Spotted Cat

We asked some jazz street performers where to go tonight to here some good jazz. We had found Snug Harbor through TripAdvisor but there's a $15 ticket cost per person. The jazz performers told us about the Spotted Cat which is just jam sessions with no cover.  So after a yummy dinner of local cuisine at Coop's Place we found our way to the Spotted Cat and hung out for a bit enjoying the tunes. I got some great video that I'll post when I get home tomorrow.

After the jazz we walked back to the hotel but stopped for a few more New Orleans classics. First we got a daiquiri since Meg had never had one. Neither of us like strawberries so much so we chose Mango. Then we finally found our shot of Absinthe liquor, it tasted a bit like NyQuil. 

Tonight we pack up and tomorrow it's home and back to real life.

Lafayette Cemetery No 1

Creepy huh?

We have a great story involving a grounds keeper. I'll update later using the computer to tell you all about it.

Update: So we had heard that Marie Laveau is buried at the cemetery so we were looking all over for her. She was a VooDoo priestess that died in the mid 1800's. We had no luck and a guy had stopped me and said "we're getting ready to lock up". I followed him and asked if he worked at the cemetery. He said he did so I asked about Laveau and he told me that no one knows where she's buried but the tomb stone is at a different cemetery, we were at Lafayette No 1 and she's supposedly at different No 1. While he was telling me this he sat down to have a cigarette and asked where I was from and we chit chatted. I asked him a question about the cemetery and some other tourists walked by and he said, "hey folks we're about to start a quick tour!" I was confused....then we got stuck following him. Now this guy looked and smelled homeless but had a badge on his neck saying he was a groundskeeper. We followed him awkwardly while he seemed to BS different tidbits about the cemetery. I finally found a lull for us to leave and he stopped us to tell us the cemetery website and tell us that they operate on donations only and try to get $10 per person. What?!?! It's a cemetery, people pay to be buried there, donations? $10? We excused ourselves but the other couple on the "tour" gave him a few bucks. The guy actually stopped us and told them to give their donation to us because we obviously need the money...I made some lame comment and we left. We spend the rest of the day coming up with great retorts for him though. We also decided that he wasn't even an employee, that it was all a racket and if he was an employee we could probably get him fired by reporting his "tour" business... it was an interesting experience though.

Burt & Billie on a Trolley Car

Riding down Canal St. in New Orleans.

Liquored Up

Dinner was a very enjoyable experience. We both had delicious vegetarian dishes at Muriel's in Jackson Square. They had 14 Hands wine which is from WA state and I knew to be good so I had a glass of red and Meg had two of white!

After dinner we saw a Sammy puppy who was adorable. While playing with CareBear (the puppy) we listened to a man playing a glass harmonica.

We decided to embarque on a quest for absinthe which is a VERY potent liquor made of anise. It's sweet and just recently made legal in the US again. We didn't succeed last night but we did have drinks in the oldest operating bar in America. It was originally a blacksmith shop and the atmosphere was very neat. The had am old grand piano that doubled as a bar with an old woman playing old blues and country songs. She wasn't so skilled but the experience was very cool. Pictures are on the camera so I can't share just yet.

Our next planned stop was Club Laffite in Exile, the oldest gay bar in America, but we were done for the might so we just walked Bourbon St. and then retired to our room for caramel cake and tea and a night of good coversation.

Veggie Dinner

Yum!

New Orleans 102

Today was went by quickly. First it was much warmer out, which made us happy. Second, we started the day out with Beignets which are basically square funnel cakes - so good! So we were extra happy.

We took a History Tour of the French Quarter with Leonce, an older guy who spoke fluent French. He was a bit long winded but it was okay because he was so passionate.

Here are some images from our historical walk.

Napoleon visited the French area of Louisiana so much that he had a house here, as seen below.


The St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.


A pretty courtyard.


After the tour we had a picnic lunch in Jackson square while listening to an old guy play the Blues which was very pleasant.


After lunch we went shopping for Christmas presents and souvenirs and did yet more people watching and now we're resting up at the hotel and planning out our evening. We're planning on go to a Jazz show at Snug Harbor, we're excited.

More to come...

New Orleans 101

We arrived at our hotel at about 11:30am and our room happened to be ready. After a two hour power nap we ventured out at 2pm to check out New Orleans. It turns out our hotel is in a great location, just a quick 5 minute walk to Bourbon St where all the action is, but still far enough away that it's quiet at night.

The first part of the day we just wandered and took it all in. We had a late lunch at La Bayou on Bourbon. Meg tried Gumbo and I had a wedge salad with crawfish sprinkles. Both were good, but nothing amazing and it was expensive at $35 for the two of us.

We had a lot of fun looking at the architecture and taking photos of random things....

This is the Gallery of a hotel off of Bourbon St. Yes, those are two mannequins you see, all dressed up for Christmas. We were marveling and taking our pictures when a guy walking by informed us that they put the twins up every year this time, and sometimes for other occasions as well. Either way, they caught our attention. We also enjoyed checking out the Gay Heritage Display in the window of a shop, it consisted of all sorts of Ken dolls in various attire, it was very glamorous in it's own way.

We were also very enchanted by the people watching. The people are great. Those stories will have to be reserved for in person descriptions and imitations.

We've noticed that everything is just a bit naughtier here, everything is up at least one notch. Girls are more flirtatious, guys are more bold and brazen. I think Meg and have been pegged as a couple which in this city is probably safer than two single chicks. It's pretty much what we expected of New Orleans based on stereo types and what we've seen on TV. The people watching alone makes it worth the trip.

For dinner we weren't so hungry so we stopped in a local art shop and asked for a recommendation. We were sent to the Gumbo Shop, again it was very expensive (which is the standard, we've found entrees ranging from $20-$30 to be the average, anything cheaper is difficult to find). I ordered the Vegetarian Special which was just rice and beans but it was good. I also had a local beer, Abita Amber which was nice and light and tasty. Meg decided to have a true vacation dinner, a Godiva Hot Chocolate drink and Bread Pudding - she was happy. :)

After dinner we just wandered up and down Bourbon St taking in the action and being pummled with beads. At one point we both glanced down a side street to see this,

It's the back of St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, the statue of Jesus and the light creates a shadow that is a bit creepy or cool depending on how drunk you are. We were sober so we thought it was cool.

Even though it's Saturday we retired early to rest up and plan tomorrow's activities. We're really hoping for clear weather that's slightly warmer (it was down right cold today) and sunny so we can go on a history tour and right the street car around. We'll take pictures as we go and try to keep everyone updated.

Comment so we know you care. Let us know if you have special requests for souveniers or pictures.