the streets of the French Quarter.

Royal Street was the next one we tackled and along it we met ‘Dan the Man’. Dan has a business setting up tours and after an hour with him we were armed with new perspective, a ton of information on things to see and do and where to find the best deals on everything from restaurants to bars and phone cards to musical events. We also came away with having booked a swamp tour complete with air boat, a ghost tour (with the very best of the guides), a Plantation tour of both Oak Alley and the Laura, and the name of a fortune teller we might just check out before we leave this vibrant city.

By the time we made it back to our hotel after a full day of walking the streets…..Helena-Marie was the only one not feeling the pain of the miles we’d put in on the pavement. Jenny-Ann hit the shower and Verna-Lee and I popped an anti-inflammatory, chased it down with a bottle of wine, and headed back out and across the street where we signed up for a massage that can only be described as magical!

Feeling refreshed…… we reconnected with Helena-Marie and Jenny-Ann and were off to dinner at a Japanese restaurant where we met up with Linda-Kay and J.W. who filled us in on their day of adventure along many of the same streets we had hiked. It’s amazing that we didn’t bump into one another as we were likely only minutes away from each other at several points in the day.

We’re back in the hotel now and everyone but me is sound asleep….and I’m not far from sleep myself! I will leave you with what I know is going on at street level tonight and the picture I can see from our hotel window before I sign off though…….
Canal Street is completely blocked off by police lines (its normally a main thoroughfare), there are hundreds (probably thousands) of police and other security staff everywhere you look, I can hear the police whistles and the sound of the crowds on the street right through the closed window 44 stories above the ground, there are people coming and going in the hallways, there is a phone ringing somewhere……this night (and the two that will follow) are the biggest/busiest nights of the year in New Orleans! I always thought that Mardi Gras was the craziest day but no…they say that this annual event is even bigger than that! This is something called the Bayou Classic where several college football teams gather to vie for the championship and along with them come their thousands of fans from far and wide. There is not a hotel room to be had in the city and my guess is that there will be some serious “action” on the streets tonight. Earlier, a policeman warned Jenny-Ann to be careful tonight as it’s likely to be a wild one. We decided to avoid the wilder nights and after all the miles we put in today, we were ready to just put our feet up and have a ‘night in’. Fortunately we all had our red wrist bands (issued at check in and specifically for this 3 day Bayou Classic event) so we were able to get back in to our hotel elevator where there is an abundance of security allowing only those with our wrist bands back into the hotel.

Tomorrow is a whole new day with adventure on the horizon…..our swamp tour guide will pick us up at 11:00 a.m. and I think the plan is to hit the casino before that. Now now people……we’re not gambling….we’re going for breakfast……Dan the Man told us that they have a great buffet for under $10 so we’re going to call it brunch and be back in time to catch our ride.

Till tomorrow……
Lorrie